How to Turn a Small Entryway into a Wet Bar

When it comes to a small space you have to get creative. My friends asked me to update this space in their house that was formerly a mudroom/catch-all space at the entry of their home. They do a lot of entertaining and wanted to have a DIY wet bar and wine rack instead. I was here for it and so happy to help them bring their vision to life!

This build did require a sink install so I got to bring my trusty partner in crime, my dad, who is a licensed plumber, and who was willing to get the job done. We were able to knock out this build and really bring the space to the next level. There were some moments that made me nervous. Whenever it’s a build in someone else’s space I always want it to go perfectly, but you’ll have to keep reading to find out how it turned out!

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

Tools + Materials

Products

tools

MAterials

decor

1. Inspo

My friends and I spent months coming up with a plan for how to redo their mudroom space into a wet bar built for entertaining.

We took inspiration from these spaces on the right and left and came up with the design you see in the middle. We wanted to include floating shelves, a dramatic marble wall and a wine rack.

2. Demo Day

Our first day in the space was spent taking out the bench and figuring out the space we’re working with. It was really great to have my dad’s help for this part.

We also had to open up the wall to see how my dad would install the sink.

Day two consisted of my dad prepping for the sink install.

While I worked around him, removing trim and trying not to hit him in the head…

3. Building the cabinet base & soffit

If you’ve been here a while you’ll remember that when I built the cabinetry for my fireplace I had to use wall cabinetry because that space couldn’t accommodate standard 24 inch base cabinets. We were dealing with essentially the same situation in this build.

We basically have about 16 inches of depth in this little nook. So I got started by building a base for the cabinets.

I used my drill to build the base and fix all of the supports into place.

Then we attached the soffit to the studs in the wall at the height of the cabinets. This gives the illusion that the cabinets are deeper than they truly are as well as gives us something to anchor the cabinets into.

4. Remove the hanging coat rack

Before continuing with the cabinet install I wanted to make sure I took down the coat rack/storage shelf so I didn’t have to climb over the new cabinets to get it out.

Turns out the previous owners had glued this shelf to the wall, so all hopes of removing it in one piece were lost. But I was still able to take it down and get it out of the way.

5. Install the cabinets

Next I brought in the cabinets in and placed them on the base and fixed them to the soffit. I love this slate blue they chose.

Then I drilled the cabinet into the soffit and the base to ensure that it was stable and secure.

6. Cut & install custom trim pieces

Then it was time to cut trim pieces to make these cabinets look like they were built custom for the space.

I used my track saw to make the cuts I needed.

Typically these side panels do come in a standard 24 inch width for base cabinets so you’re able to cut down from there to the size you need to cover the gap behind the cabinet.

I fixed the panel to the base and soffit using a pin nailer.

On the opposite side I had a small gap but nothing to attach a cover piece to.

So I made this “L” shaped piece to attach to the base and soffit in the gap.

I was able to pin that front cover piece to that “L” and it looked much more complete.

7. Stone install day

Then the crew arrived to instal the stone for us. Shoutout to them because they handled this stressful looking install like it was just any old day at the office.

Can we take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous it is? So happy with their choice.

8. Build a custom wine rack

My friends chose pine with stain for their wine rack because it is budget friendly and matched some of the other decor in their home. First thing’s first, I cut out the biggest pieces on the miter saw.

Then I spaced out and lined up these 1x2s.

I clamped a 1×2 on the edge as a spacer while applying this really strong wood glue to the edge of each additional 1×2.

Then I used brad nails to fix the 1x2s in place while the glue dried.

Here is one side piece finished. I made an additional side piece before starting the two middle pieces.

Pro tip: you’ll want to stain the insides of these pieces before assembling. It’s much easier to get a good coat of stain applied when you can reach all the parts of the piece. I even suggest leaving it overnight to dry so the glue sticks properly during assembly.

Next was assembling the box, this was probably the simplest step.

I drilled the center pieces to the top and bottom. I think we definitely achieved the lattice look we were going for. In this photo you can also peep the pocket hole joinery I used.

I decided to also stain the outside of the box to prevent any warping or twisting that might happen later on.

Next I added a ¾ inch back panel, this will help with installation later.

9. Build custom floating shelves

This is the point in the project where I started to get nervous. Because the install wasn’t happening close to my shop I had to make sure everything was measured perfectly before it was brought over to my friends’ house to be installed.

So I made sure to measure the space I had in the stone approximately 67 times before making sure I was making the most accurate cuts on my table saw and miter saw in the shop.

Next it was time to prep the floating shelf hardware. I do have another video and blog where I go into more detail on this process. So if you want more step by step instructions make sure to check those out.

Because we’re using pine for the floating shelves I needed to fill in a lot of voids and knots.

I used this wood filler that is stainable. You mix the stain into the wood filler before applying it to your piece.

When you apply the filler to your piece it will dry the color you’ve stained it. This makes the filled in spots much less noticeable.

Once everything is filled and dry you just sand the excess until it’s smooth.

After sanding down the faces and the edges these shelves were ready for stain.

I was super excited about this next part. I’ve never added gallery rails to floating shelves before, just wait untill you see how they came out!

First I aligned the corner pieces and pre-drilled holes.

Next I evenly spaced out the posts to make sure everything looked symmetrical.

I have a metal cutter in my shop so I was able to make custom cuts for the exact lengths that I needed the rails to be. If you don’t have a metal cutter you’ll have to order pieces that are precisely the length that you need. Either way, the result is stunning.

10. Final Touches

On this last day of install I wanted to start with things that needed to dry first. So I reinstalled the trim we had removed and used caulking to seal everything in. This was an important detail since the trim is so close to the sink.

After about 30 minutes that caulking was set and ready for touch up paint.

I used DAP’s Dry Dex spackling to smooth out all the bumps that were left behind from removing the molding from the ceiling. It goes on pink but turns white when it’s dry and ready to be sanded. (Don’t forget to sand it!)

Next it was time to install hardware and an in cabinet outlet.

The cabinets still needed a toe kick so I used my pin nailer to fix it to the cabinet base.

After the toe kick I was able to install the wine rack.

It needed some trim pieces to really make the front face pop so I added those with my pin nailer.

The stone fabricator had cut channels for me in the stone so I could install the brackets. So I drilled those brackets into the studs.

I was mostly nervous that the brackets wouldn’t line up with the holes I drilled in the shelves because of the variation in the drywall.

But don’t worry, they fit perfectly! Your girl measured right!

11. Decor

It was time to add in all of my friends’ personal things and get this wet bar ready to go.

I am so pleased with how this wet bar came out, this one is definitely going in my portfolio.

Listen, you really have to get creative with small spaces but I love doing exactly that. My friends are super happy with how their new wet bar turned out and I know they’re going to get so much use out of it. Collaborating with a stone fabricator was a new experience for me, but we did it and I couldn’t be more pleased with the final build result. There will be more projects to come so make sure you keep an eye out for the next one. Until then, happy DIYing friends!