I am a firm believer that a great design and a beautifully decorated home doesn't have to cost alot of money. A little creativity (and sometimes a little elbow grease) can create the most beautiful results and unique one of a kind pieces that have your own personal stamp on them (and maybe even some funny stories to tell about how it all came together). I get really excited when I see a spectacular DIY piece that is completely achievable, and that's exactly what this little project is.

Created by the amazing renovating duo, Lindsay and Aubrey who were inspired by a project they'd seen in an old Style at Home magazine. This piece has a classic, sophisticated look that will have your friends thinking you spent much more, you can even leave them thinking that if you can resist bragging about your savvy skills ;). With one of the most inexpensive pieces at Ikea (and solid wood, no less!) as a base, a simple paint job and some spiffy new handles (the ones used here were only $3 each), it's a bargain of a little project that will have you thinking, 'I can actually do that!'

Here are Lindsay's step by step instructions (in her own words) to create this beauty:

1.) First you need to pick up a RAST table. We bought 2, one for each side of the bed.

2.) We assembled the tables, except for the drawers.

3.) Doing the drawers - I primed the fronts of the doors and then painted them in oil Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore. I had Chantilly lace left over from painting all of our trim in our house, and I really liked the warm white.

4.) Staining - I found it easier to stain the piece fully built, instead of piece by piece so I stained the "body" of the table in Antique Brown by Duraseal (this was the floor colour, left over from when we installed new floors.) I did 1 coat, as I didn't want the side tables to look too dark. I think the lighter the tone, the more modern it looks. UPDATE: Any stain, waterbased or not will work, we just liked the look of this colour. A deep walnut selection is my favourite.

5.) Staining Part 2 - I did 2 coats of varnish after the stain had dried.

6.) I then put the drawers together on the built shelf, and threw out those ugly Ikea knobs, and put in the beautiful bronze knobs from Lee Valley Tools here in Toronto. They have an online shop, so you can easily pick up your own too. :)

{All photos + instructional text via Aubrey + Lindsay. Be sure to visit their blog for loads of inspiring ideas!}