Last year we acquired an antique secretary when we downsized my mother in law. Although we didn’t really have a spot for it, it was one of the few pieces I hauled home because of it’s history and it was just a cool piece of furniture. I just love those glass panes! So it landed in a nook in the house, but it never really felt like it was in the right spot or served a functional purpose. (the bottom drawers have been empty this whole time!!!)
Recently, we’ve been doing a bit of furniture shifting around here. My friend gave me a pair of swivel chairs and from there it has been a domino effect of rearranging. Some good old fashioned house tweaking is always a fun process and I love using pieces in new ways around the house to better serve us. I had an ah-ha moment when it came to finding a more permanent location for this secretary – and figured we should try it as a bar cart in the dining room. We do have a built in bar that connects our kitchen and dining room, but we were actually in need of some barware storage.
I looked online and found my inspiration piece. LOVE!
Once I saw this, I knew I wanted to remove the divider insert on the desk. After inspecting the secretary, I realized I could just pull a few tacks out and pop the entire divider piece out. So I did! And now that piece is stowed away should we ever want to reinsert it. Here you can see the secretary with the dividers.
And here it is without it! I like that it feels less like a desk and more like a bar, and I can use the space for a little extra storage for our ice bucket and a few other bar trinkets.
I had some fun organizing and styling this over the weekend. I am sure I will continue to tweak it as we use it, but for now I love how functional it is to grab some specialty glasses for cocktails. I also love how perfectly it fits in this little nook. I also put those three bottom drawers to work holding lots of hostess items such as holiday napkins and paper products.
Here is a wider shot from the other side of the dining room. I am so glad this piece finally has a home in our home! 🙂 It seems so obvious that this piece would work here- not sure why it took over a year to figure this out.
xoxo-
Heather
You just made my day! I have my Mother’s secretary in storage for when I could figure out when and where I could use it. You gave me the answer – thank you!!
Yay! I am SO glad you found inspiration. These pieces really are so versatile and can be used for so much more than just a desk. Let me know how it turns out!
I love that piece and you did a great job on it. My only suggestion is that you should have anything with alcohol in or on it set on a tray so the finish isn’t ruined. Enjoy !!
OH! Good to know! I can add a little tray below those bottles. Thanks for the tip!
Love the way it fits perfectly in that space. It even matches the sideboard! Also, I’m so glad to see that you didn’t paint it, & saved the insert in case you want to use it as a desk later. Great job!