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Super easy DIY: make a garden table out of slate!

Et rundt steinbord av Oppdalskifer. På hagebordet sin skiferplate står en plante, et glass og en bok.

It’s a great idea to have tables in different sizes for your garden or terrace. If they are fairly light, you can move them to wherever the sun is, along with your chair and coffee cup, or arrange them whenever you have guests. Why not make one yourself?

Text and photo: Marianne Vigtel Hølland

Small, light tables can easily be blown over by strong gusts of wind and cannot be left out in all kinds of weather. To overcome this, a large slate slab is a super alternative and a great opportunity to make different versions of beautiful, solid garden tables.


Here are some ideas to inspire you.

A patio with sun lounger on slate stepping stones. A round table of slate is decorated with a jar of lilacs.
Light Oppdal quartzite with hewn edge

Round table

Here, I have used a large round slate slab from Oppdal to create a cosy and slightly hidden corner in our garden. Oppdal slate is light in color and discreet. It makes a nice contrast to the green of the garden.

I have mounted the slate slab on an old wooden box, but it can just as easily be laid on a tree stump or old table frame. The slab is so heavy that, as long as the base is stable, the table will be steady, too.

The table can in principle always be left out in the same place, but if you want to move it around, it’s just a question of dismantling it and carrying it piece by piece.

A round table top of Oppdal slate in the garden.
Light Oppdal quartzite with hewn edge
A close-up of an outdoor table og stone.
Light Oppdal quartzite with hewn edge

Small occasional table

Smaller slate slabs can also make attractive and flexible small tables.

Here, I have used a frame made from old barn timber with a Oppdal silk brushed tile on top.

It makes a perfect occasional table next to your sunbed, at just the right height to place a refreshing summer drink.

Et nærbilde av en sommerdrink som står på et hagebord av stein; lys Oppdalskifer.
Light Oppdal quartzite silk brushed tile
Et portrett av Mariann Vigtel Holland som sitter utenfor en hytte med skifer på grunnmur og på bakken

– Slate is strong, can withstand most things, and requires little return. With no maintenance requirements, it endures icy winter nights, hot summer days, use year after year, generation after generation. It develops patina and only gets more beautiful with time.

Marianne Vigtel Hølland
Slow Design Studio

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