Ditching our formal dining room

[stephm0188]

We're turning the space into a bar

We were going to custom build something, but then our friend offered us a beautiful bar they no longer needed for a price we couldn't refuse. It's sitting on cardboard for now so it'll be easy to move when we install new floors in a few weeks. I put the partially assembled stool there to see if I liked the color, or if I wanted to trade it for something more neutral.


My husband likes the color, so the stool stays. He said he didn't want a "girly bar" so I wanted to find stuff that was somewhat man friendly while tying in with the rest of the color scheme on our first floor. I picked this fabric for curtains:



And I'm ordering this print to frame. He grew up out west and misses it dearly. Yellowstone is his favorite park, and we have an inside joke about moose.


I need to pick out paint next, and then we'll install floors. Once that is done, we'll look into installing a wall of cabinetry for storage and display behind the bar. Right now, Ikea's Besta units look like they'll suit our needs for that space. They're the perfect depth for what we need, and the mix and match designs will make it easy to customize a unit.

SO excited to turn the space into something we'll use.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Oooh, that's pretty. I like the WHOLE THING so far - but those chairs are gorgeous. I can't wait to see the completed project.

[sierramist03]

I agree I love it all!!!

[pitterwoo]

Agree with the others, I love it all! That bar is gorgeous.

[demandypants]

that is super fun! I love the fabric, it really is a good compromise!

[ruthie7532]

How exciting! Can't wait to see the finished project!

[heygrey]

love that you're ditching traditional for something functional! i often look at traditional floor plans and realize how useless most of the spaces would be for our family based on our lifestyle, so it's awesome to see other people balking the trend and reclaiming those square feet.

can't wait to see how it all comes together!

[msmerymac]

I can't wait to see it when it's done! I love bars.

[kitchenreno]

love what you've picked so far! where are the stools from?

We're also ditching our formal dining room for a casual kitchen extension (kitchen table/eating space - not actually expanding the size of the kitchen itself). Not quite as exciting as a bar ;-)

[dd1204]

I could have wrote this exact post. We are converting our formal living room into a bar area. I'm just not sure how to design that area so is going to be some time before I do anything to it. Do you know where your friend got that bar? 

I have those barstool in our kitchen, from Target, right? They are supper comfy. Can't wait to see the finish job. 

[stephm0188]

Thanks guys

The stools are from Target.

The bar is by American Heritage. It was purchased locally, but it's available from Wayfair. 

[treedimensional]

Nice choices.

[stephm0188]

We're doing a vinyl plank floor for now. Down the road we'd like to do hardwood throughout the entire house, but that's not quite in the budget yet. The vinyl plank will be a step up from the outdated cracked and broken tile we have now.