Monday, March 9, 2015

Antique Gentlemen's Cabinet Re-Purposed Into A Coffee Bar



A home coffee bar is not something that really entered my mind, until we received a Keurig as a Christmas gift.


Although convenient to brew only one cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate at a time, we drink too much coffee to use only a Keurig as our main coffee machine.
(Translation - we don't have that kind of patience to wait for our coffee!)  

Having two coffee pots on the kitchen counter takes up a lot of space.
So, the idea of a coffee bar came to mind.

Handy Hubby and I were on a mission!
A mission to find an antique piece to transform into a coffee bar.
We measured the space where we would put it, had a price point, and went antiquing.
We didn't settle, we shopped a few different places over the last couple months.
It was on Valentine's Day that we found it.  Read about the Gentlemen's Cabinet HERE

-  Before and After  -

It was dirty and it was musty smelling.
We took it to the basement, cleaned it up and let it air out for a while.
The width was a good size for our space, but the height was a tad too tall.
It also only had one wheel.
Handy Hubby cut the legs down a couple inches.

I did some research on Annie Sloan chalk paint, found a dealer and decided to go for it!
My girls and I chose Louis Blue because it is a close match to some of my other blue decor.


I chose to leave the top in the original dark stain (cleaned and lightly sanded it).


I love how the dark stain looks against the light blue color.

It also compliments the original hardware.


 I also chose to leave these drawers that pull out (behind a set of doors) in their natural state (cleaned and lightly sanded).


I like how they look when we open the doors.

I was pleased with how the paint went on the antique piece.
It dried nicely and had a cottage look (a look that I am falling in love with).

After drying, I applied the Annie Sloan clear wax.
I must admit, this scared me a bit...a process I have not done on top of regular paint before.
Applying clear wax was not a necessary step (I later found out).

Once I started applying the wax, it took off a little of the paint in specific areas.  Although I have done distressed painting before, this was not the look I wanted for this piece.  I really liked the clean cottage look.  But, once I started waxing, I went ahead and finished. 

I put the wax on with a clean old t-shirt and wiped off any excess, as directed.

I was not happy with the look...it was splotchy/smeared.
I let it dry for 24 hours, hoping it would look better.  It did not.


Can you see in this picture the splotchy patches?
I don't know if I put too much on,,,not enough on...took too much off...not enough off...

Determined not to let this project whoop me, I painted it AGAIN!  I did not sand it.  I used the same paint, hoping for the clean paint look again.

Yeah!  It worked.
Seems I took a couple extra steps that I didn't need to, but in the end I love how it looks.


I put the original hardware back on.


Then I had fun styling it and putting the coffee bar together.
The top drawers are perfect for storing the K cups.




53 comments:

  1. It is amazing what paint can do! That is just lovely and what a great use for it!
    I would love for you to stop by my blog and join our link party Something to Talk About!
    Have a great day!
    Karen

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    1. Yes, it is amazing what paint can do. The before and after can be so different. Thanks for the invite...I will link to your party ;-)
      Lori

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  2. What a nice job... it turned out great! Beautiful. :)

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  3. This is beautiful! I love the look of the paint and the original dark and those drawers inside the doors are awesome! What fun!

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    1. Thank you Deborah. I think leaving those unpainted areas give it 'character'.

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  4. I remember the cabinet, but I cannot believe the transformation -- amazing job! I would love a coffee bar like that! I love Annie Sloan, but I've never used the wax. Anyway, this is gorgeous. :)

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    1. Thanks Dee! I like the chalk paint too, but not the wax, at least at this point ;-)

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  5. Looks lovely. I am always interested in this kind of cabinet because I have a same similiar one from my grandma(even the handles ) but it was always painted and has a secret drawer between the two upper drawers. Haven't found another yet. Wendy J

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    1. How precious to have such an heirloom from your Grandma! Thanks for visiting.

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  6. O, I do love this...the piece itself is amazing. Love the color you chose.

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    1. Thanks BJ. When we found the cabinet, we were instantly drawn to it.

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  7. Lori, wow what a difference. Beautiful choice of paint.

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    1. Thanks Teresa. I knew that I wanted a blue color, just had to see the samples and narrow the shade of blue down.

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  8. I love how you transformed that piece! It looks so beautiful with it's new paint. Perfect for your coffee bar. My sil has a coffee bar in her bedroom. Handy for when she wakes up first thing in the morning. lol!hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Thanks Jann. A coffee bar in her bedroom? I wouldn't be able to sleep with the smell of coffee...would want to get up and drink a cup ;-)

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    2. I could put my coffeepot in my bedroom, and use it as my good smelling alarm clock. I always worried about if I turned off the coffee before leaving, so I bought a coffee with a carafe and after it brews, it turns off, and keeps it warm in the carafe. So when the blue light turned on at 7, I'd know it was going to brew and time to get up. But mine stays in the kitchen. lol

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  9. Lori, Amazing transformation! Love the beautiful blue shade. It really is the perfect piece for a coffee bar and a perfect home for your Keurig! Enjoy your new coffee bar! Have a great week! :)
    Christine B

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    1. Thanks Christine. I love the Louis blue color too!

