DIY Dry (Wet) Bar
VIDEO TUTORIAL + FREE PRINTABLE
Don’t want to pay a plumber to tear up your house and install a sink?
In this step-by-step tutorial, I’m showing you how to add a bar cart plus two floating shelves to create a fun, functional, and beautiful dry bar.
the before
find an open wall in your living room or basement
I used the empty wall between our kitchen and our living room.
Our kitchen living room is one long narrow room so I wanted to divide the two spaces by adding a dry bar in between.
2. find a shelf
I bought this farmhouse kitchen cart a few years ago at Furniture Row.
In our previous home, I used it as a coffee station. Our current home has a little nook on the countertops that works perfectly for a coffee bar so I didn’t need this cart anymore.
Try to find a shelf or bar cart type of furniture piece that you can reuse.
3. install floating shelves
I bought these two matte black floating shelves from Lowes online for $27 each.
There were really easy and quick to install! It took me about 30 minutes to install both of them. The longest part was making sure that my bracket was going to be centered.
4. organize your glassware
I arranged my bar glassware in alternating heights.
For example, I used a group of Moscow mule mugs, then added tall white wine glasses. Short whiskey glasses and then champagne glasses. Make sense?
I think alternating the glass height creates movement and prevents it from looking symmetrical.
Don’t be afraid to add colored glasses too!
I only buy clear glasses because I love how they match and look beautiful.
5. Add liquor and wine
I placed the liquor bottles on top of the bar cart so that they were visible and easy to reach.
I laid the wine bottles horizontally underneath the top. No need to have a wine cooler! Just make sure that your wine isn’t in direct sunlight.
On the bottom shelf, I placed the ice bucket, cocktail shakers, and large beer glasses.
6. add decorations
For some decor, I added a unique candlelight, a cutting board with garnishes on it, and a cocktail recipe book.
TIP: I would recommend sticking to medium to large decor items to prevent visual clutter. The number of glassware on the floating shelves can look busy so if you have a lot of little items on your bar cart, it can look chaotic.