Wet Bar Makeover (Phase 1)
Come see how we are turning our once boring wet bar into something fabulous. We recently completed Phase 1 of our wet bar makeover, and it’s already such an improvement!
Our new home, which you can tour here, was built in 1987. And in classic 80’s style, it has a large wet bar in the main living room. We have never lived in a house with a wet bar before. My husband is a bit of a bourbon collector, though, so we were excited at the prospect of having somewhere to actually store and display everything.
Unfortunately, when we first moved in, it was not much to look at, nor was it very functional.
*This project was completed during my blogging break. So, I don’t have many progress photos, and the ones that I do came from my iPhone. Sorry!
(This post contains affiliate links. To see my full disclosure, go here.)
Before:
Here’s the pseudo-before, as I didn’t get a true “before” photo. When we moved in, there was an ice machine where the wine fridge is, which didn’t even work. We put the wine fridge
You get the basic idea though. It was a lot of space with very little function.
For phase 1 of this wet bar makeover, we turned the wine rack into a display cabinet, added decorative peel-and-stick wallpaper, and built some shelves to house the liquor bottles and wine glasses.
After:
Ta-da! So much better!
Eventually, phase 2 will consist of replacing the countertop, sink, and faucets, and adding hardware to the cabinets.
The first thing we did (after ripping the lattice out) was build the shelves. I found some brackets
As per usual, we had my dad on hand to help get us started with this project. He cut the boards to size, and I stained them with my current favorite stain color – Minwax Wood Stain Provincial
We actually hung the brackets on the wall before putting the wallpaper down, so we could mark up the wall with lines and measurements.
We noted the exact measurements where the holes were, so that I could find them again once I laid the wallpaper. It was really unnecessary, though, as the holes were easy to find even after the wallpaper went on.
After removing the brackets, I put up the peel and stick wallpaper
When the wallpaper was finished, we rehung the brackets and screwed the shelves in. We also added a couple of wine glass racks
Finally, we painted the open lower cabinet white, added a shelf, and phase 1 of our wet bar makeover was complete.
We, especially my husband, had a lot of fun getting all of the liquor arranged and displayed on the shelves.
Details:
Here’s a better look at the wine glass racks, as well as the fun brackets
This is an oak aging barre
We also have a decanter that my brother had specially engraved for my husband a couple of Christmases ago, as well as a wooden tree that my husband brought back from Austria
And here we have a beer stein that my husband got in Germany, as well as a couple of keepsake beer bottles. My whole family is from Kansas City, and we are die hard Royals and Chiefs fans. It has been a good few years for Kansas City sports. The Royals won the World Series in 2015, and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl this past February. Woot!
We are loving our new, and functional!, wet bar area. And I hope this has given you some fun ideas and inspiration for your own wet bar makeover.
What do you think?
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WOW!!!! Wow!!!! That wall paper and those shelves. I’m in love with the look Amy. It looks like one of those fancy bars in NYC. Isuspect there are going to be many, happy bourbon tasting moments happening right there.
Haha! Thanks, Michelle! Your comments always make me smile. 🙂 And yes, there have been a few happy bourbon tasting moments, and hopefully, many more once this pandemic ends….