DIY—Rolling Crate Footstool

02 Mar 2011 5 Comments

by 129twigandvine in DIY Tutorials, Interior Design

It all started with this image (right) of a wood pallet transformed by wheels and glass into an interesting and rustic coffee table. I saw it on House Doctor’s website. Then it seemed I saw caster wheels everywhere I turned. And an idea formed.

I’ve had a Borden’s milk crate for years. I think it was in my parent’s barn when I was a kid. Or a neighbor’s cellar. Or purchased at an auction. I’m really not sure.

I filled it will records in college. And it served many purposes in our kitchen through the years. Most recently my daughter used it to store dress up shoes in her closet.

But I wasn’t satisfied to hide it in a closet. It’s a beautiful piece of wood and metal edging, and adding caster wheels seemed like a good way to bring it out of the closet—so to speak—and into better use in the house.

My Aunt Emma’s cutting board has served us well but I felt it would serve even better as the wood lid for the crate. I cut an old rug making frame (I surmised that if I haven’t gotten around to making rugs by now, it was time to repurpose it) to make the stops on the bottom of the cutting board lid. A drill, four wheels (two fixed and two that rotate and have brakes), a bunch of wood screws, a tape measure, and a pencil were all I needed to finish this up in a few hours. I purchased the wheels at my local hardware store.

My new rolling crate holds a cache of books and magazines and resides near two cozy chairs in the corner of our kitchen. Prop up your feet and have a cup of tea or wine the next time you come over.

More photos follow that inspired the crate with casters.

The first is from Wisteria. The last is from
VTWonen, a Dutch home interiors magazine.