Quick & Easy Coffee Bar Makeover

Heather Olinde
by Heather Olinde
2 Materials
$40
2 Hours
Easy
Do you ever get the itch to change something up? Sometimes a random thought hits me to make a change in my decor. Sometimes it’s a quick and easy change, and other times, not so much. Over the weekend, I started taking out my fall decor to start thinking about my plans for the fall (yes, I just said fall decor – eek). Well anyway, I was thinking of what I wanted to do with my coffee bar, and then all of a sudden I got that itch!

My coffee bar is actually a built-in desk in my kitchen. I love that I have the space for a coffee bar, but it’s not really what I envision for a coffee bar. Well, I decided that I wanted to tear out the desk and bookshelves and replace them with a vintage dresser and floating shelves above. I told my husband what I was thinking and he told me that I must be crazy. lol.
Then the thought hit me! I had some  peel and stick subway tile wall paper left over from a previous project in my kitchen. I figured I could put that up as the backsplash to give the space a little pop. The top of the desk was very worn and had peeling paint so I knew I wanted to do something to hide that as well.


The first photo above is what the coffee bar looked like pre makeover. It just looked a little plain. And it had an ugly old telephone jack that I wanted to hide (remember those things!).
I put up the peel and stick wall paper pretty quickly, and then started to think about what I could do to the top. Then, I thought about some chalkboard paint that I had. I have never seen anyone use chalkboard paint on a countertop, but I was determined to give it a try – knowing that I’m going to eventually tear this out one day and have my dresser with floating shelves ;).



I lightly sanded the top of the desk before painting because there were several spots of peeling paint. It took 3 coats of the chalkboard paint to completely cover the white. I let it dry overnight, then I “seasoned” it with chalk. 
If you don’t season a chalkboard before writing on it, you will never be able to completely erase what you wrote. To season it, hold your chalk sideways and run it vertically then horizontally across your surface. Once you do this, take a dry cloth and wipe the chalk off. Now your chalkboard is ready to write on without leaving a permanent impression.
Just adding the peel and stick wallpaper and chalkboard paint has completely transformed the way this space looks! And the best part… I didn’t have to spend a penny! I already had everything I needed for this project.


The chalkboard paint is both fun and practical. Not only can you draw pretty chalk art (or get your talented sister to do it for you, as I did), but you can also write yourself little reminders by your coffee pot. I don’t know about you, but this is the first place I head in the morning and what better place to leave myself a little reminder.


Creating this space has definitely satisfied my itch (at least for the time being)! And the next time you see it, it will be all decorated for fall. Just remember, you don’t have to spend much, if any money at all, to create a space you love. Just work with what you already have and add a little creativity.
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Heather Olinde
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  1 question
  • Barbara Barbara on Jan 09, 2020

    How has the chalkboard paint held up cleaning wise? Any special care?

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