The Rustic Allure

If you’re like me, you’ve probably drooled over those gorgeous, rustic-chic coffee tables from high-end furniture stores. You know the ones – the ones that make your living room look like it’s straight out of a farmhouse magazine. But then you see the price tag, and suddenly that dream of owning one feels more like a far-fetched fantasy. Well, my friend, I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to take out a second mortgage to get that same look. In fact, you can build your very own rustic X-base coffee table from scratch, and I’m going to show you how.

Sourcing the Inspiration

A few months back, I stumbled upon this amazing DIY project on 100Things2Do. The blogger, Lisa, had built a gorgeous rustic X-base side table, and I knew I had to have a matching coffee table to complete the look. But as often happens with DIY projects, life got in the way, and it took me a while to actually get around to building it.

Finally, after months of hemming and hawing, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and get to work. I took Lisa’s plans as a starting point, but I knew I needed to scale things up a bit to fit my family room’s ginormous sofas. So, I set out to create a custom version that would be 60 inches long and 33 inches wide – a real statement piece.

Measuring and Modifying

The original plans from Ana White were a bit on the small side for my liking, so I had to make some adjustments. The first thing I did was increase the length of the boards – instead of the 33-inch pieces the plan called for, I used 49-inch boards for the longer sides.

Now, the tricky part was figuring out the angles for the X-base. Lisa had mentioned that the angles on a larger table wouldn’t be the same as the ones in the original plan, so I had to get a bit creative. I laid the 22-inch boards across the gap I wanted to fill, and then I simply drew a line on either end. Not the most technical approach, I know, but it worked like a charm.

Pocket Holes and Wood Glue

To give the table some extra strength and stability, I decided to use pocket holes and wood glue throughout the build. The pocket holes were especially helpful for attaching the bottom shelf, which was a bit of a challenge to get just right. I ended up using two 1×12 boards cut to 49 inches long, with a 25-inch gap in the middle. To fill that gap, I shaved down some extra 1×12 boards I had lying around and used biscuit joints to insert a strip in the center.

Staining and Finishing

Now, as you all know, the finishing touches can really make or break a DIY project. And after the debacle with that side table I built a while back, I was determined not to let that happen again. So, I decided to try something new – a gel stain from Varathane in Weathered Grey.

I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. The gel stain gave me the Restoration Hardware-esque color I was going for, without all the sanding and staining headaches. And when I topped it off with a couple coats of triple-thick varnish, the whole thing just came together beautifully.

The Big Reveal

When I finally placed the finished coffee table in my family room, I have to admit, I was pretty darn proud of myself. It’s big, it’s solid, and it’s exactly what I needed to complete the cozy, farmhouse-inspired look I was going for. But the best part? I built this baby for a grand total of £50 – a fraction of what those high-end stores were asking.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty impressive accomplishment. And the best part is, you can do it too! Just follow along with the plans, get a little creative with the angles, and you’ll have your very own custom-built rustic X-base coffee table in no time.

So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to Sofas Spectacular and start planning your living room makeover. With this DIY coffee table as the centerpiece, your space is about to get a whole lot more cozy and charming.