Vintage Dry Bar to TV Cabinet: Almost There!

You’ve been so patient… and we’re almost there!

My repurposing project, a cabinet turned into a TV stand for Kaleigh that started back in in early September, and hit a few road bumps here and here, is on its final stretch. All the painting is as done as it’s going to be, the brass hardware as cleaned up as it’s going to get… and today was the moment of truth. We started to reassemble all the parts and pieces of the cabinet, and put it back together again. And I’m thrilled to say it went back together without a hitch. But remember, I also said this was a repurposing project – so that means we made some ‘structural’ changes to the piece, and changed the intention for its use.

So, way back when we started this project I said there was a story behind this piece that I couldn’t wait to tell…

Here’s the piece in its original form.

Looks like a standard cabinet, right?

But it’s not…

This cabinet is actually a dry bar… dry because there’s no sink.

But a bar because of this insert inside…

The insert is meant to hold glasses. It, along with the shelf you see, is covered in arborite – easy to wipe clean, and can withstand liquid spills And, note the locking mechanism in the center. Back in the day there was a time when alcohol was kept under lock and key!

And the bar itself is not as cumbersome as it looks to use.

Because the small front face is actually hinged to flip down.

And it has a catch to hold it closed when it’s flipped up…

Pretty cool isn’t it?

This piece is made of solid wood – maple, I think.

Check out the vintage hardware…

I love the hardware, but Kaleigh is not keen on it at all. In fact she has gone so far as to say it’s ugly. Seriously… what’s up with the perspective of our youth? If you look closely, you’ll see the two front doors also have locks in them. Definitely a dry bar!

So the story…

After all the yard work we did when we first moved in here, we had a bunch of organic waste to take to the local waste management drop-off. And it was with this trip that everything changed! After we dropped off all the weeds we pulled around to head out, and noticed the ‘FREE SHOPPING’ sign. Now you have to remember, this is basically the garbage dump, but in a managed kind of way! So we figured there was nothing to lose by taking a gander. This isn’t normally something we would do, but the more blogs I read, the more inspired I am to give this kind of ‘living on the edge’ a try! And I’m so glad we did.

Since the cabinet would be for Kaleigh’s TV, we had to check in first. So my hubby snapped a quick pic on his phone and sent it to her…

…while I called her to say, ‘Check your phone – are you interested in this cabint? I’ll paint it out, change it up, but would it work for you?’ I really thought the answer would be like, are you kidding? No! Mom, I can’t believe you’d bring something home from the dump. OMG!!!

But Kaleigh surprised me and her answer actually was, ‘Yah, sure. Why not.’

I have to be honest, the FREE SHOPPING was free for a reason! There wasn’t a whole lot I saw that day that I’d depart with… other than this vintage treasure. Honestly. Who throws things like this out? But then, who puts Cherner chairs beside a dumpster (read story here)? What caps this story is we barely navigated the cabinet’s exodus from the FREE store! For the little time that it took to pull our vehicle up and position it for loading, was all the time it took for someone else to be checking this piece out. Imagine their startled look when we scooped it up and loaded it in!

So that’s the story behind how we acquired this cabinet. And, oh yes, we cleaned it up big time. There were remnants of splintered glass, dried and super stuck residue from spilled who knows what, and of course years of built-up grime. What didn’t come with the cabinet were the keys for the three locks. Do you think I should return it?

Stay tuned. Tomorrow will be its make-over reveal. Here’s a little glimpse…

I can’t wait to show you the results!

What have you repurposed lately? Where did your piece come from? Are FREE pieces on the side of the road… or at the local dump an option for you?

Related Posts You Might Like To Read

DIY Distress: Repurposing A Cabinet Set-Back

Brass Part I: Are You Cleaning Plated or Solid?

Brass Part II: Cleaning Solid Brass Pieces

The Cherner Chair Story

It’s about coming home… If you want a remarkable space that tells your story, contact me to see how we can help!

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