How to turn junk into home decor with a crate coffee table and built in tray! (2024)

How to turn worthless junk into home decorating must haves with a crate coffee table and tray

If you’re here from Nesting Place, welcome!

Today you’re in for a real treat! 25 bloggers are grouping together for How to Decorate, a series created by Beth of Home Stories from A to Z.

To visit Beth at #1, click HERE.

I’m Donna, and my passion is creating cool and unusual home decor items for my home out of junk! So I’m going to be sharing my secrets on how I do that today, along with a brand new project!

Now by junk, while I love a good vintage find, I’m actually referring to stuff that doesn’t really have any monetary value. It’s generally the stuff that people throw away. If you were to offerme a heaping pile of weathered wood bound for a burn pile sprinkled withrusty machine parts, vs valuable antiques, I’dspeedto the first pile with an empty truck.

I think it’s because I was in struggle mode not all that long ago.When you go through hard times, you just develop a fascination for turning nothing into something with little $ needed. My full story is HERE.

How to turn worthless junk into home decorating must haves with a crate coffee table and tray

Junk Rule #1 / Collect what strikes your fancy

I love crates because they are like little premade boxes I don’t have to build nor pay for. But I can make them into many different things.

Collect affordable things that speak to you. The beauty of this is, only you can determine what that is. If you are tight on space, collect small things. It’s just as valuable.

Ever try to draw without pen and paper? You can’t. You need stock. So… collect from the curb, thrift stores, garage sales, wherever. And tuckyour stockaway for a rainy day.

Junk Rule #2 / Create out of need

I needed two small tables for the pallet sofas on the deck. Rather than building from scratch, my two finds just may work!

Our houses are only so big. So walk through your home, and determine what you NEED.

Ifyou don’t need it, you may notpush your creativity the furthest, and you may not even use it. Unless you sell stuff on a reg basis, do the need thing first.

Junk Rule #3 / inspire YOURSELF

Turning a crate into a table of some sort requires a top. So a basic square frame was created first, that slips inside the crate.

Reclaimed wood planks were cut to size, highlighting any prints or imperfections for added personality.

The woodwas sanded down well, but not enough to remove the printing.

My preference is striking new ground. Even if it’s a great idea, I generally will not copycat another’s design, because in my mind, it’s already been figured out, which is95% of the fun for me. So I strike out on my own.

I also have this hangup. If I can totally vision the finished result right away, I won’t want to build it. So as I build, I change my mind constantly to shake things up, so I don’t get bored.I attempt to surprise myselfwith every single project. The frame was centered within the wood planks, thenscrewedtogetherfrom the inside of the frame, so the screws wouldn’t show on the top of the table.

I would have preferred a specialjig to do this, but…you do what you can do. 🙂

( Push it girl… you visioned this so what else can it become that’s different? Think! )

I added handles so the crate table could become a tray as well. Bingo!

And if I desire the top to be higher, say for a dinner plate, I can lift up the tray and slightly turn.

“You passed!”

“Thanks, me!”

It’s nice to go on Pinterest and other blogs for ideas.But there is nothing like being an inventor of new (to you) things!

Junk Rule #4 / Createwith inspiring surroundings

I do my very best work when I have a mess of stuff laying all around me. But I don’t mean a bad mess. I mean junky kinda stock. Whether that’s reclaimed wood in my workshop or a bucket of rusty washers, the extras surrounding me fuel my current project.

I had to laugh when a friend asked how I was going to make something one time.The best answer I could give her was, “I have no idea yet!” If I know what I want, that’s good enough for me to start. Not everything needs a big plan. Justwing it and see what it becomes.

And that’s it!

Here are a few of my other projects, all based on the same rules above….

Worthless sawhorse brackets=sawhorse pipe junk lamps for the kitchen

I needed lamps for the kitchen. ‘Nuff said

2 pallets = outdoor sofa

Desiringsomething unique to sit on outdoors,2 full pallets did it. It was easy too!

Junk styled shed from old fencing

Vintage toolbox side table all signed up

Ladder side table for the bedroom

Horse gate headboard /Reclaimed wood pipe handled bed tray

And on it goes. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my crazy little junk world! It’s my hope thatthis encourages you to think twice about anything that catches your eye, even if it’s worth absolutely nothing.

For you may end up with something priceless!

Next up…

Visit The Inspired room

Visit them ALL below… links will become active once posts are live.

Day 1:
1. Beth, Home Stories A to Z: How to Find Your Decorating Style
2. Courtney, A Thoughtful Place: 5 Gallery Wall Styles
3. Stacy, Not Just A Housewife: How to Decorate with Plants
4. Myquillyn, Nesting Place: Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget
5. Donna, Funky Junk Interiors: How to Turn Worthless Junk into Home Decorating Must Haves
Day 2:
1. Melissa, The Inspired Room: The Secret Ingredient Every Room Needs
2. Jessica, Four Generations One Roof: How to Decorate with Container Plants
3. Traci, Beneath my Heart: How to Style a Coffee Table
4. Cyndy, The Creativity Exchange: Tricks for How to Zone in on the Perfect Paint Color
5. Laura, Finding Home: 5 Ways to Personalize Your Home

Day 4: