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A coffee table with removeable tops to store legos and lincoln logs!
Projects built from this plan. Thank you for submitting brag posts, it's appreciated by all!
1/2 Sheet of 3/4″ MDF or Hardwood Plywood cut into strips 15 7/8″ wide x 48″ long
2 – 1×3
3 – 1×2
1 – 1×6 – 12 foot long
2″ screws
1 1/4″ screws
wood glue and filler and finishing supplies
2 – 1×6 @ 48″
3 – 1×6 @ 14 3/8″
2 – 3/4″ MDF or Plywood @ 15 7/8″ x 48″
2 – 3/4″ MDF or Plywood @ 15 7/8″ x 24″ (top inserts)
4 – 1×2 @ 17 1/4″
4 – 1×3 @ 17 1/4″
2 – 1×2 @ 44 1/2″
2 – 1×2 @ 12 7/8″
2 – 1×2 @ 48″
2 – 1×3 @ 18 7/8
Top Ends
Now simply screw the top ends on as shown above. If you have a Kreg Jig™, you can also screw the end to the sides for added support.
I won’t say much more than I’ve been at this one for three days with a hair dryer . . . but the color is dark walnut. I used Elmer’s wood filler and it took the stain quite well.
Thanks for reading! I hope you take a second to let me know if you like this design, so I can continue to post more plans that are similar. Mom to mom, this is a must make.
I've been waiting.
Ever since my daughter was born, I've been waiting.
Waiting for her to out grow blocks and rattles.
And she did, but I found myself waiting again.
Now I was waiting for her to out grow play-doh and fisher price.
And she did . . .
But I'm still waiting.
Now I'm waiting for her to outgrow legos and lincoln longs and coloring books.
And it occurred to me the other day that while I'm waiting, my life is not. As I continue to think, in just a few years, there won't be Grace's stuff everywhere, valuable time is passing.
After so many of you contributed ideas for gifts for boys, and many, many of you suggested lego tables, I designed one. One like you see at a toy store. One that shouts play table. But after cutting the first board, I decided I don't want to wait anymore. And while I'm building a lego table for my daughter, I'm also going to build a coffee table for myself. Because I want a living room that both plays and looks like something I'm proud of.
And this is the lego table that I built. I promise. It's a lego table. Complete with lego mats and storage bins.
Well, actually, Lincoln logs on this side, legos on the other. The top panels of the table are removable to hide ANYTHING in there - think trains, coloring supplies, books, laptops, video games and accessories, board games . . . it's really up to you. The top panels also can be flipped over to hold permanently secured lego mats, train mats, chalk boards or even checker or chess boards!

I drew that one on, but you get the idea.

In mere seconds, you can go from kid table, to scraping all those tiny legos directly into a storage bin, flip it over, and you are back to sophisticated living space. The top inserts can also fit easily under the bottom shelf. The inserts also easily slide from bin to bin, so you can have access to both bins with one insert on the tabletop.
My lego table is highly inspired by Pottery Barn's Bailey Coffee Table, but if your style is more like Pottery Barn's Benchwright Table (like the one shown above), read on, it's a super easy modification to make the above lego table. And if you love this idea, but perhaps a different style, please take a second to leave positive feedback so I know you like the idea, and will continue to develop plans for more lego tables hidden inside stylish coffee tables. And the plans for the train table are here.
And what is the absolute best part about this table? You will not believe how easy it is to build.
I love it! And would love to see it in a giant (like 4'x4'?) square! Great plan.
This is amazing!! Today was my birthday, and this is a perfectly timed-present, as I sit here staring at the plastic lego bins on my living room floor. This will be built by the weekend!! Thank you for what you do!
That is absolutely amazing! I LOVE how you did this!!! I don't have any small children at my house anymore, however, I do have a grandchild on the way... :D
(You are inspiring and amazing! I think that what you can do is astonishing!)
That is a beautiful table and you did a super awesome job with the windows!! To have that beautiful view (and lighting) everyday is priceless!!!
Im not a mom, but I LOVE it, this coffee table could be used for so much more! And my husband cant wait to have some boys to play with legos again, his mom wont give the old ones up, LOL :( Again absolutely love it!
LOVE IT!!!
Hillary, next up is definitely a large train table that turns into a coffee table or how about an upholstered ottoman coffee table? I'm so excited about this design. Thanks for commenting! Ana
This is a fantastic design. I LOVE it. I don't even think you can buy something like this. I have been perusing your blog for a few weeks and am itching to build something (this might be too complex for a first try however). Thanks for the inspiration and how tos. You can probably market this coffee table - I bet lots of people would want to buy it.
