The Look for Less: Farmhouse Herringbone Coffee Table

Can we just start out by talking about how gorgeous this coffee table is? Not only is it that rustic farmhouse style that we love, the herringbone design on top just takes it from “pretty” to gorgeous! How much can you expect to pay for a similar table? Anywhere from $500 to $1,000 plus! Did I mention this farmhouse herringbone coffee table was custom built? Similar, custom built tables start at $1,000 on Etsy and I’ve not seen any with this exact style. So how can you get your hands on one of your own??? Pick up that miter saw, girls, and take a trip to Lowes for some inexpensive lumber.

coffeetable7
Our friends, Josiah & Brittany Durham, did just this, with very little previous wood working experience. They self educated themselves on the tools to get started and went to work! With a few inspirational ideas from Pinterest, Brittany enlisted the help of her handy hubby to craft the coffee table of her (and our!) dreams. With around 15 pieces of wood (inexpensive pine boards for that herringbone pattern on top, a pressed wood board for the bottom and some 2x4s to form those charming “X”s on the sides), some wood conditioner, stain & seal, a little white paint, and one long weekend, this beautiful table came into existence.

coffeetable5

img_1186-copy

coffeetable2

Total cost to build? Approximately $100. Given the time invested, maybe add in another $50-100, depending on how much you consider your time to be worth and you’re still saving hundreds of dollars for a “look for less” that in our opinion is way prettier than any other tables priced much higher.

img_6981-copy

img_9347

Maybe you’re worried about your lack of building skills. We all have to start somewhere! It’s much more simple than you probably think. If you have an idea for something you want to see come together, take inspiration from this couple’s project. They had a vision for something they wanted to add to their home, researched the proper measurements & tools they would need, and worked together to make something totally unique. You can too! Just ask your friends who already build, talk to an associate at Lowes or another hardware store, or even just pinterest/google it! You would be surprised at what you are capable of accomplishing when you set your mind to do it!

img_9945

Amanda Signature

You may also like

28 comments

  1. What a gorgeous coffee table!! That’s so amazing your friends did this themselves! I wish I was this handy! Pinning it hopes one day my boyfriend can help me make a table like this lol.

    1. You absolutely can make it! We were intimidated the first time we built something, too (totally didn’t start small either… we built a farm table for the porch, lol), but it was so much fun! There are so many tutorials and videos out there now, you can absolutely build!

  2. Wow – that is so impressive that you made that! And about $100? Crazy amazing! I love how you detailed the step by step for this chic DIY, but I know mine would look NOTHING like yours. And I am all about the farmhouse look, have a dining room table (that someone else DIY’d!) that I adore!

  3. Wow! That is amazing. The price is crazy awesome. It’s really better than many things I have seen while shopping!

  4. I really love this! I thought this was a bought coffee table at first, but this was a DIY! I would love for someone to recreate and make this for my home this is nice! I pinned it!

  5. I am in love with this table. We need something just like this in our living room! Maybe when the kids are a little older and out of the destroying stuff phase.

    1. Hi, Emily! Our friends didn’t share exact dimensions, but here is a very similar table frame-wise from Ana White who is stellar with building plans. I’ve used hers a number of times on my furniture projects. (http://www.ana-white.com/2012/07/plans/rustic-x-coffee-table) To do the table top, here’s a great tutorial from Wit and Whistle! (https://witandwhistle.com/2012/07/27/diy-herringbone-barn-wood-coffee-table/) The coffee table I built for our patio was using Ana’s dimensions of 52″ x 27 1/2″ x 18″ including the tabletop, and it’s been the perfect size for our porch! I think that’s pretty standard for a coffee table, though you could make it narrower depending on the space you have. Let us know if you have any other questions! We’d love to see the finished product!

    1. Hi, Christine! I believe they’re secured with wood glue and brad nails to the 2×4 frame. Screws would work, too, but they would have to be filled on top which doesn’t stain as well. Hope this helps!

  6. Hey what color of stain did you use? I know you have a picture of the classic grey but it looks more brown in the pictures!

    1. Hi! I’m not sure what color stain they used, but it appears to me to be the weathered gray by Minwax which is definitely a worn wood look as opposed to a solid gray. A little trick to get it to look more gray, though, take a stir stick and mix up all the thick coloring at the bottom of the stain can then wipe what’s on the stick on your rag. It’s still a stain, but it’s a lot thicker gray. I use this on my sign frames, and it works really well!

Leave us a comment.