From coffee table to side table and shelf

Materials: Svansbo table, bit of wood, 2 x raw plugs and screws, "liquid nails", jigsaw, wall drill, paint.

Description: What I love about Ikea is that their furniture is not so precious that you won't touch it, and practical enough to be given a second chance, through reclaiming and reinvention.

I had two old Svansbo coffee tables and one of them had become redundant in the flat. I don't think Ikea makes them anymore, but if you have one and don't know what to do with it, you can turn it into a smaller bedside table and small shelf, like I did.

First, I cut the top to measure: 65 cms for the bedside table, and the smaller shelf 15 cms deep, because I wanted to use it just to put a mirror on top.

I then cut the metal legs to the same measurement as the tops. They were steel tube and very easy to saw through with a metal handsaw. Once done, I reassembled the new pieces, screwing the metal leg frames onto the wood tops: the idea for both tables/shelves is that the free, sawn end would be attached to the wall, while the visible end would be supported by the half-leg frame.

I attached a bit of wood to the wall with two raw plugs, painted it the same colour as the wall, and then sat the sawn end of the table/shelf on top, fixing it with "liquid nails". I left this adhesive to dry for 24 hours, with a weight on top.

I repeated the operation with the smaller shelf and voila! A mini-shelf and a new bedside table, from just one Ikea product.

I hope you found my hack useful!

~ itziko, London, UK