Imagine this: You've been waiting anxiously to kick off summer with the best barbecue your neighborhood has ever seen. You'll finally be able to put your beautiful back patio to good use, and show off all your new favorite recipes. But just as all your friends and family members are making themselves comfortable, and the humidity thickens, you realize you've forgotten to offer up drinks. You have to skip out on the conversation and head to the kitchen. But who wants that?

Rachel Pereira, the blogger behind Shades of Blue Interiors has the right idea: She built a genius outdoor coffee table that also functions as a cooler for your beverages, so guests can easily beat the heat and chatter can go uninterrupted. This dual-functioning coffee table has a removable drop-down insert that can be filled with ice. I mean, how cool is that? (Pun intended.)

Made almost entirely from cedar-toned pine, the table has a planked, herringbone top and cedar 2x2s for legs, which helps it stay sturdy.

"I think this is by far the coolest table I have ever built," Rachel writes on her blog, "not just because it can hold ice and drinks, but because of the versatility and design details."

Rachel useda 3'x8" plastic planter for the insert that can be taken out by removing two end planks. For extra tabletop space—8 square feet to be exact—the insert can be covered with a lid that lays flat. In place of ice, you can also fill it with flowers for a gorgeous, earthy piece. (When was the last time you heard of a garden-growing, beverage-cooling coffee table?!)

"I like how it adds just a touch of modern design to a traditional shape," Rachel writes.

The best part: Rachel is sharing her instructions so you can build your own—it's super affordable, and easier than you'd think to DIY. We wish we came up with this idea summers ago!

To get the free build plans and full tutorial, head to Rachel's post on BuildSomething.com.

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