My husband surprised me with an espresso machine for Christmas! I have wanted to learn about homemade lattes for years, so I was pretty excited! I've mentioned before (a few times?) that my kitchen is small. After a week of making espresso drinks on our kitchen countertop I was desperate for a solution to free up some space. We decided to try to find a cart to restyle (similar to our cocktail cart) and here's what we found…Before: At a flea market I came across this wooden kitchen cart. It was most likely from the 1990s and not exactly a "knock out", but I knew a quick restyle would work wonders. First we removed the knife block from the side of the cart and then we removed the wheels. Next, we painted the cart with Kilz Oil Base Primer and painted it with Krylon Celery Spray Paint. Then we added a coat of polyurethane just to add a little extra protection to the paint. We let the paint cure for 24 hours. Last, we added new casters that we bought from Lowe's. We used a little caulk to secure the casters in the holes at the bottom of the cart.Our restyle only took a few days and I am so happy with the resulting cart! We decided to keep it in our studio, because it's fun to use during work and we had a good amount of extra space in there.To keep things organized, I sketched everything that I wanted the cart to hold before we even started shopping for one. Once it was ready to use, I invested in some good airtight containers for espresso beans, some lucite trays to hold coffee cups and of course, some really good beans! I ordered these beans from Intelligentsia Coffee. We used Martha Stewart labels and small letter stamps for our beans and syrups.Since we like to entertain, and we have our team working at my home most weekdays, I wanted to have a good variety of sweeteners. I made a few simple syrups (psst- get the syrup recipes here!) and stocked up on truvia and sugar as well.I have to admit, restyles are some of my favorite projects! I love giving flea market items makeovers. This cart is something that will be useful and practical in our home for a long time. xo. Elsie
Source List: Cart/Flea Market, Casters/Lowe's, Spray Paint/Krylon in Celery, White Tray/West Elm, Espresso Machine/Breville Cafe Roma White Mason Jar "vase"/Fishs Eddy, Airtight Containers/Bed, Bath & Beyond, Feather Teapot/not sure- it was a gift, Thermos'/vintage, Coffee Bean Grinder/KitchenAid, Wire Basket/Amazon. ♥ PS- If you are curious about our new "wallpaper" I will be posting about that soon!
Being so creative you should try roasting your own beans next. I bought my husband a roaster for Christmas from the coffe project and we have had so much fun roasting the beans and tasting the coffee. It’s just one more way to creat and have fun with yummy coffee.
Hello! greetings from B.C, Canada! What a fantastic idea! Keep in mind it might be wise to keep it quite a distance from the wallpaper, I would worry for the beautiful wallpaper bubbling up behind the espresso machine!
I’m DYING over the wallpaper! As someone who has a wall “papered” in encyclopedia pages from the 1800’s I can totally appreciate this. I can’t wait to hear more! The drink cart is super cute too!
i heart:)
xo
www.leslimarie.com
This is amazing! I love your DIY/makeover posts, they always get me itching to create something beautiful. Love the idea of having an espresso cart, it’s just a shame I’m the only one here who drinks coffee.
Jodie xx | Future Freaks Me
Love, love, love this wall! Can’t wait for the post how to. And the espresso cart is a wonderful idea. Really like that everything is in one place and ready to make a hot cup of espresso or cappucino. Yummy!
that teapot… saw it at target months ago and loved it… didn’t get it. recently saw it at target’s clearance and put it back… and also saw it at goodwill in great condition… and now seeing it here… so many signs that i should have gotten it… i mean, i had the chances!
great post btw. my favorite are the containers of coffee beans and thermos. so nifty!
Oh my god, I am so a coffee lover and this beautiful idea is SO much inspiring me! I was thinking of making a coffee spot too because I live in an appartment with my boyfriend and the kitchen isnt that big. We were thinking of buying an espresso machine to celebrate the end of my «bac» at the university and making a nest for it (and for the tea too).
Thanks for sharing!
Olive xox
Well… now I want an espresso cart in my living room, darn it!
Beautiful, as always!
Do you have a post about your wallpaper? It’s to die for. So beautiful and personal.
What a great idea! My husband and I are obsessed with our espresso machine and this is such a great way to keep all of our materials in one place. Thanks for the tip!
I actually wrote a post on how to make a great cappuccino at home. I also use Black Cat from Intelligentsia. It doesn’t get any better!
here’s the link, if you’d like to see 🙂 :
http://notesfromhollyst.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-make-great-cappuccino-at-home.html
I agree, giving worn and used things a makeover is very satisfying. And your cart looks lovely.
I’m always amazed what some people throw away. I found a similar kitchen cart in the trash and gave it a makeover as well.
http://balletslippersstyle.blogspot.de/2012/12/one-mans-trash-another-mans-treasure.html
I see your Thermos collection has managed to sneak in there as well! 🙂
Oh my goodness, such a cute idea! Definitely something I’ll have to attempt to recreate!
xo Heather
http://ahopelessnotebook.blogspot.com/
Espresso/ tea carts are a great alternative for those who like to entertain but abstain from drinking alcohol. Nicely done.
Please talk to your barrista friends to confirm what I’m about to suggest— upgrade to a burr grinder! Grind, measurement of beans and tamping are essential to a good espresso. 🙂
great job on this, Elsie! I also have the Breville Cafe Roma (grad gift!) and it has served me well. 🙂 By the way, you guys have great taste in coffee!! Which of the espressos do you prefer, Honey Badger, or Black Cat?
This is so wonderful. I absolutely want an espresso cart when I have a place with more room. (And a cocktail cart too…) I’ll be taking inspiration from this. It turned out so adorable!
I LOVE that wall paper. SO SO SO CUTE!
X
http://kendra-genevieve-rose.blogspot.com
Absolutely gorgeous. And the wall makes it pop out even more 🙂 Wish I worked with you guys.