Behind the couch console table

With two insane children in the house my weekends are spent giving them opportunities to pounce on me without warning. Literally pounce, usually when I’ve just sat down after getting a nice coffee together. While this is an enjoyable problem to have, the wife quickly realized we would benefit from a behind-the-couch table at the new house. Since this was when I was gearing up for my initial table build, I talked her out of going furniture shopping and said I’d put something together. And so starts the story of the table that never seems to be completely finished.

The wife’s main concern about my building anything isn’t my own health and safety, but the fear that I, through labor and time, will end up emotionally attached to something that she can’t stand to look at on a daily basis. I will admit, she has a point. I’m so fond of the patio table and bench that I probably would have freaked out if she didn’t agree they were worthy of leaving on the deck. This project helped me see things from her perspective and it’s helped my DIYing for the better, at least from a mental standpoint.  

Building a frame to fit the couch while starting the patio table.

As it stands now I think we’re both happy with how this looks in its final state, but as mentioned it took a couple of stops to get there. Looking online, my initial plans were just for a frame of furring strips supporting a lone shelf at the top that spanned the length of the couch. Easy. But once I had it together, the wife suggested a middle shelf. Once that was in, I wanted to close off the sides. Once that was done, I stained everything and took it upstairs. 

The first photo sent to the wife for proof of concept. Close but not quite.

Oops. Then I realized a bottom shelf would help it look more finished, and probably mean it could stay in the living room. So I picked up another board, and figured out how to cut it so it would fit into the frame that was already there. After yet more staining and sealing and sanding, I glued it in. Woof. 

Finally, all shelves on.

Still some gaps in the detail but not too shabby.

Looking at it now, we both agree it’s fine but there are things I would do differently knowing this was the final result if I had a do-over. Mitering the edges so it’s not just a matching board tacked to the side would help things, or cutting the top larger so the side fits under an overhang. Properly fitting a bottom shelf would help too. I think this table is ultimately destined to be the entertainment stand for a basement tv when we put one up, and I’ll take another stab at living room-worthy version in the future. Just like any DIY project, what I learned putting this one together will impact my next one. For now, it’s a practical place to put my coffee on when I’m about to get pounced on.