Small changes can make a big difference. Our home isn’t a museum—pillows and accessories get swapped, moved, or edited whenever the mood strikes—so as our life evolves (we recently added a baby girl and John now works from home), our rooms have to evolve too. That meant rethinking the side table in the den. Here’s how it looked when we first introduced it to the room (we linked to the original posts when we first brought the table in and how we built it):
At the time, the table needed to fulfill a few simple functions:
- A place for a notebook so I can jot down ideas in the evenings while we’re on the sofa
- Space for a drink
- A spot to display some decorative items plus a stack of “keeper” magazines for reference
- A plant for the air-purifying benefits it brings to the room
But over the last year and a half, how we use the table changed. What had been tidy and functional ended up looking like a catch-all:
Clearly the old setup wasn’t meeting our new needs, so we reevaluated. The revised must-haves became:
- A container to hide clutter out of sight
- Fewer decorative items to leave room for a teething toy or a stray rattle
- A spot for a snack—snacking on the go is definitely a thing now
- A coaster so drinks have a designated place and don’t leave rings
- A stack of “keeper” magazines for reference
- A plant for its air-purifying perks
Here’s the table now. We pared down the magazines, removed many decorative pieces, and moved the notebook to the nearby desk (there’s more room over there now that my computer moved into our new home office). Then we added a few practical items—a box to hide clutter and a coaster. Concealed storage is a lifesaver.
Adding a decorative capiz box isn’t complicated, but simple solutions often have the biggest impact. Fitting everything into that box took a little creativity. The box itself is an older Target find.
First I sorted through the clutter and kept only the items we actually use regularly. For instance, the bulb syringe didn’t need to live in the den and went back to the bathroom. The thermometer could go there too, but since we already had one in the bathroom and I’m the paranoid type who checks Clara’s temperature occasionally, we kept a spare in the den. Beyond that, we tried to accommodate everything else without overstuffing the tabletop.
I’m taking a few postnatal vitamins, and I only remember to take them at night when Clara’s in bed and we’re winding down. Instead of keeping multiple bottles and a tin on display, I reused an old prescription bottle and combined the vitamins into it. That consolidated solution freed up space while keeping my nightly routine easy. I also found room for a nail file (Clara’s nails get sharp fast) and a few other small items we like to have nearby. Yes, I floss on the sofa every night—right after taking my vitamins.
The end result suits our quirky needs and only took about half an hour and no extra cost. You’ll also notice the pistachios are in two nested ceramic bowls—one for shells and one for the nuts—so it’s easy to bring both to the sofa and keep things tidy while snacking. Small practical tricks go a long way.
A quick safety note: if you have little ones who are more mobile than Clara, be sure to store items like nail clippers and vitamins well out of reach. Speaking of Clara, here’s an outtake from the photoshoot—John tried to photobomb with her, then ran away. Hilarity ensued.
Clara seems to approve of the new side table setup. What about you—have you consolidated pills into one container to save space? Do you floss on the sofa too? What items are essential on your side table? Lip balm is my one non-negotiable—what’s yours?