Garbage Can Storage Table

One inconvenience of living in an old house is the absence of storage space.  People of the past built small closets because they used armoires and chests to store their belongings. They also had much less stuff.  Not true for us today, right?

This is a picture of 2 of our closet doors, with a bathroom door in the center.  Not much storage, but really cool doors.

Over the years I have needed more space to store toys, linens, fabric, holiday decorations, etc., and didn't have the funds to buy big armoires.  Here is a fun idea I saw on a TV program that has given me storage right out in the open, unknown to all except my family.  It is cute, inexpensive, and can easily be changed with the seasons or as a child changes their room decor.

Find a storage container that suits a space in your home. Pay attention to the bottom to anticipate how it will work on your floor.  Is it rounded and will be tippy on your heavily padded floor, etc.?  What you put inside the container will weight it down, but you may have trouble putting a lamp on top of a can filled only with stuffed animals on a super padded carpet.  I'm using a large Rubbermaid trash can, as the height is great for a bed side table.  For this can, I carefully cut off the handles using a utility knife.

Purchase a glass tabletop that is large enough to sit on top of the can.  I see these at garage sales all the time and pick them up for $1-2.  If you are making this for a child to store their toys, I would skip the glass top.

Draw around the glass on a piece of wood.  Again, if this is for a child, be sure to choose wood that will not splinter or scrape their hands.  The board I'm picturing is particle board, which is cheap, but would not be good for a child's room.  Ask a wood working friend to cut out the disk for you, or girls - get your power tools on!  Be sure to sand the edges, if they are rough.

Then fill up the container, top it with the wooden disk, and cover it with a table cloth.  Instant decor!  You can even store stuff right in the middle of the room if this makes you happy.

Since you may not have a tablecloth that fits your new table perfectly, I will teach you how to make one in a few days.  In the meantime, consider looking at sheets for decor ideas. Sheets are much wider than fabric and make great tablecloths, because you do not have to piece them.  We'll talk about all that later.

Would you make one of these for your home?  I'd really love to see what you come up with!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you lift the skirt on one of the round tables in my house, yep, there's a trash can. Ssssshhhh!  Our little secret.

Ellie