Put Your Couch Arms To Good Use With A Tiny Table
When I moved into this house it was still under a bit of construction (it still is), but I knew way back when it was a total construction site that I wanted to turn the converted garage into a den. In case you didn't know, a ton of houses in Seattle that had attached garages closed them in and turned them into additional living space. Driving around the city you will see many houses with driveways leading to patio doors. My house has complete walls and the old driveway was taken out long ago, but there is still a room in the house that is exactly the size of a one car garage.
If you didn't know this quirk about Seattle houses, it would be a challenge to realize my den's past life. It now has a vaulted ceiling, wood floors, and huge, beautiful windows. But it's narrow, and once I got my couch in there, it was clear that there just wasn't room for two side tables. This must be a common problem, because you can buy mini-tables that rest on your couch arm. I knew this was what I needed, but the ones available from big commercial outlets were NOT what I wanted.
I just wanted three pieces of solid wood that would give me a place to put a drink and a snack, which apparently was such a difficult ask that I needed to commission one to be custom made. Clearly, I needed to go to Etsy. There I found a whole bunch of tables that were exactly what I was looking for. I looked at many, and found the best one. Not only was every dimension customizable, the maker provided plenty of info and answered my questions. She also had the best price. Oh, and you know I was thrilled to be patronizing a lady woodworker. Any time someone so much as looks at my table I announce "IT WAS MADE BY A WOMAN'S HANDS THAT'S WHY IT'S SO GOOD."
Now when you commission a custom piece part of the deal is that you buy it, and then you wait. I just got some custom furniture that I ordered three months ago. That's just how it goes. So when I was told this table would take two weeks to arrive I was like, "Yes, of course. I know the drill." But then it arrived less than a week later! And it was perfect!
Some of these tables have little slots to put your iPad in, some of them have shelves added to the side to hold remotes or magazines, but I just wanted something simple. The one bit of flair this has is the little beveled edge, which makes this table look like an actual designed piece and not three pieces of wood Kreg jigged together (YEAH THAT'S RIGHT I KNOW THE NAMES OF TOOLS). It also keeps your mixed nuts or whatever from rolling off.
It's offered in three colors (this one is Walnut, the lighter option) and I got to choose my desired length (I chose 12"). I was concerned about getting a table that was the exact width of my couch arm, because the sides of the couch kind of puff out, and I didn't want the table to leave a dent in the upholstery. The arm is 5" wide, and I went with a 6" wide table. You can definitely rock the table side to side, but only if you actually want to - it's never moved when I was seated next to it on the couch or placed something on it. Even so, I would rather have a piece that I could remove without a trace, so I'm pleased.
If you also have a tight space that can't really fit a table, but you will DIE without a place to put your various beverages, a couch arm table is exactly what you're looking for. If you purchase it from Modest Woodworks on Etsy, then all the better.
