I had been on the hunt for a craft table for about 2.5 years. We had moved into a new spot that blessed me with the gift of more space in my home. I knew my setup of sharing my one desk between my remote day job “at the office” and my crafts was temporary, and I just needed to pull the trigger on the perfect table to work more efficiently and happily.
Choosing a Craft Table
It was an item I had thought about on and off because I felt guilty about buying something that I technically didn’t absolutely need. Every once in a while, I would poke around online, or I’d get served an ad and the urge to buy a table came back. But I’d always tell myself to wait for the next seasonal sale or some large coupon. Well, one of those moments came again recently and I didn’t push it off!
I had done some more research online and I finally decided to go for the Ikea Norden. Specifically, the birch one — the table top is solid wood, versus the white one that is melamine and particle board. This a gateleg table fulfilled one of my space requirements with the its ability to fold to sides down when not needed and expand up when being used.
The only problem: the price has skyrocketed to $350 USD!! Up from $199 just a couple of years ago 😭
The Hunt and Journey
So then I was on the hunt for a used table. But word got out and people were listing used tables for almost as much as new! I figured I waited a couple of years for a table; what’s a few more days, weeks, months, …years? to find it at the right price? Luckily for me, long story short, after countless Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace refreshes, I finally got my hands on one!!! It was quite a drive away (for my husband… 🩷 thank you hubby!).
I definitely feel like I appreciate this table more because of the journey. This was such a roller coaster, from going back and forth about buying one, to finally deciding to pull the trigger, to finding out the price went up, to finding maybe 1-2 used within a somewhat reasonable price, to no one getting back to me, to finally finding a seller who actually responded, to me maybe not making it in time, to her being an absolute angel and holding it for me…!!
Table Details
Now, about the table itself! I’d love to show you how it fits into my new space 🤩! Here’s the Ikea Norden in all its glory. This first shot is the table folded up (er, down):
One half open:
Both halves open:
Here’s a shot of the table with my cutting mat, a likely often setup for me in the future:
Here’s how the components underneath the table leaves, the gateleg pieces and how they work, if you’re interested. The legs that would normally fit snugly next to the center piece swing out and a nub at the top of the leg fits into a notch on the underside of the table:
3 Surprises
- The very first thing I will say about this table that was surprising is about how HEAVY it is. It certainly speaks to the quality of the table; but on the other hand, I’m confused at its functionality. It folds down clearly to save space, but once it’s folded down, are you just supposed to leave it there where it is? I find it odd if that’s the case, considering you want something that folds up and down for space flexibility, so I think it would be weird to fold the table sides down and just leave the now-little table kind of in the middle of everywhere.
- The 6 drawers are very welcome — I love unobtrusive storage. The proportions are a bit odd though, being skinny, long, and deep. Granted, this is not actually supposed to be a craft table 😅 This is marketed as a dining table, so I suppose silverware and napkins and such can go in here and not be as awkward?
- And finally, the third thing I was surprised with, which was by far the most disappointing thing, was my inability to attach wheels to this table 😭 I wanted the flexibility of mobility with this table but unfortunately we were unable to drill through the solid wood on this table. I actually captured it, failure and all, in my video on Youtube where I actually do an entire craft room tour and show where everything went wrong:
Bonus Tip
Related to the first thing I found surprising above, how heavy the table is: I want to offer a tip that if you do end up getting this table intact and you need to move it around, take out the drawers. It seems like a no-brainer!! But it was only after I was kind of rearranging things that I happened to remove all the drawers and had to move the table again that I realized it was easier without the drawers 😂
Final Thoughts
Despite this, I am really happy with my table!! It is currently hanging out in the middle of the room since I can’t move it by myself, but the fact that the table sides fold down help me get around it — I can fold the table down, get behind it with my chair, and then fold it up. And then reverse that when I am done. I would highly recommend this table… especially if you can find it used for cheaper!!
