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Southern State of Mind Blog by Heather

How I Turned Our Antique Secretary Into a Bar Cart

in HOME on 01/20/21

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

Related posts:

$100 Room Challenge || Lego Workshop Desk Guest Room Refresh How I Turned My Armoire Into a “Bar”moire Weekend Vibes + Scott’s Antique Market

5 Comments

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Comments

  1. AvatarJoanne says

    Jan. 20, 2021 at 10:36 am

    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!!

    Reply
    • AvatarHeather says

      Jan. 20, 2021 at 4:05 pm

      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!

      Reply
  2. AvatarLinda says

    Jan. 20, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    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 !!

    Reply
    • AvatarHeather says

      Jan. 20, 2021 at 5:06 pm

      OH! Good to know! I can add a little tray below those bottles. Thanks for the tip!

      Reply
  3. AvatarNita says

    Jan. 21, 2021 at 5:36 pm

    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!

    Reply

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