Turn $12 IKEA Bowls Into A Stylish Side Table With A Savvy DIY

Side tables aren't just a practical piece of living room furniture. They can also be a stylish way to introduce a unique shape to your space. If you want to save some money, you could make a DIY chic wood side table paired with items from IKEA. By connecting a few of IKEA's BLANDA MATT Bamboo Serving Bowls together, you can create a gorgeous, wavy, spherical base for a side table. All you need to do is source four or more BLANDA bowls, something to act as your tabletop, wood stain or paint, and wood filler. In total, you might be able to complete this project for less than $100. When completed, this could be the perfect DIY narrow side table for a small living room.

Before you begin this DIY project, consider how tall you want your side table to be; this will determine the number of bowls you'll need. The IKEA BLANDA bowl is four inches tall and eight inches in diameter. Many DIYers prefer to use four bowls to complete the look, but depending on your preference, you may need five or six. Keep in mind that adding more bowls creates a taller table but also raises its center of gravity, which decreases stability. 

You can source a round piece of wood for a tabletop from hardware stores, such as Lowe's, for a reasonable price. A 15-inch-diameter, 1-inch-thick circular wood board from Lowe's costs $7.97, while a 24-inch-diameter piece costs $17.48. That said, you could also find tabletops made of various materials elsewhere. For example, you could use a sheet of sturdy glass to make a glass-top side table.

Once you have your bowls, it's time to create a modern-looking side table that doubles as decor. Start by sanding down your bowls using fine sandpaper. Now, connect the bases of two bowls using wood glue by placing one bowl upside down and the other on top of it. Hold them together firmly as the glue adheres. Once it has set, drill a small pilot hole into the center of the base of the two bowls and screw them together. Next, apply glue to the top rim of one bowl and adhere the rim of a third bowl to it, thereby creating a sphere.

You'll then repeat step one with a fourth bowl, gluing its base to that of the sphere. Be sure to screw those two bowls together, as well. With the base of your BLANDA bowl side table fully assembled, you can add some stainable wood filler to the seam of the sphere to hide the connection, using a spatula to spread and smooth it. 

For the final touches, stain or prime your side table for painting. A natural stain will highlight the bowls' wood grain for a Scandinavian-inspired look, while a bold paint color can turn the finished piece into a striking accent. If you're using a wooden circular board as a table surface, be sure to sand the piece prior to staining or painting. Once finished, you can use wood glue to adhere the tabletop to the rim of the uppermost bowl. Be sure to give the entire side table a couple of coats of sprayed clear satin enamel to finish.