House Re-Visions: The Coffee Bar

 

Back in January I shared with you how I’m slowly re-seeing the spaces in our home to evaluate their usefulness and tweak as needed. These re-vision, moments are not grandiose. They’re small adjustments usually using things we already own or things I find at thrift stores.

            One of my favorite projects was our living room, and right after I finished it, we had some water damage and now it’s somewhat torn up again. Character building!

            But my most recent project is one that has been marinating for a while, and I just love how it came together, so I want to tell you all about it today.

            When Ryan and I moved to the lake, we didn’t really get many (any?) new pieces of furniture. We were excited and grateful that what we had worked in this space too! But while it isn’t new by a long shot, we did get a new-to-us piece when we moved here: a Hoosier Cabinet that used to belong to my Grandma Freelan. Grandma died when I was in high school, and Mom and Dad ended up having this cabinet refinished and kept it in their house. I thought it would fit pretty perfectly here, and I knew Mom was on a mission to weed things out of her house, so I asked if we could have it.

            She was thrilled to have it out of her house and staying in the family! We moved it here before we even moved in ourselves, and while it fit perfectly in its spot, it never had a specific job of what it held. A few months ago, I came up with the idea to transform it into a coffee bar, and last month I made it happen.

            Here it is in its big-picture glory.

            Now let me tell you the story of the little pieces and parts.

            The plant that trails down the side was so little when we first got it. (It’s about two years old now and thriving.) This cabinet sits near a window and the plant seems really happy there! And then of course there’s Brutus, Ryan’s rhino I gave him a few years ago. Brutus has traveled to many homes with us and always has a place of honor. The monogram was one I bought not long after we were married, and it’s also traveled with us to every home. The little coffee sign was a recent gift from Ryan’s step-mom and is pretty perfect for me.

            Also on the top shelf? This photo from our engagement shoot. It’s one of my favorites and a nod to Ryan’s mom who took it for us!

            We keep our main coffee pot in the kitchen, but we brought the espresso/latter maker downstairs, since we don’t use it every single day. I found these sugar-free syrups at TJ Maxx on my birthday when I was shopping with gift cards. I think I’m set for a while!

            Another sign from Ryan’s step-mom – a nod to my book!

            We still use the underside of the cabinet for storing random things, but this main part is the perfect coffee bar. I absolutely love how it turned out and am excited to make some tasty coffee in this little corner of our home!