DIY Network

Beauty Bar Try this hip alternative to a vanity table. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-159

Belly up to the bar and get beautiful!

We've all heard of martini bars, cigar bars, coffee bars and countless other themed bars—how about a beauty-themed bar in your own boudoir?

Michele Beschen gives a touch of swanky style to beauty care. Instead of an outdated vanity or a cramped bathroom shelf, she decided to B. Original and create a beauty bar loaded with personal care essentials. Scroll down for a quick tutorial in building a bar plus her ideas on stocking it up beautifully.

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Buy or Build Your Bar

Check out the thrift stores and flea markets—you often can find an old bar cheap. If you can't find a bar you like, building one is easy.

Materials:

2x8 lumber
1 5/8" decking screws
¾" plywood
L brackets
decking screws
paint
decorative beadboard (optional)
foam and upholstery fabric (optional)

	Figure A
	Figure B

• The basic design consists of an upside-down box for the base, a three-sided box for the middle and a board for the bartop.

• Measure your space and determine the desired dimensions for your bar.

• To make the base, build a box out of four pieces of 2x8 lumber. Top the box off with a rectangle of ¾" plywood. Paint as desired.

• To make the middle part of the bar, build a three-sided box out of ¾" plywood and attach it to the base using L brackets (figure A). Paint or cover with decorative beadboard, as desired.

• Cut the bartop from a piece of ¾" plywood, paint it and attach it to the middle with L brackets. If you want that traditional tavern feel, you can add an upholstered bumper around the edge of the bar (figure B).

• Use L brackets to install a shelf at the back of your bar for additional storage. Michele Beschen used a leftover piece of wood covered with contact paper that looks like stainless steel to keep with her swanky bar theme.

• For a more detailed step-by-step on building a bar, check out Michele Beschen's funky artificial turf bar. Its five-foot-long bartop makes it a bit large for a beauty bar—but the overall techniques are the same.

	Figure C
	Figure D

Trick Out Your Beauty Bar

Stocking your beauty bar is the fun part of this project. Michele Beschen likes to reinforce the "bar" theme of this project by taking traditional barware and using it for beauty purposes. Here are a few of her ideas:

• Store cosmetic sponges and cotton balls in oversized martini glasses.

• A martini shaker is a great place to store makeup brushes; glass canisters can hold brushes and combs (figure C).

• Don’t forget to include a stand mirror to get up close and personal as your primp.

• Check the kitchen section of your hardware, discount or home improvement stores for containers that can hold your hairpins, clips and jewelry. Simple spice racks are a great example (figure D).

Your beauty bar is now open for business. And, unlike other bars, you really should stop in at this one every day.