Join The Breezy Coastal Trend With A Thrifted Coffee Table DIY

Embracing a coastal design in your home is like walking barefoot on the sand, with a salty breeze threading through your hair. Who wouldn't want to feel like they're on vacation while sitting on the patio? Whether you live close to sand and surf or you're stuck inland dreaming of dipping your toes in the ocean, a beach-themed patio is a popular trend. If you're keen to go coastal in your outdoor area, this thrifted coffee table DIY filled with themed decor brings the beach to you. 

To make this DIY, you'll need to hunt through thrift stores for a shadow box coffee table with a glass top. Remove the glass, wash it, and set it aside. Now, get to work on the table itself. Sand it down to remove all the old varnish and dirt, keeping in mind that sanding hard-to-reach places is easy with this genius duct tape hack. Once you're down to fresh, clean wood, stain it in a shade that matches the rest of your patio furniture. Using a wood stain with a sealant is best, as it will protect your table from the elements.  

Before putting the glass back in place, cover the bottom of the box with beach sand and smooth it out. Now you can position your favorite seashells. Whether you dot them randomly or create an intricate pattern is up to you. If you don't live close enough to raid a nearby beach, you can order authentic seashells online, such as these Aunifun Mixed Beach Seashells on Amazon. 

Add your own special touch by sticking with the coastal theme, but using exquisite pieces of coral or seaglass instead. Building up a collection of seaglass may take time, but you can use a rock tumbler to transform broken glass into faux sea glass instead. Pieces of driftwood can make striking conversation pieces. Placing them inside your coffee table and lighting them from inside shows them off while keeping them mostly dust-free.

Not all beaches are sandy, so feel free to replace the sand with smooth beach cobblestones and offset their dark gleam with a brightly-colored, orange starfish, the blue and white shades of the PandaHall Pencil Finger Starfish, or delicate white scallop shells. Make it glow with a string of ocean-themed string lights for a whimsical take that is ideal for after dark. Make sure that the layer of stones isn't too heavy, and reinforce the base with extra support if necessary.

For a different take on the coastal theme, place lights into your table and create a stained glass seascape on the bottom of the glass top. Similar to resin art, paint sand, ocean, and shells. Creating affordable and beautiful faux-stained glass is easier than you think with liquid lead and stained glass paints. Subtle lighting underneath makes the scene come to life. Play around with options like LED strips, fairy lights, or puck lights to perfect the glow.