This is the saga of my coffee table search that eventually led me to an Ikea Vejmon Coffee Table hack. As funny as it sounds, this is the first home where we’ve owned a coffee table. So coffee tables feel very “grown up” to us.

Our apartment we lived in for three months before it was destroyed by a fire didn’t have one because we didn’t live there long enough to figure out what we wanted. The townhome we lived in for ten and a half years was laid out so that the living room opened directly into the sunroom through french doors, so a coffee table would have completely cut off the flow of traffic. For this reason, when it came time to purchase one, I was shocked at how much the pretty ones I loved cost. Think $600-1000.

The look I wanted was a mix of gold and marble, or gold and glass. I knew I wanted a square or round table, as rectangular would feel a bit off with the shape of our living room. It’s no shocker that some of my favorites came from Anthropologie, and were over budget, but as I hunted online, I realized that to get something I’d even sort of like with decent quality, I’d have to spend at least $400.

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After furnishing our main floor, that felt like too much, so I decided to turn to second hand options. I nearly snatched this identical table up from Craigslist for $75, but somebody got to it just before me.

I eventually purchased this square glass one pictured in my living room for $60. It was bronze, and the metal was tarnished and green in places, but I knew I could give it a spray paint makeover to get the look I wanted. Please ignore the super skinny artwork flanking the fireplace. I’m not sure what I was thinking. 😉

We kept that table for about 2.5 years, and while it looked nice, it was a total safety hazard. The glass table top wasn’t secured to the table, and the edges were very pointy and sharp. With our kiddos in the house, and even younger kiddos of family members and friends visiting frequently, we got extremely lucky that no one was ever injured. After a few near misses, Adam’s voice of reason prevailed, and we decided to move on to a safer option. Sidenote: I sold the coffee table for $80, making money in the deal – one of the benefits of buying second hand!

Many people are familiar with this Ikea Vejmon Coffee Table in black/brown. At $99, it’s a super budget friendly modern coffee table option, but it just isn’t my style. Clearly it looks nothing like my inspiration tables. So I performed an Ikea Vejmon Coffee Table hack to create something a little more “glam.”

I hadn’t initially planned on an Ikea Vejmon Coffee Table hack, but I knew I needed to move to a round shape for the kid-friendliness. That’s a word, right?! 😉 After scouring Craigslist for days, and feeling like I was on a time crunch because I would soon be hosting a church book study in our home (think lots of mamas with their littles in tow), I found a second hand one on Craigslist, WITH a white glass table top from Room & Board. All listed for $75. After some bargaining, Adam picked it up for me for only $60.

The base is more bottom heavy than I would have liked, but this picture of Claire Thomas’ living room featured in Domaine Home made me believe I could work with the thicker legs.

I thought I took pictures of the entire makeover process, but I’ve hunted and can’t find them. Blogger fail. I really need to get my photos more organized. Well, that and my entire house. And maybe life. But that’s for another day…

So the gist of this Ikea Vejmon Coffee table hack is that I spray painted the base in my previously mentioned favorite spray paint, Rustoleum Metallic Gold, removed the bottom shelf, and added the white glass table top. The previous owner of my thrifted piece had added a sticky foam pad under the glass, so there is no slippage. I’m not sure I would have thought of that, but it’s seriously so great with kids! And now we aren’t jumping up off the sofa, frantically guarding edges, as our toddler nieces and nephews come too close to the edge of the table. So much better all around… So without further ado, here is the reveal of our Ikea Vejmon Coffee Table hack!

Did you spy the open cabinet in the background? Arabella was digging in our art cupboard, as usual!

What do you think of this easy DIY? Would you ever buy a second hand coffee table? Would love to hear from you!