Bar cabinet makeover plans

As I'm making my plans for what I'm keeping from my parent's house, this cherry stereo cabinet has always been on my short list. This piece has been in my life for as long as I can remember and even played the role as altar when I made my First Communion privately at home. (Not sure why, but they gave us the choice and I decided at home would make me the star vs. being with all the other kids). Somewhere, there is a pic of the stereo pulled out from the wall with an altar cloth draped over it and candles and the chalice.

The French style and perfectly bookmatched  veneer door inserts really sells me as does the beautiful brass cabinet hardware.  These old stereo cabinets were truly made to be fine furniture. Many had a top lid that opens to reveal the turntable inside, but ours opened in the front and the turntable pulled out of the middle door and there was a shelf for storing record albums underneath. A particularly nice feature of this piece is that there were side doors that hid the speaker cabinets. Most of these pieces I've seen didn't have the closing doors and when the guts are removed, the sides are left open. About 20/25 years ago, my Dad installed all new stereo equipment inside - CD player, dual cassette decks, a tuner, and hooked it into other speakers around the house for a kind of surround sound.

My plan is to turn this piece into a bar and storage cabinet by tricking out the inside with shelving, wine racks and hanging wine glass holder. I have no intention of painting the outside because it's such a beautiful piece of wood, but the inside needs something.

I love Grange Furniture's painted wood pieces and hope to mimic the look for the interiors.

I'm thinking of something along the pink or coral/pink lines.

This via the Natalme blog using Annie Sloan's Scandinavian Pink milk paint. I'll have to do some testing as this color looks very pale in some photos and deeper in others. I want a vibrant hue - something that really pops when the doors are open.

This is in essence what I have in mind. Added shelves for barware and storage of silver pieces, trays and servers as will fit.  And I'll have to give thought to weather I change out the burlap door piece in the center to something else. It does look nice, but so would something brighter that would match the interior a little better.

Decisions, decisions!

Interior Design Camp: And the winner is...

Drum roll please!

Congrats to interior designer Linda Pakravan who blogs at A Design Snack - you're the winner of a free tuition to Design Camp in Las Vegas!

July 29-31, 2014!

Thanks to all who entered both in the comments and via direct email. I printed all names on slips of paper and pulled the winner at random.  And thanks to Lori Dennis and Kelli Ennis for offering free tuition for this giveaway!

Giveaway: Your chance to win a free admission to Interior Design Camp in July!

Come camping with me! Okay, it's more like "glamping"!!

One of my big goals for 2014 was to really focus on the business of interior design. While all the pretty furniture and design details are the fun parts, it's still a business and has to be run as such. I will be attending my first Las Vegas Market at the end of July (I've never even been to Las Vegas!) and have been invited to attend Design Camp which is run by celebrity interior designers Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis.

This two day event features exclusive showroom tours and talks by notable speakers such as Architectural Digest 100 Designers Roger Thomas and Madeline Stuart, Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason from Aphro Chic (I know Jeanine and she is fabulous!), Susanna Salk who was a guest on The Skirted Roundtable, Olioboard founder Sheilah MacSporran, and Adam Japko, founder of the Design Blogger's Convention, not to mention owner of New England Home Magazine and other beautiful regional magazines, and Design Sherpa. You can read the entire agenda here.

This three-day (July 29-31) business-building event has a value of $1,297 and one of my lucky design colleagues can attend for free!

So, who would like to join me in Vegas? Remember, this has a $1297 value plus the lure of Sin City and a whole lotta great interior design inspiration.

Important: This giveaway covers the tuition fee to Interior Design Camp ONLY. Transportation and accommodations are not included.

Still not sure? Check out their testimonials here. 

TO ENTER: Please leave a comment below sharing why you would like to attend Interior Design Camp. If my DISQUS commenting system is not working for you or you prefer to enter privately, email me your entry here.

ENTRY DEADLINE: Sunday, May 11 at midnight EST.

I will announce the winner on Monday May 12th. Good luck  - we'll have a lot of fun!