1. I began by assembling the top, sides, and shelves in the Expedit, as shown in the Ikea instructions. Depending on how you want to break up the space, you could leave the vertical dividers out completely. The only important thing to remember is to place horizontal shelves at the appropriate width to mount the cabinet doors that make up the convertible tabletop (see Step 3).
2. Covering the back (which will become the bottom of the table) can be done with any extra boards or plywood cut to size. I found that four Ikea Ivar shelves were just about the right size, so I attached them to the frame with 1 ½" wood screws. I left the end open for a few readily accessible things such as coffee-table books and other assorted knickknacks.
3. The cabinet doors I chose are also from Ikea, but you can make your own or use others pulled off existing cabinets. I screwed the cabinet hinges into the horizontal shelves and mounted the cabinet doors on the hinges.
4. I also found a small Ikea wall shelf to serve as a tray for storing pencils or remote controls. To mount it, I drilled pilot holes at an angle from the underside of the tray, then positioned and secured it with wood screws.
5. Since I left one end of the island open, I used the leftover Expedit piece (what would have been its bottom) to enclose the compartment on the opposite end. To securely attach it, I used the preexisting holes as guides and drilled all the way through the top piece using a 5/8" drill bit. Then I glued the supplied dowels into the base, so that the compartment top could be popped off, flipped over, and used as extra seating.
6. I affixed some shipping foam from a laptop box to the underside of the top with double-sided tape as a seat cushion.
7. I prefer a higher coffee table, so I cut the ends of the bent-ply shelf brackets flat and screwed them into the corners of the base as “feet.” 8. Now I just need to fill up the nook with some cozy blankets, my collection of DVDs, and some nonperishable snacks, and I’ll never have to leave the living room again.