Frosta Stools from Ikea

Ikea's FROSTA stool is a long-time favorite of apartment dwellers. They're cheap, stackable and bare an, ahem, striking resemblance to a much pricier stool by a little known designer, Alvar Aalto. Earlier this year I decided I wanted to swap out my old bedside table for something smaller and wood. I spent a couple weeks scouring The Flea, but didn't find anything. Then one day I was at Ikea and I thought, "Hunh, those stools could be used as bedside tables." So I bought a pair for less than $30 for the two.

When I got them home I decided that they were unfinished and I could refinish them. Well, it turns out they are sealed in some way, as they didn't take the stain very well. After two failed coats of Minwax stain (see below) I then rubbed them down with Trewax in a shade called 'Indian Sand.' The finished effect is actually okay, even though it is not what I intended. They look like they are weather-beaten, vintage pieces, not newbies from the cheapskate Swedish store. Since I still haven't completed the bookcase project, there are now stacks of books everywhere in my apartment like the one you see beneath the stool.