Hi Friends!
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Last year I was lucky enough to inherit a very cool vintage bar that my grandparents purchased when they lived in New York City in the mid-1940s.
My grandparents were both from a very small town in Western NY, and they had an adorable “meet cute” story. My great grandfather was putting my grandmother on the train to NYC, she was heading to school for fashion merchandising after high school. He spotted my grandfather, looking tall and handsome in his merchant marine uniform, and asked him to keep her safe on the long journey. They talked the entire trip down to NY and ended up married the following year. How sweet is that?
They lived in NYC until shortly after my mom was born, then they returned to western NY to raise their family.
I’m glad they took this bar with them!!!
When I was a child I remember visiting their house and the adults having “cocktail hour” before we had dinner. My grandfather’s favorite was a classic Manhattan, my grandmother drank Stingers (creme de menthe + brandy). The bar was topped with beautiful glassware and cut glass decanters…I remember thinking it was the height of sophistication.
My grandparents moved to Algeria in the mid-’70s for my grandfather’s job and the bar moved to one of my uncles’ homes, then the other. Eventually, it ended up back with my grandparent in their garage, and after they passed away my mom offered it to me.
Isn’t it amazing?
I absolutely ADORE all the little cubbies and hiding places.
Their old ice crusher and the little colored glasses that fit into the door somehow managed to stay with the bar all this time.
The bar was in remarkably good condition considering how old it is and how many homes it’s been moved in and out of, but it was definitely due for some TLC, especially along the bottom edge of the piece.
The DRG repaired the broken piece along the bottom, I rubbed stain into the scratches and scuffs and used Brasso on the hardware.
It didn’t take much work at all to get this old gal looking sharp again:
If you have an old family piece that’s looking tired, take a fresh look at it. It might not need a complete overhaul, and a little stain and some scrubbing on the hardware can make a huge difference. I wish I had tackled this months ago.
It was so much fun filling all the cupboards and shelves!
Who doesn’t need a secret hiding place for their flask collection?
I used to have a smaller piece in this room and I had to relocate the shelves to accommodate the bar flip top. After trying it both ways, I decided it looks much cooler open.
I’ve been getting a lot of my wall art from Etsy lately, they have an awesome selection of digital downloads that you can print at home or email to your local printer, and it’s super-affordable. The gold French champagne print was a digital download, you can find it HERE. The vermouth poster was a download as well, you can find it HERE. The frames came from Amazon, they were shockingly good quality for the price – you can find them HERE.
This room gets tons of sun, so I keep a lot of plants out there. I added vintage brass, some newer items, and my beloved GOLD DISCO BALL, which one of my best thrift store finds EVER.
And booze, of course.
The green ceramic flower pots came from Amazon, you can find them HERE. The “Great Love Affairs Star with a Cocktail” graphic was a digital download from Etsy, you can find it HERE.
The bar lives in my tiny sunroom, which is in the front of the house connected to my living room with a pair of French doors. Like the rest of my main floor, this room has been going through a transformation. I used to have wicker chairs and kind of an eclectic boho thing going on, but with the bar looking snazzy again, the room feels like it’s going more of a vintage cocktail lounge direction…hmmmmmm.
Stay tuned for more updates on this room in progress.