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  10. What a beautiful work. The light blue matches your cups, picture, and the dining chairs. Even the planter matches. Very nicely done.

    I am growing fond of blue in my house. It is so clean and refreshing.

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    1. Thank you Kimberly. Blue is my favorite color to decorate with. I have different shades of blue scattered throughout my home. This color that I used on this cabinet is so calming and soothing.
      Lori

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  11. Lori, this is BEAUTIFUL! You did a fantastic job bringing this piece of furniture back to life. I love color you chose and how you left the top with the wood grain. It's perfect for a coffee bar. I love it. Hope you're having a great day, CoCo

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    1. Thanks CoCo! I am pleased with the Annie Sloan chalk paint, and I love the color blue for decorating.
      Lori

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  12. That's such a great looking piece! I love how you used it in your kitchen too. I have a Keurig too. Being able to fill a drawer with the K cups is such a great idea! Love the paint color you chose. Thanks for linking up to Share Your Style tonight!

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    1. Thank you Kelly. Having a place to store the K cups out of sight is definitely an advantage.
      Lori

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  13. I love the contrast of the blue agains the natural dark wood as well! You have great taste :) I love how everything came out! Thank you for sharing the inspiration on the Art of Home-Making Mondays this week!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Jess! I decorate with what we like, not necessarily what the 'normal' is, but it is nice when other people like it too. ;-)
      Lori

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  14. I absolutely love this! Your vision turned out a stunning piece for your coffee bar. So happy that you shared this with Idea Box Link Party! You have inspired me to test out the chalk paint that I keep hearing about. I look forward to seeing what you share next week:) Cheers, Christy

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    1. Thank you so much Christy! This was my first time with chalk paint...I will definitely be using it again.
      Lori

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  15. Your cabinet looks great! I love Louis Blue and love that you kept the top dark. Perfect!

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    1. Thank you Jennifer! Louis Blue is such a soothing color...I love it too.
      Lori

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  16. Your coffee bar turned out great! Thanks for linking up at Idea Box. Come back next week!

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  17. What a fantastic piece! I love the contrast between the dark wood on top and the subtle blue you chose to paint it. And then you showed the drawers! Wow! It is stunning!

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    1. Thank you Daisy. I like the contrast...still shows that it is an older piece...

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  18. This is why I like blogging and creative bloggers like you, the great ideas to be had are endless. How creative to have repurposed a cabinet into a coffee bar. I want one now. I have a dresser that I am working on that I left the top original brown color and painted the drawers and body a dolphin grey color from our local hardware store. I was gonna put it in a bedroom but now rethinking that.
    Happy Saturday
    betsy

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    1. Betsy,
      Your kind words mean a lot! Thank you. I agree, there is so much inspiration to be found in blogland. Your project sounds nice - wood and dolphin grey sound very soothing. If you don't like it on place, you can always move it somewhere else. Have a great weekend.
      Lori

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  19. Great job! Curious- what was your total investment- piece and paint, etc.?

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    1. Nancy,
      We had been shopping for an antique for this re-purpose project with a budget of $200. The gentlemen's cabinet was marked $195, we negotiated and purchased it for $160! The paint was $39.95.
      Lori

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  20. Lori,
    Your measuring, painting, waxing, re~painting and organization of this cabinet
    has made a unique Coffee Bar, dear one!!!
    Nicely done!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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    1. Thank you Pat. It did take a bit of re-working, but in the end, I love it!

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  21. this is a wonderful piece of furniture, love the transformation to a fabulous coffee station!

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    1. Thanks Debra. I appreciate the fact that it is an antique, but it has new life.
      Lori

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  22. I so glad I came across your post. Your coffee bar is so sweet I have already have had to repainted some of my projects just to get it right. Just enjoy the process. I think I will try to create a coffee bar also and get it off my counter.

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    1. Mary,
      I did get frustrated with the painting/waxing/painting of this one, but in the end I love the look. And I learned a lesson for next time ;-) I don't like having a lot of clutter on my kitchen counters, so this works out great. Thanks for stopping by!
      Lori

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  23. Lori Leigh, this is wonderful- I saw it featured at Idea Box! I love antiques and I love coffee, so I am excited about this project of yours. I have yet to try the Annie Sloan paints/waxes, etc., too, so I am taking notes about your experiences. :) Thanks for sharing this great project! :)

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    1. Thanks Joy! I will being using the Annie Sloan paint again, and the wax if I want a distressed look. Antiques and coffee go hand in hand. ;-)
      Lori

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  24. What a lovely transformation! Thanks for sharing the process. This was a great feature on Idea Box.

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    1. Thank you Beverly! I was thrilled by the feature on Idea Box. Have a great day.
      Lori

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  25. I love to see before and after pictures of repurposed items. Your Coffee Bar came out beautiful! Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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    1. Thanks Kathy. I enjoyed this project..from the hunt to the finished project (minus the extra steps that I did ;-)).

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  26. Love what you did with this piece, so pretty. At first I was thinking this was the piece you used in your chicks photo shoot but now I see now...not with those drawers....I have painted LOT with chalk paint, had a business painting vintage furniture for two years. LOTS of my work on my hand-painting blog at http://smallhousebigskywordpress.com

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    1. This was my first time using chalk paint. I will be using it again ;-)

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