Close-up: Christy and John's Ready-made Bar

We culled lots of great ideas from Christy and John when we photographed their home, but one that really stuck with us was this little bar area. It looks as if it was custom-made for their nook under the stairs, but the setup is actually very simple...

The bar is hidden in the tiny space between the stairs and the wall.

Christy found a medicine cabinet at Edgewater Antique Mall that fit the dimensions of the small space. Above the cabinet, she hung an "entertaining shelf" from Pottery Barn with under-shelf stemware storage.

If you have an awkward section of unused space, this is one way to put it to work. Shop for a vintage medicine cabinet, bar table, or side cabinet, and add a double-duty shelf above. To add extra storage for wine bottles, you could also hang a wall-mounted wine rack.