Expectation vs. Reality

For starters I imagined myself having a lot more time to work on this project….that was not the case with a busy senior spring semester winding down. I do however feel that I created a project that was very close to what I expected minus a few small features that I wanted to add. So overall I was very happy with the final product knowing the time constraints I had and how cheaply I was able to build my project. One thing that made a huge difference was the fact that in the beginning I imagined myself building the table completely from scratch. This did not happen and I believe it actually turned out better because I was able to focus more on the aesthetic features than making a table that was clean looking and structurally sound.

Public Reaction

While there really wasn’t a huge wow factor to my project a lot of people did like the idea of using your coffee table for storage purposes and display purposes whether that be wine bottles or seashells or other trinkets. Overall they liked the construction and many asked about the wine box drawer I made out of old wine boxes. I will admit that a lot of people did not really see the aesthetic I was going for at least just in regards to the table itself minus the wine bottles. I was discouraged but knew that if I had more time like I originally thought I would have been able to add some additional elements that would have helped my aesthetic out.

What I Learned:

I learned that is sometimes better to take an already made object and refurbish it into exactly what you want. While it may seem scary especially if it is quite expensive, with a little work you can re-size really any piece of furniture or add features that you want. I also learned how to use a jigsaw really well and learned some other small woodworking tips that I will certainly be using in the future.

Whats Next:

I would really like to add a secret compartment to my table and also add some built in coasters. I also would like to replace the piece of glass on the table top with a nice thick piece of acrylic. This will make the table more durable and also prevent that quite annoying “clank” that is made when a heavy glass is placed on the table. Hopefully I will actually use this table in my next house so once I know that I will use it I will make these improvements.

If I Did It Over:

If I did it over I would spend a bit more time in the planning phase in an attempt to limit a few of the slight design issues I had once I started. I also would have spent a little more time selecting wine boxes to use because the two I was able to find were a bit banged up. Overall though, given the time I had I wouldn’t change anything as I did the best I could.