Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers! We are so thankful to have this little corner of the internet to share all our projects and adventures with you. We know its not standard blogger procedure(thats a thing right?) to do a reveal in the middle of a series but what better way to celebrate?! So today we’re giving you a full reveal of the wine bar and all the awesome before & afters.
Before & After
Seeing this blank space for the first time was so exciting! It was like showing up to a blank canvas with all our paints… we just couldn’t wait to dive in! And luckily both Bo and Nicole we open to our all crazy ideas.
We wanted to keep the shelving open to display all their pretty glassware and wine accessories. We considered faux beams, leather brackets, ladder shelves, and a few more but settled on the steel pipes for a more industrial farmhouse vibe.
We added a mix of real and faux plants throughout the wine bar. One request Nicole had for us was a “living wall” and we were happy to accommodate! We combined a few ready made units to give her the look without all the hassle. We also upcycled some old bottles into planters which we filled with succulents. Lastly, we found these glass domes at ikea and combined them with some pre-planted succulents to dress them up a bit.
Cabinets & Wine Racks
They had a handful of cabinets from their initial demo on the kitchen which we gave an update. A bit of paint and new DIY doors and drawer faces(stay tuned for the full tutorial!) . We also built a custom wine rack to add more bottle storage.
We shared all the deets on these DIY wood tiles yesterday and we are absolutely obsessed! These came out better than we had even hoped and they make such a statement in this wine bar. This teal blue is everything!
Concrete Countertops
We love concrete! Its a medium we’ve worked with on several projects and even put in our own homes. We were so stoked when Bo showed an interest in putting a concrete countertop in the wine bar. Again, this added to the industrial farmhouse feel.
We had such a great time working with Bo and Nicole and we hope this bar is the hub for many fun nights and sweet memories over the years. And obviously we still have a handful of posts to share with you guys on the remaining projects so stay tuned!
So what do you think? Are you dreaming up your own wine bar? You know we’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!
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Often times as creative and DIY prone people we see things that are pretty cool and think “I could make that!”. And we have. Everything from furniture, home goods, cleaning products, clothing, accessories… the list could go on. We have tried a LOT of DIY projects and products. But todays DIY is a new one even for us. We tried our hand at DIY Wood Tiles for the wine bar and we are thrilled with the results!
Initially Bo and Nicole requested a tile backsplash and we searched ALL the usual spots for traditional ceramic tiles. We went through sample after sample but nothing seemed to spark a real interest. And then we came across a look that had them both using exclamation points in text. We were so stoked! After a little more digging we quickly realized the tiles were custom, out of budget, and not even available for our time line. This is where the DIY brains started to kick in.
We started to play around with ways to get a similar “look” using alternative materials. We considered paint, vinyl, tiles we could refinish… and then we came back to our ol friend plywood. After mocking up a handful of tiles we managed to convince Bo and Nicole it was going to come out just perfect(even though we had NEVER done this or seen this anywhere before…Ha!).
Cutting & Routing
Once we had the measurements and realized we literally needed to cut hundreds of tiles it was time to call in reinforcements! Luckily they have a fantastic pool of friends that have been really willing to help out through out the renovations. With 4 sets of hands working all at once we were able to get every thing cut and routed pretty quickly.
We went with a rhombus shape and round routed edges for the final product. Obviously the shape options here are vast and you could play with so many different patterns and layouts(we really want to try hexagon tiles next!).
In the end, we chose to make the final tiles with MDF instead of plywood. It cuts perfectly smooth and its a fraction of the price. Also, being that the tiles would be completely covered you would have no idea what the material is from the outside.
Painting & Paneling
Now the fun part! We hand dipped each tile in a mixture of three different colored latex paints to mimic the look of glazed ceramic tile. Generally there is quite a bit of variation in hand glazed products and we really wanted to transfer that look into our DIY version. We dumped all three colors in a pan, gave it a small swirl, and got to dipping. This was easily the most time consuming part but totally worth it.
To get the look of a glazed tile we also needed to address the shine and finish. We’re kind of obsessed with resin & epoxy YouTube videos(anyone else relate??) so we thought this was a perfect opportunity to try a project of our own.
Epoxy Pour
In order to minimize the waste (from run off) we first glued the tiles to panels of 1/4″ plywood. These were cut to cover the backsplash wall completely when placed together. We taped the sheets together from the back, flipped it over, glued the tiles on, and then took the panels apart to epoxy. *Its important to note we only glued the tiles which covered the seams on one half. This way, the panels came together on the wall like puzzle pieces.
In case you’ve never worked with or heard of epoxy let me give you a quick overview of perks: its incredibly shiny when cured, self leveling, and simple to apply. So basically perfect for this project! We laid our panels on top of 2x4s covered in plastic sheeting for the application and drying. Q poured directly onto the panels, Nicole helped move product with a sponge roller, and Bo hit the top with a torch to remove air bubbles. Like I mentioned previously, the epoxy is self leveling so as it dried it also smoothed out and drained through all the crevices.
