Modern “Artsy” Nightstand made with old Art Forum magazines…

Another project for the Chic Rock Star Glam Bedroom is complete! I finished this one up over the weekend. I am very pleased with how it turned out! I am now on the look-out for more Art Forum mags so I can make another one of these…

I was inspired to the idea by this image:

The image above is a great use of the old mags, but I wasn’t a fan of the style, so I came up with my own. Everything I used (except the paint) I had around the house. The box I use in the middle I had made years ago for an art project that never came to pass. It is 12″ x 12″ square with one open end. This box would be fairly easy to make with 5 12 x12″ pieces of wood, or use your imagination! A wooden wine box from the liquor store might be a nice, more rustic look. Look around and see what you have that might work. I used a 12″ x 12″ art board for the bottom, but any thicker piece of wood would work. I’ve had a bunch of old Art Forum mags stacked up in the studio for a long time (I can never seem to part with them) and I love the way the spines look, so these were a natural choice, but pretty much any magazines could work, it just depends on the look you like. The round piece of glass was sitting in the basement (I have no idea what it once went to) Small glass table tops are available all over…hardware stores, hobby stores, etc. The four big wheels were sitting in a drawer from another old project that never materialized. These are available at any decent hardware store. (the ones I used are 4″) I really like the look of the oversized wheels. I started out by gathering my materials and playing with the design. I tried stacking the mags all on top, on the bottom, and ultimately liked the way this looked the best:

Next came the paint. I used a gloss white on the outside and the bottom piece, and a semi-gloss teal on the inside. I sanded the wood and gave it all two coats.

As the paint was drying, I glued and stacked the magazines. I used good ol’ Elmer’s glue. I put a fairly thick coat in between each magazine, and just smeared it all over with my hand (you can do this Elmer’s but NOT any more industrial glues. Use gloves!). I used a very straight piece of wood to straighten the stack each time I added another magazine. Then I smeared the glue all over the 3 outside open edges (not the spines), smoothed it out, and let it dry. (if you have overspill you can smooth it with a damp sponge) The glue dries clear and you won’t see it. When the glue dried, the magazine stacks were a solid mass.

   

When the paint dried as well, I gathered everything together and proceeded to the next step: attaching the wheels.

I laid out the wheels where I wanted them (in this case, leaving an inch around the outside) marked where the screws would go, and drilled small starter holes. Then I screwed in the screws (1/2″ in this case) with the screwdriver bit. Easy-peasy.

I then stacked everything where I wanted it, checked the placement from all angles, and glued the “stacks”, box and base together with a more industrial glue (in this case, Duco cement, but most any heavy duty glue would work) When everything set, I just placed the glass on top.

Then rolled it into the bedroom!

       

A few additional notes: The lamp stand came from Target ($12 on sale), the lampshade from Goodwill ($3), the stainless steel tray from Goodwill ($4), and the rest of the goodies we already had from various sources. The “rug” is a piece of white shag faux fur from Distinctive Fabrics. (the silver satin behind the bed and most of the fabric on the pillows also came from Distinctive Fabrics. I highly recommend this site for fabric! Great selection, great prices. See the Hanging Lamp Project HERE, and the Rock Star Pillow Project HERE.  Emma the Pug, my little ham, always seems to sneak herself into my project photos…

More on the Chic Rock Star Glam Bedroom coming soon!

What projects did you complete over the weekend? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section.