Paint + Rope = a Skinny Nightstand

I was in need of a nightstand for beside the guest bed. The space was small, but I still thought guests would appreciate a place to set their phone, keys, a book, etc. Plus, I wanted a place to have a lamp.

You may have noticed an ordinary stool hanging out in the corner beside the bed. I finally got around to finishing the project today. 

After some intense googling for "skinny diy nightstands" I came across this idea. I had the perfect old stool in the basement. 

I'm not even sure where this piece came from. It had various colors of paint splotches, some markered names and even a wad of athletic tape. After some sanding and cleaning, it was ready to be transformed. 

Jeremiah gave the stool a couple coats of the leftover crib paint. After it dried, I got to work on the shelves. 

 Hot glue helped me keep the rope tight and in place as I wrapped it around the rungs. This project was going super smoothly...until...I ran out of rope. 

I had underestimated the amount of rope that this project would take. I thought 50 feet would be enough...but, in fact, I needed closer to 150 feet. 

The completed shelves hold a couple of books or a box of tissues or whatever a guest may want to keep nearby in the night. 

I am completely pleased with the results. Jeremiah was also kind enough to bracket these two old shutters together to add more color in the corner. You can see a metal chip clip hanging off the shutters. My uncle gave me a few of these when I went off to college. I used them to display pictures or other paper mementos. I hope to clip up a few photos of Nora soon. 

I still get giddy over the transformation that comes from a little paint and hot glue.