Planning a Furniture Flip – Dresser to Bar Cabinet
Flipping furniture is a great way to create a customized piece for your home at a fraction of the cost of quality retail furniture. A little creativity and elbow grease, some paint, and you are on your way.
Imagining a new use for old furniture
I recently ‘inherited’ an old dresser from a friend. As soon as I opened the front doors on the cabinet, I knew it would make a perfect bar. This dresser provides ideal cabinet storage of liquor and mixer bottles (height is important), drawers for all the bar gadgets and linens, and an ideal spot where the bottom drawers were located for hanging wine glass storage. Can you picture it? Dressers are also great for bathroom vanities. Dressers usually provide the perfect amount of counter space, while the drawers provide much needed storage. Often limited in bathrooms. Here’s my ‘blank canvas’.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the seller’s profit at no additional cost to you. Please see my Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for additional information.
Where to find inspiration and ideas
The internet is a wonderful place to find ideas and instructions for flipping furniture. I found several great ideas for dresser to bar flips on Pinterest. Here are a few examples I am using for inspiration.
Links to sources of inspriation: top left; top right; bottom left; bottom right.
My plan for a dresser to bar cabinet furniture flip
I’m going for a more elegant feel that I think black paint will provide. To take it up another notch, I will paint the interior gold or I will try to find unique wall paper with a gold tint and unexpected pattern. I’m hoping the drawer hardware will work, but I will have to replace the cabinet lock. I’ll just have to see how all the hardware matches up. I have used chalk paint for other projects, but I am planning to use latex paint for this project. I am going for elegant on this project vs. shabby chic. A coat of polyurethane will also be essential to ensure the bar can stand up to endless parties and cocktails.
This project calls for a cocktail……the recipe?
I’ll toast with a classic for my first round….The Manhattan
Ingredients
2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
3 dashes bitters (so many to choose from; a fun opportunity to experiment and develop your own signature Manhattan cocktail)
cherries
Mixing Instructions
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and stir in whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.
The examples definitely look more fun with accessories, so I plan to stock up on bar essentials before I share the after pictures. I have other projects scheduled for July, so stay tuned for an update in August. ‘The devil is in the details ‘ and ‘A project without planning is just a wish’. I look forward to your feedback.
