Make the most of a small space by hiding a home office under a fabric-covered hollow-core door with a skirt. This pretty table does double duty as a dining-room side table. Materials:
Hollow-core door
Saw
Hammer
Two file cabinets
5 yards of fabric
Staple gun
Velcro® strips
Steam iron
HeatnBond® iron-on adhesive
- Determine the size of the tabletop, and mark the length on the door (figure A).
- Cut the door to the desired length.
- Sand the cut end of the door.
- Inside the sawed-off section of door is a piece of wood that can be pried out (figure B) and replaced in the raw end of the door. Just pound it back in with a hammer to make a finished end (figure C).
- Cut the fabric so it overlaps the door by a few inches all the way around.
- Peel the backing off one end of the HeatnBond iron-on adhesive. Place this end of the HeatnBond on the right side of the fabric, and smooth it in place while continuing to remove the backing (figure D). When all the fabric is covered, lay the backing back over the HeatnBond, and iron at a medium temperature for six to eight seconds per section. Turn the fabric over, and iron the back side.
- Center the door on the back side of the fabric (figure E). Starting at the corners, use a staple gun to staple the fabric to the door (figure F).
- Measure the Velcro, and attach one side of the Velcro strip to the front and side edges of the door (figure G).
- Use the remaining fabric to make a skirt for the desk. Finish the hems without sewing by folding the hem over HeatnBond and ironing.
- Attach the other side of the Velcro strip to the top inside edge of the skirt (figure H), and attach the skirt to the desktop (figure I).
Tip: - There are a number of space-saving and double-duty pieces of furniture on the market that can help you maximize your space. They include futons, Japanese-inspired sofas that open up into beds and may even include built-in end tables on the arms; swivel-top desks that open into large dining tables (and contain storage areas underneath the top); and stacking tables, which can be used separately or pushed together to make a coffee table.
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