Yet again.... you are AMAZING!!
Wow, this is ingenious!!! I love it! I was just thinking my son needs a Lego table but that we don't have room! This way I get two pieces of furniture in one! It's gorgeous and very sneeky, keep the great plans coming!
Yes, I absolutely LOVE it! This is the coffee table I have been searching for. Now to get my husband on the project of making it. I am going to link to this on my blog. I love all ideas that combine a sophisticated adult look with the reality of kids.
Ana,
This is BRILLIANT! I think I agree with Hilary. If it were bigger I would run to Lowes right now, in the single digit weather to buy the materials! Looking forward to seeing the variations for this on your site so I can find the one that's perfect for our space! Thanks!
I 2nd Hillary's suggestion!! I would LOVE a storage coffee table that's large and square and maybe even a bit deeper storage compartments (for blankets and such....I can't stand how they's always covered in dog hair because they sit on the floor of my living room). Our coffee table is the next thing on our list and I can't wait to build it!!
Love it! we might just have to build one for my step daughter and grand daughter (soon as they buy a house!)
And I feel for you with the stain.. we just refinished out dining table and the stain was so annoying, so hard to get things to dry properly up here in the winter (we're in Palmer) We waited and thought it was finally dry, moved it back in and almost immediately scratched it.. *sigh* will have to redo it, but waiting until after the holidays now.
I love it! Living in an appartment, my son has a rather small room and plays most of the time in our family room. And I like it that way. This table is genius.
Ana, You rocked this one. I am not a Mom but I live in a small space, and I love this. Thank you!
Super love! Can't wait for the train table! This will be my first build.
I love this!!!!! I think I just found my newest project.
OMG i love this now maybe make it square could be even better ;)
I told my kids the other day that I am in love with Ana. They wondered who in the world you are and how I could be so enamored with someone I do not even know. This design is fantastic and I would be overjoyed at an ottoman plan that is sturdy enough for toys. I have one now that has flimsy sides and the kids are not allowed near.
I absolutely love this idea! Thanks for all your ingenuity and such practical eyecandy.
I love it! I will built it like this, but make the storage compartment bigger as my girls use duplo (the large toddler friendly leggo blocks). And when there are plans for a square one I might make one like that, too!
You should win some kind of award!! You are AMAZING!! LOVE this! EXACTLY what I need with two small kiddos and hopefully more to come in the future. Your time and talent is greatly appreciated!!
wow this is FANTASTIC Ana!!!! Love it!
Wow. Brilliant. Truly brilliant.
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! This table is just what I've been looking for! LOVE!!!!!
THANK YOU!!
Love this plan, my favorite yet!
This is GENIUS! I love it!
I've only been following your blog for a couple of months now, and I have been a little intimidated to try to build anything, but this might just be the one to make me do it! This table is just so perfect!
ooh would be good to use those push magnetic latches so you don't have to cut a hole in the tops.
Also maybe shorten the legs to allow for a pillow on top or upholster rectangles that fit in underneath.
I'm thinking an older kid version with a chess board painted on one side and a backgammon board on the other and a couple of favourite board games in the wells.
You have once again proven your brilliance!!! Your talent alone is proof that there is a God and he has blessed you with an incredible talent and the heart to share it!
Oh, I LOVE this one! You could really use it for just about anything. I'm going to have to show this one to my husband in the morning.
Wow Ana, whilst I love the table, your living room & view is just breath-taking. I thought all of the Summer images of your house were lovely, but that image is like something out of "Snow falling on Cedars".
Not a mom, but loving this table for our small house. So hard to find places to keep all the stuff in a small home. This would be a great place to keep magazines, coasters, whatever! Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow, this is fairly similar in style to our current coffee table, but I love how practical it is with the hidden storage - fabulous design!
I LOVE this! Thanks so much for all your hard work and inspiration. Now I have a really good reason why we NEED a pocket hole jig...we're going to build this!
I love this and love the idea of an upolstered ottoman storage table too! You amaze me. I still want your life.
that is awesome. love it. And looking at your windows love the simple looking frames. tell how that was done, our farmhouse needs finishing and the windows have been driving me crazy as I just dont know how to do the framed in look that covers the added drywall etc.
Wow, it is just gorgeous! I LOVE the tapered legs. What a great design.
Oh wow, that's fabulous! I love the fake drawer idea.
