Travertine side tables often come with designer price tags and heavy stone construction, but this project, shared by Instagram creator Mary from jjd.interior, started with three travertine slabs, mounting adhesive, and self-adhesive floor bumpers. Once assembled, the separate slabs became a minimal stone table with exposed pores, cut edges, and natural variation across every surface.
The project started with three rectangular travertine slabs joined with mounting adhesive, with two pieces forming the sides and a third creating the top. Mary used adhesive tape to hold the slabs in position while the joints set, then added self-adhesive bumpers along the bottom to keep the stone from scratching the floor.
That simple assembly turned three stone slabs into a finished piece of furniture.
Three Travertine Slabs Started the Project
Rectangular travertine slabs provide every visible part of the table, with no separate frame needed beneath the stone.
Each piece already has the thickness and straight edges needed for the design. Natural holes and darker mineral marks break up the beige surface, so the slabs bring their own pattern before any assembly begins.
Clean Stone Gave the Adhesive a Better Surface
The slabs were wiped before the pieces came together, removing dust and debris from the areas where the adhesive would make contact.
Travertine has an open surface with pits spread across the face and edges. Those marks stay part of the finished table rather than being filled or covered, keeping the stone recognizable after the build.
Mounting Adhesive Joined the First Pieces
Mounting adhesive runs along the edge of one slab before it meets the next piece.
No screws, brackets, or visible connectors interrupt the travertine. The adhesive allows the broad stone surfaces to meet at a clean right angle while leaving the exterior faces untouched.
Adhesive Ran Across the Full Joint
A continuous bead marks where another slab will meet the stone, spreading the bond across the length of the connection instead of concentrating it at a few points.
That joint becomes hard to notice once the pieces come together because the stone remains the only material visible from the exterior.
Each Contact Edge Received Its Own Bead
More mounting adhesive was applied along the edge before the next stage of assembly.
The image also gives a close view of the travertine itself. Larger cavities sit among smaller pores across the cut face, giving the edge as much variation as the broad surface of the slab.
Vertical Slabs Created the Table Base
The stone pieces begin to reveal the table form once positioned at right angles.
Instead of attaching conventional legs beneath a stone top, the slabs themselves become the supports. Their width gives the base a heavier furniture form while keeping the construction down to three rectangular pieces.
Adhesive Tape Held the Three Slabs in Place While the Glue Set
Once the three travertine slabs were positioned, adhesive tape wrapped around the structure to keep the pieces from shifting while the mounting adhesive set. Two slabs form the sides, while the third spans the top to complete the table.
Small self-adhesive bumpers were also added along the bottom edges where the travertine meets the floor. They create a buffer between the stone and flooring, helping prevent scratches when the table is placed or moved.
Once the adhesive set and the tape came off, the construction left no visible hardware across the exterior.
Extra Adhesive Secured the Remaining Joints
Adhesive was added where the upper slab meets the vertical stone before the pieces were pressed into their final positions.
Store-Bought Travertine Became Stone Furniture
The before-and-after view shows the change from stacked slabs to a finished table holding a lamp, candle, glass cloche, and wood tray.
No paint or surface coating creates that change. The same beige stone, pores, pits, and mineral variation visible on the slabs remain across the finished piece, but the new arrangement makes them read as furniture.
Travertine Does Most of the Design Work
The finished table puts the stone across the top, sides, and exposed edges, with no other structural material competing for attention.
Its broad supports give the piece more visual weight than thin table legs, while the open travertine surface keeps each slab from looking flat or uniform. What began as three rectangular pieces now reads as a stone table built around the material itself.
The project shows how little needs to change when the starting material already has the finish you want. Three slabs, mounting adhesive, and a simple geometric layout were enough to move travertine from building material to furniture.
Image credits go to Instagram creator Mary from @jjd.interior.