Blueprint special: Flat file coffee table

Last night I was flipping through my design-inspiration book—something I started at that age of twelve when I had a penchant for anything with plaid or polka dots—and I came across this beautiful living room. With its many unique elements—the card catalogue cabinet turned console table and the large footed globe, to name a few—it's no wonder I dig this space. Like I've said before, I like unusual furnishings. But for me, the room's piece de resistance is the vintage flat file coffee table.    

Though I don’t know the price of this eye-catching, storage-savvy item, most cost anywhere from $900 to $2,000. And though I love the look of this industrial-style table, those prices are just too darn high. So after an extensive and disappointing Google search (why aren’t companies making knockoffs of this design?!), I got to thinking that maybe piecing together your own is the best, most budget-friendly way to go.

Thanks to the selection of flat files found on eBay and School's In's websites, you can purchase a cabinet (like the one shown to the left) for around $300, and outfit it, inexpensively, with casters and a glass top to get the featured look. And if the colors grey (above) or putty (shown here) don't fit with your decor, these babies are available in other hues, too.

So whether you're an architect or artist in need of a coffee table and or a place to put your work, or someone like me who can't draw to save her life but likes off-beat, multifunctional furniture, then this is a divine DIY design.