DIY on the Cheap Series: Coffee Bar

I've been wanting to do a series on something... and my brilliant hubby suggested DIY on the Cheap. So here we are!

Since moving into our new home, we are needing to become more creative with the space we are given. It is so easy to crowd countertops with appliances. And that is exactly what I did. However, it really looks more busy than cozy. My husband suggested that we create a coffee bar so that we can eliminate all our crazy coffee making equipment from the counters. He is so smart.  

So here is what we created:

I was so excited I forgot to take a picture of the before. We found this dresser for nothing on Craigslist. Seriously....nothing. 

We went out and bought a gallon of paint (30 bucks at most)

Got some sandpaper to remove any coating from before.

We painted 2 coats of paint.

We even coated the drawer pieces

Then my husband went to it with more sandpaper, chains and nails to give it a distressed, cottage look. The best way to distress a piece of furniture without making it look ugly is to only distress things that stick out. In the above picture, my husband took some sandpaper and roughed up the handle, not the entire piece. He scratched the corners of the drawers and dresser. This really gives it, the "shabby chic" look. If you overdo it and place scratches on the drawers or all over th tops and sides, you will have a piece of furniture that just looks ratty. When using sandpaper. Less is more. You can always add more, but you can't take it away.

And boy do I love it!!

We added our Nespresso, french press, coffee maker, and hot water heater.

Ta Da! I LOVE it! It seriously makes our home so comfy.

Well what do you think? Have you distressed any furniture before? Come by next week for a post on my nightstand.