DIY Build Your Own Living Room Furniture

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Find supplies for these furniture projects at a home improvement store.
Image Credit: Kathryn Phillips

Take your living room to the next level by making furniture yourself from easily accessible materials. Ranging from rustic to industrial to Mid-Century modern, this collection of beginner-friendly, do-it-yourself projects will have you reaching for the nearest wood clamp.

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Related: How to Build a Mid-Century Inspired Plant Stand

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1. Planter Side Table

This durable DIY planter comes with its own table space.
Image Credit: Carrie Waller

You want a new side table, but you also want a new planter. Instead of purchasing or building both, create this double-duty planter side table made from a round tabletop and classically chic hairpin legs. Cut a hole in the center to fit your favorite plant pot.

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Related: How to Make Your Own Planter Side Table

2. Mid-Century Inspired Plant Stand

This chic yet classic plant stand owes its inspiration to another century.
Image Credit: Cameron Oden

Real Mid-Century plant stands may be a bit hard to come by or a little harsh on the wallet. Make your own Mid-Century inspired plant stand from just a few pieces of wood and a minimalistic plant pot.

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Related: How to Build a Mid-Century Inspired Plant Stand

3. Storage Bench Coffee Table

Image Credit: Mary & Tim Vidra

Add a double-sided topper to upgrade a basic storage trunk from drab to delightful. One side of the topper serves as a cushion, providing extra seating when needed. Flip the cushion over to reveal a hard wood surface, turning the trunk into a game table or coffee table with tons of hidden storage space.

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Related: How to Make a Storage Trunk Bench and Coffee Table

4. Upcycled Door Entry Table

Image Credit: Mary & Tim Vidra

Upcycle an old, unwanted door into a beautiful entry table with only minor modifications. Sand away some of the paint for a distressed look, then add on your favorite style of table legs. Salvage the legs from an old table, or purchase them new -- the choice is up to you.

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Related: How to Transform an Old Door Into an Entry Table

5. Coffee Table With Hairpin Legs

Image Credit: Cameron Oden

What's not to love about retro and Mid-Century inspired style? Craft this low-cost coffee table with high-end looks using materials found at your local home improvement store. Several pieces of wood, hairpin legs and wood stain team up to create this nouveau-retro classic.

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Related: How to Make a Coffee Table With Hairpin Legs

6. Compact Side Table & Magazine Rack

Image Credit: Cameron Oden

A compact side table and magazine rack offers enough space to hold your favorite beverage, a bowl of snacks and the remote. Keep clutter to a minimum with built-in magazine storage tucked neatly under the table top, yet within easy reach of your favorite chair.

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Related: How to Make a Side Table and Magazine Rack

7. Industrial Pipe Bookcase

Image Credit: Mary & Tim Vidra

Instead of spending years waiting for the perfect industrial bookcase to turn up at a salvage yard, speed up the process immensely by making your own and customizing it to fit that perfect unused space in the corner of the room. As for supplies, they're fairly simple -- pre-cut lumber, pipes and pipe fittings.

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Related: How to Make an Industrial Pipe Bookcase

8. Rustic Rope and Wood Shelves

Image Credit: Lucy Akins

Shelves don't need to be basic and boring. Create an instant conversation piece that serves a purpose with these rope and wood hanging shelves. The supplies are about as simple as it gets -- pre-cut wood, rope, a drill and a place to hang your new shelving system.

Related: How to Make Your Own Rope and Wood Shelves

9. Modern Freestanding Shelf Unit

Image Credit: Carrie Waller

Store-bought shelf units tend to be more drab than fab, or they simply don't fit your sense of style. Build your own modern freestanding shelf unit with boards, dowels and furniture legs. Paint the shelves or their posts in an ombre-style fade, or jazz them up any way you like for your own custom creation.

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Related: How to Build a Freestanding Shelf Unit

10. Tufted Ottoman Coffee Table

Image Credit: Sarah Dorsey

Show off your DIY skills with this double-duty ottoman coffee table built from scratch. Build the legs out of your favorite hardwood, saving money with a plywood top. Cover the top with upholstery foam, batting and fabric, then give it all the tufted treatment by adding fabric-covered buttons. Holes drilled through the tabletop are the secret to that luxe tufted look.

Related: How to Build a Tufted Ottoman Coffee Table

11. Stunning Stump End Tables

Image Credit: Tim and Mary Vidra

Build tree stump end tables for the ultimate way to upcycle natural materials that may otherwise end up in a fireplace or compost pile. Choose stumps or log slices from dried hardwoods such as oak or walnut, selecting pieces that are smooth, solid and level on the top and bottom. Add repurposed furniture legs or new hairpin legs, then preserve your creation with wood stabilizer, a finishing spray and polyurethane.

Related: How to Make Rustic End Tables

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12. Pipe and Board Bench

Image Credit: Tim and Mary Vidra

Craft a simple bench from metal pipes and scrap lumber as the perfect companion for your industrial pipe bookcase. Use T-fittings to add a support brace for the bench so the legs don't wobble.Cushy corks serve as end caps for the pipe legs so they don't scratch the floor.

Related: How to Build a Bench Seat

13. Funky Faux Fur Coffee Table

Image Credit: Summer Hogan

This faux fur coffee table offers plenty of personality, even on a ramen noodle budget. Cover any ugly or beat up coffee table -- even a curbside find -- with upholstery foam, batting and your favorite shade of faux fur after removing the table legs. Hot-glue the faux fur to the bottom side of the tabletop, then reattach the table legs. If faux fur isn't quite your thing, pick a durable fabric more suited to your style.

Related: How to Upholster a Coffee Table

14. Sleek Storage Solution

Image Credit: Summer Hogan

Upgrade an IKEA shoe cabinet to create a versatile storage system stylish enough to display in the living room. Paint the legs and handle areas gold for that gilded look, then attach the back to a living room wall for added security. Use the cabinet to stash remotes or USB cables for your personal electronics.

Related: Create a Functional and Stylish Storage Solution With This Ikea Hack

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