Look! Bookcase Bar Washington DC

We inherited this bookcase from an elderly neighbor, but were uncertain how to use it in our house. After all, our enormous book collection lives on white Billy bookcases, hardly a match for this piece...

After some reflection, we decided to take advantage of the locking grill doors to turn this bookcase into a bar in the dining room. The alcohol and glasses are behind the locked doors to prevent accidents when friends with children visit, and we get to enjoy a piece that has a great deal of sentimental history for us.

Do you have any special piece that you have repurposed to fit better in your home? Share the story in the comments...

Comments (9)

That is gorgeous and a wonderful use for it. I love it when older pieces can be repurposed and live on and on!

That's a beautiful piece of furniture.

I've purchased a breakfront/secretary off Craigslist that I'm hoping to repurpose as a cabinet for a flatscreen TV for my Den - just waiting for it to be delivered.

Awesome reuse!

I was about to freecycle my old dresser with too-deep drawers after replacing it with IKEA's red Hemnes 3-drawer unit when my mom suggested I put it int he dining room to use as a buffet. A table runner covers up old water damage (I got this thing for free myself), and we just put a few plants and a nice class bowl on it and it already looks way better than when it was in my room! And as a bonus, we have someplace to store table linens and other dining accessories when not in use.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg302/michpc/IMG_0278-1.jpg

LOVE your floors, michpc!!

we did something similar, but used a tall bookcase from restoration hardware (meant for the bathroom) for our bar. The one drawer is great for linens, the open shelves make it seem airy and doesn't cramp our small living/dining room.

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1421002&navCount=1

I re-purposed a gun cabinet my uncle built and my father used. The upper part has a long glass door where the guns were stored vertically with an enclosed cabinet with two doors below. My husband put in three shelves and it is now being used in my dining area holding our dishes and flatware. I love it because it reminds me of my dad, who has been gone for six years now.

erm...isn't that a china cabinet not a bookcase.