I love the little tansu chest that I bought for my apartment while I was living in Japan, but at only 14" high it has been hard to incorporate into my home in the U.S. without it looking like a piece of doll furniture.
To solve my problem I decided to try to turn it into a console table. I wasn't able to find wood with the fine grain to match the chest for legs so I decided to match the black metal pulls instead.
While I was trying to figure out what to do I remembered seeing a DIY Industrial Cart on Ana White's site that used pipes between the shelves which inspired me to use pipes for the legs.
I chose to use 3/4" black pipe which I thought would be sturdy enough to support my light chest. To start I threaded two tees onto each end of a 10" nipple. On the bottom of each tee I threaded a 3" nipple followed by an end cap. On the top of each tee I threaded an 18" pipe topped by a flange. I repeated the same process for the second set of legs.
Once I had the legs assembled I gave them a coat of tinted primer followed by two coats of matte black spray paint. After they were thoroughly dried I flipped my chest upside down and lined up the legs where I wanted them to be on the bottom of the chest. I marked where the flange holes would be and then pre-drilled holes for my screws. I then put the legs back on the chest and screwed them on to complete the transformation into a console table.
Comparing how short and out of place the tansu chest looked before, to how it has now become a piece of featured furniture in my guest room makes me really happy. I think elevating the chest has made a world of difference. The legs are quite sturdy and as an added bonus with the chest raised up I now have easy access to the outlet on the wall which was previously hidden.
After the console table was done I had a bit of fun decorating. I picked up the Sevilla, Venezia and Paris prints and poster during my travels and framed them in Ikea Ribba Frames. I have had the tin globe for several years and actually used for the photo in my banner. The tiny red torii gate is a souvenir that I bought while visiting Miyajima in Japan. I finished my display off by arranging a bouquet of carnations in a little blue pot.
With this transformation I have one little corner of my guest room feeling cozy and welcoming. Now I need to get on doing something about the ugly bi-fold doors on the closet and making a headboard.