chalk painted bar cabinet ~

How can a measly 14 sq.ft. take more time and effort than an entire room? Well, if you decide to try every chalk paint technique you can think of on one small piece of furniture with a bunch of nooks and crannies, futz with wonky open shelves trying endlessly to get them straight, paint an alcove so small you can barely turn the step-ladder, and do it all while trying not to spill, drop or otherwise damage your BRAND NEW floor ~ that’s how. This is a long one with lots of pictures, so you may want to grab some coffee!

So the bar space {too small to even call it a nook} got an update, and I chalk painted my bar cabinet and open shelves ~ and learned some things along the way!

Let’s begin with some “after” shots before getting to the harsh “befores” – ok? This is the oddly angled space between the dining area and my office, that’s the pass through between rooms. I use it as my cocktail and wine bar space. The angles and lighting make it very hard to photograph ~ it is either in deep shadow from the french doors in the dining area, or so bright with daylight it’s blown out. There’s no in-between. So I’m starting with some detail shots, because those tell the story!

The faux wood laminate shelves and dark stained bar cabinet have a lighter new look with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint {ASCP} and Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Wax. Of course not just one color or finish of ASCP ~ I experimented with three colors. A base coat 2 parts Provence {a blue/green turquoise} with 1 part Paris Gray and a French Linen glaze. Then finished with Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Wax and Antiquing Wax ~ because why not do a FIVE STEP process on a cabinet with separate tray, drawer and cubbies? And distress the edges and finish, of course. But after all the effort, I’m happy with how it turned out. 🙂

The top of the cabinet has a removable tray, which is where I started ~ trying out a bunch of different techniques. Solid base color, dry brushed color, wiped glaze, two-tone stencil, and a couple I think I have blocked from memory! I am in awe of my friends and talented DIY bloggers that can do multi-step finishes on BIG furniture pieces in a day or two ~ and they look beautiful! I worked on this TINY piece for weeks ~ painting different techniques and colors for comparison, looking at them in strong daylight, deep shadow and night-time lighting to see how they changed ~ ’til I finally decided what I liked. I call it the “contemplative style” of painting. Paint, contemplate, repeat!

Can I just tell you how much I love this mercury glass drawer pull? Hobby Lobby $3 ~ who says you can’t buy happiness?

Thank heavens the bottle cubby insert comes out as a single piece. It was hard enough to paint by itself. Can’t image trying to paint it if it couldn’t be removed from the cabinet. The inside of the cabinet is painted 2 parts Paris Gray and 1 part French Linen with 1 coat clear wax and 1 coat antique wax, to contrast a bit with the Provence/Paris Gray color on the cubby insert with clear wax only. Everything was distressed with 220 fine grit sand paper to allow the original espresso stain to show through as age and wear.

And I added gold ball feet ~ a random moment when I found them already painted in a box from another project, with the necessary screws! A happy accident.

Some bar accessories for good measure. Decanters collected over years, stamped servers from Seaside Sisters in Tybee, a blue turtle bottle stopper from my team at work, and my favorite linen cocktail napkins ~ ready for happy hour.

Here’s the odd angled wall ~ now with a dusty lavender painted open edge ~ Valspar POETRY IN THE PARK. Soon to be my kitchen wall color, but that is a another project! The alcove wall color is a discontinued Martha Stewart color called PASTURE GATE that I had custom matched at Lowe’s ~ I still had my original paint chip from using it in my entry way and powder room. It’s my favorite dark gray ~ very neutral, no green in it at all and just a tiny hint of brown to warm it up.

The decanters have been collected over many years. All clear with no cut work, and different shape clear stoppers. You can read more about the chalk style labels here and see the original bar set up. 

The DIY bottle cap mirror frame project still gives me a laugh – here’s a link to the details on that project.

So now a quick run down on some “befores” and some things I learned along the way ~

I started with the small ASCP sample size paint pots to test things out, and quickly used them up. Though the paint goes a long way, unless you’re painting something really small like a tray or a pot, just buy the quart size can. You’ll save money in the long run.

I don’t recommend doing a piece with multiple parts ~ in a multi-step process ~ for a first project, unless you are really patient. No instant gratification here!

Here’s the real before, as I was ready to start painting! Beware the BRAND NEW floor ~ no drips allowed!

And the walls sucking up the paint. This was not a one coat job!

Painting laminate shelves with ASCP ~ Paris Gray undercoat to cover the dark color, then the Provence/Paris Gray mix with the French Linen glaze. The photo below shows the difference with one coat of clear wax ~ it really brings out the color.

And the removable tray – or as I call it “the learning project”. It started as Provence, then Provence/Paris Gray, then French Linen stenciled over a double diamond just because, and a final French Linen glaze before distressing it all down. The stencil is faint but there, and it does add a little interest to the tray.

The bottle cubby in process, with the interior spaces in the Paris Gray/French Linen mix. Have a variety of long artist brushes to get to the edges and inside these kinds of spaces. Standard paint brushes won’t reach.

And the ball feet! As mentioned, a happy accident. I love my Fiskars hand drill for quick things like this. It saves getting out the big drill ~ and having to put it away afterwards!

And now that the project is finished, the stamped server pieces have the right idea ~ may every hour be happy hour!

That’s the saga of the 14 sp.ft. bar alcove and chalk painted bar cabinet that took on a life of their own! I’m happy with what I learned about chalk paint, and I love the combination of dark gray, light turquoise and dusty lavender ~ with the shine of glass, silver and a touch of gold.

Ready for happy hour, so let me know when you want to stop by for a cocktail ~ cheers y’all!