I have followed your site for over a year, checking daily for all the great things you are creating. I am a mom to a 7, 5, and 2 year old and this post just compelled me to comment. I soooo identify with what you are saying. We are currently preparing to go on a buiding frenzy for our kids new playroom over christmas break. I have been compiling a list of things to build from your site but this 'lego' table takes the cake. It is AWESOME! Thank you so much for all you do. You are an inspiration to me.
I love this! But even more, I love your living room. And your view. I'm so jealous!
I love it!!! And if you make a storage ottoman I would love to know how to size it down to the size of the teeny vanity, it would be perfect for storing dress up. Thanks so much for all you time. I love all your plans and have my husband building several for christmas.
Oh WOW. This is my plan for next Christmas, absolutely. Now I have to leave your site otherwise I'll end up with 5 more projects I want to do (but don't have time for!) for THIS Christmas.
Beautiful work, as always :)
Yup, I'm in love :) I'll have to take a measure of my space but I also like the idea of a square. And I would love to have a drawer underneath.
My only concern with the current plan; for the bottom shelf- are two inch screws and glue enough? I have visions of boys laying down there... maybe I just need to make the top deeper so there's not room for the little people to fit... but where there's a will there's a way... Maybe I need to mod a drawer...
Thanks Ana!
I see YOU didn't drill holes...how do YOU pull the inserts out?
Omigosh, totally worth the wait! JUST what I was looking for. My kids came running over when they heard me exclaim, "Oh.My. GOSH!" and are just as excited as I over this design. Really, my 4 year old just said "Oh boy, Mom's getting wood for Christmas!" And he's right, lol! Thank you Ana, once again!
Oh, and I need the name of that stain, please. It's perfect!
This one instantly jumped to the top of my 'to build' list! I'm totally in love!
We're in the middle of building the Lydia bed right now and couldn't be happier -- your plans were fantastic and very easy to follow! Next up -- the lego table!
I love this table!!!! :) Thanks so much for sharing your plans! And your living room is just beautiful!! :)
Absolutely beautiful. This will be going in my family room--I think with the extra trim. Thank you so much!
Brilliant! This is so going to the top of our (long, long) list of KOW projects!
This is awesome!!! We have two boys and lots of legos were coming in this year at Christmas. The thought had entered the back of my mind about getting the table, but I kept thinking "hmmmm??? we'll see..." SOOOOO glad I waited. We are adding to our pre-christmas building list AGAIN lol. Thanks ANA:)
This looks wonderful! I love it! Definitely on my want-to-make list!
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait for my baby to grow so I have toys to stash.
Fabulous idea!
Love it! And for the record, you may be waiting a long time for your daughter to outgrow Lincoln Logs and Legos. Mine is 11 1/2 and still hasn't outgrown them.
I love it! And I don't even have kids (much less Legos ) in the house....but I can totally see this being a perfect storage solution for our Xbox/Wii/Playstation remotes.....
O-M-G, I am so building this!!!! My kids just inherited a whole ginormous bucket of legos from a friend. This is a superb plan.
I love it all all your designs Ana ~ really makes me want to build something, I know I can do it!!!
That's a great design. Adding it to my list of builds. Any time you want to put out designs with hidden cubbies, your fans will be all over it!
Thank you so much! I just got a "new to me" Dewalt 12" miter saw and I do believe this table has made it to the top of my Ana White project list!! I'm not savvy enough to modify plans but I'd love to see end tables to match!
I love it! Every time I step in my kids room, I step on a lego ( which doesn't feel good). This is a perfect solution!
I love this. Would the legs be thick enough for me to add 'walls' around the bottom shelf and add some simple hinge doors for even more hidden storage for blankets
?
This is lovely. But I also felt a little sad... don't spend too much time waiting for her to outgrow a phase. She will, and you will miss it when it's gone. Cherish what you have when you have it -- which I think you *got* with this.
Love the train table idea, too!
This is...AWESOME! Pure genius!
Thank you Thank you Thank you. This is totally amazing. I'm asking my husband to work on this with me after the holidays. Just what our house needs with three crazy kids.
so cool! I love fun and functional furniture! Doesn't get more functional than that!
It's beautiful! Plus it doesn't just have to be for kids' stuff. You could stick your laptop in the storage compartments or magazines or any other grown up toys as well. Though at my house, it would definitely be kid stuff with 6 of them running around.
I really love this idea, but what I need it for is my own craft storage!! I crochet and need a place to keep works in progress. It would also work as better-than-I-have-now storage for mosaic glass tiles. Many thanks!
