Coffee Bar DIY
i was reading in joanna gaines’ book homebody about making unused space usable and functional, and it got me thinking…i have so many spaces throughout my home that are just there and aren’t bringing any functionality or joy, so i decided to change that starting with one small coffee bar.
this is the before space…just a simple corner in our dining room right outside of our kitchen. not terrible, not awesome, just kind of there. i have been wanting to clear off some things from my kitchen counters, so i thought i would kill two birds with one stone and make this corner a functioning coffee bar! the gets my coffee apparatus off my counter and turns this space into one that is not only functional, but beautiful.
we used a 2x12x10 common board. nothing fancy! because we were building the coffee bar in a corner, we had to measure the length of two different walls. we cut the board into two different boards each the length of one of the walls in the corner where the bar would go. we cut 45 degree angles to meet in the corner. cutting through the 2 inch thickness was tricky so power through! we tried with a circular saw and a miter saw and found that the circular saw was a little easier.
a quick sanding with an electric sander made the boards super smooth and ready for stain!
i used classic grey stain because i love how it makes the wood look a little more rustic. if i had more time, i would have used a sanding sealer first, sanded that lightly, then added the classic grey stain but i was in a time crunch so i skipped the sanding sealer.
i like to use foam brushes to apply the stain. you can add as many coats as you want to get the color to exactly what you like. i only did one coat and the color turned out really deep and rich!
the stain will have instructions for how long to let it set before wiping it off. i let mine set for 5 minutes. make sure to stain both sides too because you will see the underside of the bar when you sit down!
to attach the bar to the wall, we used simple white shelf brackets that we spray painted black. getting the white saved about $1 per bracket and they were so easy to spray! (peep that awesome drop cloth lol)
we had existing bead board so in order for the brackets to fit flush, we had to remove the top trim piece. this is super easy to do with a flat head screw driver, hammer, and a crow bar!
next, we screwed the brackets into the wall. make sure they are even and level otherwise your bar will be crooked!
the last step was screwing the freshly stained boards onto the shelf brackets. we wanted to make sure the bar was super sturdy especially with little kids running around and pulling on things!
voila! unused space becomes something functional and beautiful. and this is such an easy project that even a very pregnant girl can do it (with the help of her amazing husband!) lol
what do you think? do you think you could do it? let us know if you try!! we want to see!
Here’s a video showing the process!
Check out threefinchsisters.com for more on this project and links for all the products used! https://www.shopltk.com/explore/threefinchsisters
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The cords mess up the look. Use cable raceway for a neater space.
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What is cable raceway?
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That was my thought too! Or can your husband move the electrical box up over the bar? Then of course you'd have to replace that piece of beadboard. Add another shelf for coffee cups!
Frequently asked questions
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I don’t have a question, just want to say that I love the simplicity of this little space! It’s very inviting👍
It looks really good. The coffee, tea, sugar, etc., where are they ?
Looks great, one question: Why don’t you drill a whole heat the corner of the sheles so you don’t have all those wires?