Outdated China Cabinet to Farmhouse-Fabulous Coffee Bar

This compact coffee bar started out as an outdated base to a 1970's china cabinet that had been separated from it's top (which was serving as a storage cabinet behind the cash register in my shop). When a customer needed a coffee bar requiring specific measurements, this fit the bill. She wanted farmhouse chic, just-so high, just-so wide, and something with a little visual interest.

I found the cabinet in my inventory that met the width and depth requirements, however, it wasn't the right height and it certainly didn't have the farmhouse vibes my customer was looking for. No worries! That's when my creative juices get flowing and I go on the hunt through my boxes, bins, and cubby holes for just the right elements to transform a duckling into a swan!

Even though the color was dated and those stubby legs had to go, this little beauty had just the right amount of detail to make it farmhouse-fabulous without being either too simplistic, or too over the top.

After removing the original legs with a good old handsaw (I use a carpenter's square that I tape along the line I want to cut to keep it straight) I attached these new ones that were the finials from an old bedframe. I just cut them down to the length I needed for this project. And here's a little tip that will save you some time and money for future projects of your own--I save all the "scrp" from the pieces I cut up because you never know when you are going to need it! You would be surprised at how often I have used a salvaged piece of moulding or the leftover stump from a table leg to remake something awesome! I will share more on this in a future post.

I wanted to show you a close-up of the detail on the front. It really turned out perfect. I firstUsing Valspar Ultra paint in Divine Cream and gave it a light sanding. Then I put a final coat of Polycrylic on to protect it. Since it was going to be used as a coffee bar, there is the potential of liquids spilling on it, I wanted to give it a more durable topcoat than just using a finishing wax which doesn't give you the long-term protection from moisture and wear-and-tear.

Thank you for checking out my post and stop in again to see more of my rescued, repurposed, and recreated furniture pieces and home decor!