Leanne Ford’s Budget-Friendly Oversize Coffee Table Isn’t a Coffee Table at All

One surefire tell of a good designer is how well they pivot when their original vision isn’t hitting the mark, and Leanne Ford has mastered that swivel. In case her complete redo of her Pittsburgh carriage house wasn’t proof enough, take a look at her living room. In a recent Instagram post, Ford revealed that she was struggling to find a coffee table that was both large enough for the space and within her budget. Her solution? Chop up a dining table. 

When nothing on the market fit the criteria, Ford bought a rustic dining table from Green Style Living, a local vintage home decor store, and scaled it down by cutting the legs (we assume, with a saw) to a living room–appropriate height. Now instead of holding up plates and platters, the low-profile surface supports piles of books. But because even that wasn’t enough room, Ford tucked a smaller round table from Eneby Home underneath it. By the looks of it, we’re guessing that one was always intended to live next to a sofa.

Speaking of books, we were so taken by Ford’s clever table fix we didn’t even notice the unique (and semi-controversial) library situation in the background. From anxiety-induced jeers to high praise, her followers had a lot to say about the styling in the comments. Love it or hate it, the whole space is a testament to Ford’s philosophy that great design comes down to making it work with what you love.