07/10/2025
These drawers were headed to the dump after my mother-in-law's estate sale last month. Everyone else saw junk, but I saw potential sitting there in a pile of "unwanted" furniture pieces.
I've been trying to furnish our apartment on basically no budget after my divorce, and buying new side tables wasn't even a possibility. But standing there looking at these solid wood drawers, I had this moment where I thought - why not just flip them over and see what happens?
Took them home, sanded off the old finish, and painted them this soft sage green I found on clearance. Added some simple wooden legs from hardware store scraps, and suddenly I had custom end tables that actually match my space perfectly.
Found this whole community of furniture flippers on the Tedooo app who were so encouraging about unconventional upcycling projects. One woman had turned old suitcases into coffee tables, another made a bookshelf from vintage crates. Seeing what other people created from "trash" gave me confidence to trust my vision.
Now these little tables hold my books, my coffee cup, even a small plant that makes me smile every morning. They're not Pinterest-perfect, but they're mine, they're functional, and they cost me about fifteen dollars total.
Sometimes you don't need money to create exactly what you need. Sometimes you just need to look at things differently and trust yourself to make something beautiful from what others throw away.