Hanging & Grouting
The next day we had 3 extra shiny panels that were ready to hang! At this point we had more helpers stop by and everyone agreed: this was starting to look just like tile! We attached the panels with screws placed in the crevices which would later be covered. In the end, you couldn’t tell there were ever three separate panels. It just appears like a traditional tiled wall or backsplash.
To further the look of ceramic tile we decided to grout the panels. The routed edges gave us the perfect sized surface gap for grouting without having to leave space between the tiles. Yay for more illusions!
We chose an epoxy grout in bright white to really make the shapes pop. It was our first time working with this kind of grout and its very different than traditional tile grout. We learned really quickly to only do small sections at a time, use a very firm sponge or extra grout float covered in a microfiber cloth to wipe away excess, and get extra hands to help move things along!
This grout doesn’t require sealer and it cures super fast. Which also meant we were able to attach the corner round trim to the exposed side(on the left), add the electrical face plates, and caulk all the outer edges the same night.
The Final Illusion
These DIY wood tiles came out better than we ever expected and thats not always the case with DIY projects. This felt like a big win! To be honest, we just cant wait for another reason to experiment with DIY wood tiles😍
So would you venture into DIY wood tiles? Have you seen a shape or pattern you think we should try next? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
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A big part of any wine bar is storage. Wine, glasses, decanters, openers, accessories… there is a lot a wine lover starts to collect over time. Luckily most of this is also really attractive and perfect for something like open shelving. This DIY Pipe Shelving brings a ton of storage with a modern farmhouse vibe and we LOVE it!
Distressed Wood Shelves
The shelves were cut from 1″ thick Stain-grade-spruce/pine-panels. To get a more farmhouse look we roughed up the edges a bit with a hammer and even cut some chunks out randomly with a utility knife. Theres no right or wrong way to do this and TBH I find the more random you make your marks, dents, cuts, etc. the more authentic the distressing looks. We finished the shelves with few coats of penetrating stain in Weathered Oak.
Steel Pipes and Fittings
The shelves are held together by and hung with a combination of steel pipes and flanges. We used a mixture of 12″ and 16″ lengths for this project. The longer pipes gave the ceiling lights just a bit more clearance to keep everything nice and bright. The shorter 12″ pipes(plus flanges) were just the right height to allow both glasses and bottles to be stored.
The assembly is simply a matter of tightening flanges to the ends of each pipe and screwing the flanges to the boards. You’ll want to make sure the flanges are evenly spaced from the edges of the shelf boards to keep everything squared up. Its also worth pre-drilling your holes so you don’t risk the screws splitting any of the shelves.
Ceiling Mounted Shelving
When it came time to hang these we marked where the flange holes were and then checked for studs in the ceiling. Unsurprisingly not every screw would be hitting wood so we made sure to use some pretty heavy drywall anchors for the ones that missed. Its also really helpful to have a few extra hands when hanging these!
So are you loving open shelves? Ready to try DIY Pipe Shelving? Are you using steel pipes for any other DIYs in your space? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
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Todays DIY project is the first in a mini series we’re doing here at Kreating Homes! This week we’ll be posting projects from an awesome collaboration we did with our friends the Cassels. We had so much fun consulting and assisting on their brand new WINE BAR and we cant wait to share all the deets with our readers! Lets start with these DIY Wine Bottle Planters which every wine and plant lover can make and appreciate.
Cutting The Wine Bottles
The internet is FULL of ideas on how to cut glass bottles. Everything from fire, string, & alcohol to professional bottle cutting rigs. Being that it was our first time attempting this project I went with something small, inexpensive, and simple: a handheld glass cutter.
You can use tape as a guide to run your cutter around the bottle or you can get “fancy” like Q and build a holder out of scrap wood. Either way, you just want to be sure to make one single cut. By that I mean do not run the blade around and around several times. One single clean line makes for the most even and predictable breaks.
Once you have a cut line around the bottle dip the end(enough to cover the cut) in hot water. Hold down for a few seconds and then move directly into ice cold water. Continue moving the bottle back and forth between the hot and cold until the top falls off. You will start to hear little snaps and cracks before the final break.
Prepping The Planters
After the top has been removed you need to soften the edges with sand paper. We found a sanding sponge easiest to hold while working around the bottle. Also, if you have any uneven breaks or if there are small chunks of glass remaining over the cut line you can generally snap them off with pliers (very carefully!) and sand.
We filled these with succulents to keep maintenance minimal and the design cohesive. Succulents like well draining environments so we filled the bottom half of the planters with our old wine corks(bonus points for double recycling😆). If you dont have extra corks you could always use gravel or small rocks.
Fabulous Finish
As soon as we finished these I wanted to make more. So fun and the payoff for drinking wine and recycling never looked so good! And hey, with the holidays right around the corner I feel like they’re perfect for gift giving.
So are you ready to make a set of DIY Wine Bottle Planters for your kitchen or bar? Have a wine stash or special bottle you want to turn into a functional keepsake? You know Id love to hear all about it in the comments!
