What a Difference a Drink Table Makes

The thing you never knew you needed is a drink table.

It’s a mini side table that’s just big enough to hold a drink or two.

It could also hold a plant.

Truth be told, I think the origin story of the drink table is that someone killed a plant they had on a plant stand. After that, this bright bulb decided the only thing they were good at watering was themselves, so they turned that plant stand into a drink stand.

Play to your strengths, people!

I love a multifunctional piece of furniture, so no complaints here.

I just added a drink table to the bench that sits in our kitchen. Talk about a game changer! We feel so fancy and practical right now. Those are two adjectives that aren’t combined often around here.

Admittedly, this is an unusual space in our kitchen. We have a galley-style kitchen, which doesn’t afford a lot space for hanging out while someone cooks.

This bench at the end of the kitchen functions partly as a mudroom bench where we sit to put on shoes since we use the door to the left of the bench to go outside. It also functions as extra seating in our kitchen. It’s where people sit when they want to hang out in the kitchen while I’m cooking, but don’t want to risk being underfoot. If they are underfoot they might get assigned a job. Heaven forbid.

I noticed my family would sit on that bench with a drink, or sometimes, a piping hot bowl of ramen noodles. The logistics were tricky, but I wanted to encourage them to continue hanging out in the kitchen with me. These low-key hang out sessions are when my kids are most likely to share what’s on their minds.

That’s where the drink table idea came into play.

We don’t have space for a big side table or a coffee table. We just needed something small, cute, and functional to hold a drink and maybe a cell phone.

I found this cute mahogany table at my overpriced thrift store. That’s not its name. That’s just what I call it.

When I first found this table, I was riding a high because it was perfect. Then I flipped it over and it was priced at $50, which was not perfect. I left it behind because that wasn’t in my budget.

A new drink stand would have cost me more than $50 and that wasn’t in my budget either, but I did look online and drool over the possibilities.

If you leave a thrift store item behind and someone else buys it, it was not meant to be. If you go back two weeks later and it’s still there, that’s probably a sign from the universe. Lo and behold, the drink table was still there when I went back AND they were having a 50% off sale on furniture. It felt like my lucky day.

The table had a bit of wear, which is to be expected from used furniture.

A little Restor-A-Finish is my secret weapon for these scenarios.

It does an amazing job at bringing the finish back on stained furniture, particularly when you don’t want to refinish the entire thing and you know someone in your family is going to be using this for their personal ramen noodle tray.

At least I know they won’t starve at college.

Speaking of how we really use our house, I thought you’d might like to know that I started this photoshoot with a full cup of coffee in the mug shown in these photos.

I did not end the photoshoot with a full cup of coffee.

Probably a good thing I chose coffee instead of a martini.

Do you have a spot for or use drink tables in your house? How about plant stands? Is your kitchen quirky too? 

Tell me everything. You can always comment on this blog post, email me here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Happy Decorating!

Room Sources:

Restor a Finish

Braided Rug (It’s indoor/outdoor rated and I’ve had it since 2021.)

Bench – Facebook Marketplace

Curtains – (They are blackout curtains!)

Gold Curtain Rod – (I have six of these. I really like them.)

Art – Found in the garbage

Plant Holder – Thrifted

Thanks for spending a few minutes of your day with me. I hope you had a good time. If you’re not ready to go yet, I can hook you up with another blog post to read.

The story behind the bench in our kitchen. It cost less than the drink table!

The art I really did find in the garbage and how I had to get it home.

What used to be where the bench in the kitchen now sits.

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