Stained Glass Mosaic Coffee Table

Have you ever wandered into an Ikea showroom and felt like you just walked into a room in your own home?  If you're like me and you admire Ikea furniture for its clean, practical Scandinavian lines and reasonable prices, you may have experienced something similar.  In my case, Ikea is ideal, since items are fairly easily replaced if one of my cats mistakes the sofa for a scratching post on multiple occasions, for example.Much as I am fond of Ikea's wares, I do like the rooms of my home to have a bit of personality, a focal point to tie the pieces together.  Something unique.  This particular decorating philosophy was the impetus behind the stained glass mosaic coffee table I created.  It catches the eye and I'm reasonably certain that no one else has one quite like it.

The table itself was, oddly enough, a plain Ikea model in its earlier life, (now discontinued, I believe).  The table top was so worn, scratched, destroyed that only a complete refinishing could have saved it.  I figured I could do one better.

After drawing out several design ideas, I settled for the abstract piece you see in the accompanying photographs.  The designs I rejected were simply too busy for the colour scheme I wanted to use.  The glass is a combination of standard Spectrum glass and Uroboros handmade glass for the accents.

The finished product is extremely easy to keep clean and resistant to damage, (as long as you don't take a sledge hammer to it).  The grout has been sealed with a water-based stain in American Walnut, which makes it resistant to damage and discolouration.