I MUST have it. Now. My tiny 120 yr old house has NO closets or storage space. And my 2 year old has acquired more junk than I have. So many projects, so little time (and money, lol) Oh, what to build first!
Oh! I forgot, what stain did you use? I want the exact finish, it's perfect with my secondhand furniture and the woodwork here!
Oh GIRL! This must be my FAVORITE one yet!! I've been searching for the perfect coffee table and was just about to creat one myself. Now I can use your pattern and save SO much time!! Thank you!
My kids are all teenagers, so I am thinking of building this with a checker/chess board on one side, maybe a built in cribbage board, plus it will be a great place to stash an extra blanket or hide clutter when unexpected company shows up!
Love this!
I want this coffee table, but I think I want those windows even more!! What a beautiful view :)
Oh, PS, what kind of camera are you using these days? Gosh, I just love the pictures!
I would also love, love a upholstered ottoman coffee table! I have been waiting for months to have a break from nursing school so I can start building. Today is my lucky day and I can't wait to start!
I *heart* this! I can't wait to show it to my husband! What a fab idea. I love the idea of ottoman storage too. We have a slipcovered ottoman now, and it's so big and useless in our family room. I always think to myself, wish I could lift that cushion up and put away the blankets.
Blah, blah, blah... coffee table... awesome. But WOW! I love your living room! The beams! The view! We visited Alaska one summer, and it was beautiful, but I think I might be able to handle the winters if I could sit on that couch and look out those windows. And that's saying a lot for a Texas girl who hates the cold!
Ana, i LOVE your DIY living room! the panel ceiling, the awesome new coffee table, the windows and OH THAT VIEW! you have some amazing talent!
This is FANTASTIC, but would LOVE to see something similar but in a circular design, so that you end up with a round table. Possible????
Wow! We currently have a coffee table from IKEA with lots of little storage baskets underneath - it has been fantastic for the "baby toys" stage, but as we're moving on to legos and lincoln logs we may need to make a change. Your design is so appealing - beautiful and functional!
Anyone know where to get the giant lego plates?
Great plan. I need to get working on my project list. It just gets bigger and bigger.
I LOOOOVE this, but also love the idea of a larger square table that could be a train table. My son is just getting to the age that he's loving his train tracks, and I feel horrible that space constraints in our living/play room don't allow us to set up the train table we have in storage. Now, if the plan could be for a table that sits up just a little higher...that we could possibly pull our kids toddler chairs up to for eating snacks and homeschooling work, as well---I would do cartwheels! (and I just had a baby three weeks ago, so that's a tough feat right now!)
This is one of the smartest, most functional, stylish things I've ever seen. You are brilliant.
Ana, you're truly amazing. I check your site everyday just to see what you've come up with next. Thank you. I love this though my kids are long past the Lego stage. But I can see my embroidery, crochet project, magazine collection in this cute little table. I love your house also. Those windows are amazing with an absolute gorgeous view. My idea of snow. :o) Thank you for all you do.
OH! MY! GOSH!!! I am so super excited about this! This will be the next big project we undertake! We literally have THOUSANDS of legos... it would be nice to have somewhere for my boys to play with them! thank you thank you thank you!!!
This is fantastic! Truly brilliant Ana! It looks beautiful, but is so completely functional! I really love it. I recently built your storage coffee table and it turned out great. I love the functionality of that as well - I need to post pictures, especially since it's an eggplant purple color!
Oh my goodness!!! I absolutely love this! I wish my living room were big enough for a coffee table! I am definitely linking this on FB!
You are fantastic!!! I wish I had half your knowledge and the skills to put them to good use. Also, my husband wishes I would have never found your blog. lol WIsh you would build a benchwright buffet too!! Have you seen this one? http://www.potterybarn.com/products/benchwright-buffet/popup/more-info.h...
Ana, I can't thank you enough for this design. My son has received nothing but legos for every birthday, christmas, etc. since he was five (he turns eight on Christmas Eve)...so we're bursting at the seems with little bricks! Beyond your amazing ideas, I want to say thank you for maintaining such a candid blog. In a world of 24-hour talking heads, it's refreshing to read something so honest. Also, as a stay-at-home mom, it's always great to hear that I'm not the only one tired of stepping on toys. Blessing this holiday season.
This is beautiful! And ever so functional. I would love something that resembled the Markor line from IKEA. And the stain color you used is absolutely PERFECTION!
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