IKEA Shoppers Are Turning a Cabinet and Tabletop Into Coffee Tables That Look Custom Built
The EKET cabinet was designed for wall storage, while the LINNMON tabletop was meant for desks and workstations. Neither product was intended to become a coffee table.
Instagram creator @lisiaaronson combined the two IKEA pieces into a low-profile coffee table with a walnut-look base and a stone-inspired top. Decorative film wrapped around the tabletop created the appearance of natural travertine, while the cabinet served as a sturdy pedestal support. What started as two standard IKEA products ended up looking closer to a custom Japandi coffee table than a flat-pack furniture project.
Project began with three main materials: an IKEA EKET cabinet, an IKEA LINNMON tabletop, and a roll of travertine-look adhesive film. Each product came from a different category and served a completely different purpose.
Each component contributed a different element: the cabinet formed the base, the tabletop created the surface, and the film supplied the stone appearance.
EKET Cabinet Became the Base
Flat-packed EKET panels arrived with a brown walnut-effect finish that already resembled wood veneer. Once assembled, the cabinet formed a compact cube with clean lines and a continuous wood grain appearance.
Square shape created a solid pedestal that could support a much larger tabletop without requiring traditional legs.
Adhesive Film Gave the Top a Travertine Look
White LINNMON tabletop served as the foundation, but the visual transformation came from a roll of travertine-look adhesive film. Large sheets were positioned across the surface and gradually smoothed into place to prevent bubbles and creases from becoming visible through the finished pattern.
Film continued beyond the top surface and wrapped around the edges, helping the panel resemble a thicker stone slab rather than a lightweight tabletop. Variations in the printed pattern introduced the color shifts and texture associated with natural travertine.
Once the corners were folded and trimmed, most traces of the original white tabletop disappeared. Result created the appearance of a stone coffee table top without the weight, cost, or installation challenges associated with real stone.
Walnut Cabinet Became the Table’s Pedestal Base
Positioning the cabinet beneath the tabletop changed the appearance of both IKEA pieces. Large overhangs extended beyond the cabinet on every side, creating proportions more commonly associated with custom coffee tables than storage furniture.
Dark walnut surfaces also introduced contrast against the travertine-look top. Once centered beneath the tabletop, the cabinet no longer read as a storage unit and instead became a pedestal base that defined the overall design.
Cabinet Was Attached Beneath the Top
Wood glue was applied to the upper edges of the cabinet before it was positioned beneath the tabletop. Hidden attachment kept hardware out of sight and preserved the clean lines of the design.
Once secured in place, the two IKEA components began functioning as a single furniture piece rather than separate products. Simple construction allowed the project to rely on proportions and material contrast instead of decorative details.
Travertine and Walnut Defined the Final Design
Travertine-look surfaces contrast against the darker walnut base, a combination that appears frequently in Japandi and warm-minimalist interiors. Wide proportions provide enough room for books, trays, candles, and everyday living room essentials.
Coffee Table Blended Into the Japandi Interior
Stone-look surfaces, walnut tones, and simple geometric forms align with the restrained material palette often associated with Japandi interiors. Large overhangs create the appearance of a custom-built coffee table, while the pedestal base keeps the design visually clean from every angle.
Decorative film disguises the original LINNMON tabletop, and the EKET cabinet no longer reads as storage furniture. Books, candles, and trays sit comfortably across the oversized surface, completing a piece that looks far removed from its flat-pack origins.
Would you guess this coffee table started as an IKEA cabinet, a desk tabletop, and a roll of adhesive film?
All image credits go to instagram creator @lisiaaronson.