Vintage Stero Cabinet into Wine/ Coffee Bar

Cabinet Pre-Upcycle

My husband shares my love for vintage stuff and, being a guy, often has a different take on the creative process.  With the sudden surge of information about "upcycling" and "repurposing," it was only natural that he would find himself getting into it as a creative outlet of his own, outside of his passion for photography.  We often go thrifting together and he heads out sometimes on his own, and I always get a kick out of his excited phone calls about the latest treasure he has found.  When he called and said he had found an old console stereo he liked and wanted to do a project with I offered an encouraging word although I must admit I had some doubts.  He sent me a text with a picture of the console and it was admittedly a cool piece, but I sometimes have difficulty seeing what he sees.  But I put my faith in him, especially when he said he was going to build me a coffee/wine bar out of it.

Wine Racks replaced the
fabric covered speakers

So he went to work gutting the ten tons of electronic guts from the cabinet and cleared out the spiders and assorted critters that had come to call it home.  He removed the speakers and went to the process of sanding and prepping the wood.  He painted the piece inside and out, leaving me amazed at what he was able to do with spray-paint.  I never would have thought it could be used for a detailed project like this, but it performed remarkably well.  The top he finished with a gloss white enamel so it would be durable and bright, resistant to spills and stains. For the interior, he chopped and added some wine shelves he salvaged from a wine cabinet he got from a thrift store, and set in a hanging wine glass rack from Amazon.com.  



Once the piece was finished I was blown away.  Even my teenaged daughter raved about how awesome it was, and she doesn't get very excited about old furniture. When it was moved into place in the dining room, we moved all wine and coffee service items from our cabinets into the bar freeing up space for other things.

 


 So now every morning starts with a cup of Joe and my nights can end with a glass of vino courtesy of our favorite vintage restoration.



Storage includes wine glass rack
and plenty of space for
coffee and mugs


 

Completed Project...Coffee Anyone?!?