My latest project, currently in progress.

[stephm0188]

When we moved a few years ago, I wanted a formal dining room. That was kind of dumb in retrospect. We don't have a formal set, we don't have china, and even if we did, we don't have family that we'd ever host here for a holiday. It's just our little family of three.

So the space was a playroom for awhile, then it was my sewing room, and then it sat sad and empty for awhile.

We live in a very social neighborhood and frequently get together with neighbors for a couple drinks.

So we turned the empty space into a bar.




It all happened pretty accidentally. We were going to maybe build a bar, but then this one kind of fell into our hands. My husband helped a friend of his move some stuff from their old home to their new home, and they had the bar that they were just going to leave when they put the house on the market. He sold it to us for less than 1/5 of what it was selling for in store, and it looked brand new. 

Then came the buffet and shelving. We were considering hiring it out and having something custom built. But then I saw my neighbor dragging an Ikea Liatorp sideboard out to the curb with a "FREE" sign on it. I snagged it. She tried to talk me out of it. "It's all scratched up. The paint is coming off. The doors are falling off." 

A few months later, another neighbor put a Liatorp bookcase with half doors out on the curb with a "FREE" sign. Um, really?! LUCKY! I brought it home. 



The fridge was purchased before the bookshelf, but it seemed to work out. I just left the bottom shelf off and slide the unit into place, kind of like one of those over the toilet storage racks. We'll build in shelves off to the side to maybe hold more wine bottles, so it'll help fill in that gap and look more seamless.

We bought another Liatorp and I painted them a soft black. The painting obviously isn't done and will take awhile. I'm taking my time and letting it cure as much as possible before adding an additional coat, so it's been a slow process. I need to hide the wires for the tv still. I haven't decided what I want to do with that wall yet. And there will be a shelf built above the shelves that bridges everything at some point. And we'll fill in the gaps between the walls and the shelves so it all looks built in.


So, yeah, still a work in progress obviously, but it's getting closer and closer to being finished!

[eponee]

Great job!

What fantastic luck you have had with the free/cheap stuff!

[Deleted]

WOW!! And all you basically bought was the fridge and paint? Awesome!

[r]

That's awesome I love free stuff! Looks like a place I would want to hang out. Good job turning an unused space into an awesome hangout.

[sierramist03]

What a neat hangout

[policegirl402]

you live in a great neighborhood! It looks great!

[davescatch]

WOW!!! That bar is amazing - love this space

[dr.girlfriend]

Looks great! And I love the Liatorp stuff...we have that sideboard in our bedroom as our entertainment center, it's a great, solid piece of furniture.

[auntie]

What a great idea.

[simpsongal]

Love it - I need that in my basement adjacent to our pool table!

[salsaverde]

That looks amazing. I love it all actually...

[stephm0188]

Thanks!

It wasn't all totally free. We did pay for the bar... a very discounted price, but still a few hundred for it. The barstools were purchased new, and the tv, fridge, and additional bookcase were added expenses. Pretty much everything in the room except for the baseboards is new... new floors, new paint, new blinds, new light fixture. Still, thanks to the good deals and free stuff, it helped knock the price down quite a bit!

[mrs.jacinthe]

That looks great! I can't wait to see the finished project.

[lavender444]

What a great idea! Looks fantastic! Love those stools, too.