If you have been following my blogs, you will have seen that I recently refinished a dresser for a new coffee bar in our home. I have been looking in several places for just the right piece to decorate above the coffee bar. There is a window above the coffee bar which limits my decorating options somewhat, but was hoping to find something in wrought iron or farmhouse style that matched our current decor where I could hang some mugs. I wasn't having much luck, but you know what that means for 'diy'ers... do it yourself!!
I had seen some pieces that were just beautiful, but I didn't really want to pay as much as they were asking for the pieces. I especially liked the pieces with different painted wood blocks which I thought would give me the opportunity to really pull out the colors in the countertops and tie that end of the room which serves as the dining room into the kitchen. With an open concept, it can sometimes be challenging to blend the rooms if you are trying to establish different styles or colors.
I was hoping to use some of the scrap wood from the basement project the hubby has been working on these days, but he suggested I use 1x pieces instead of the 2x lumber he was working with as the weight and thickness may not give me the look I wanted. So on his next lumber run, he purchased a piece of 1 x 96 (eight foot board) for about $15 and I was off and running. Well, not quite running as he still needed to cut the pieces into six inch blocks for me. I can do that run the saw, but I really prefer it when he does that for me. *wink wink*
Here is a picture of the board cut up into six inch blocks. I was able to get 16 pieces from the board which was the perfect size for the area I was looking to decorate. I sanded the edges just a little and began painting them.
These are the products I used. One is a gray chalk paint, one is a semi-gloss latex paint in Trench Coat Tan that I have used throughout the house refinishing furniture and one is a black gel stain. I applied the product with a rag, wiping it on in a very thin layer and removing any extra product in places it may have gotten thick. Here is a picture of the finished boards.
As you can see there are four colors and I am only using three products. For the darker gray, I just wiped a coat of the gray chalk paint over the black stained pieces. Here is a close up of the difference a coat of gray paint made.
I let the pieces dry and then glued them together in various order offsetting the pieces just a little for interest. I used a wood glue we had on hand. Here they are drying in a wood clamp.
I really thought I captured the look I was going for when planning the piece in my head.
I added hooks that I had purchased at our local hardware store and measured them in a straight line at the halfway distance between the furthest left edge and furthest right edge. Here is a picture with the hooks.
I was ready to hang them in place. I did like how they looked on my table, but sometimes when you get them where you want them things change. I was not disappointed. Here they are above the coffee bar.
And here they are filled with mugs!!! Love, love, love it!
My mugs are clear and white, but you could easily add color to your space with mugs for instance; red for Valentine's or Christmas; red, white and blue for 4th of July; or pastels for spring or Easter. The options are unlimited. If you like what you see or have any questions, please drop me a comment. I would love to get to know you and hear about your decorating ideas. Thanks for reading and stop by anytime!
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