Transform An IKEA Bar Cart Into A Stunning Vintage-Looking Entryway Console

IKEA probably isn't the first place you think of when it comes to buying vintage pieces. But the major furniture retailer is still a place to wander around when you want to style a home with vintage decor. That's because not only is IKEA furniture heavily inspired by the simplicity of mid-century modern design, but the plain design that most furniture has is intentional for customization. You can easily DIY their pieces to suit your interior decorating style more harmoniously. A video on YouTube, for example, walks you through how to turn an ordinary IKEA bar cart into a beautiful vintage entryway console, and with your own personal touches, it can easily elevate your entryway.

Over on YouTube, user Our Little Nest demonstrates just how creative you can get in flipping an ordinary IKEA bar cart into a retro console table. You'll need wooden plank boards, wood glue, vintage-inspired decorative handles, paint, and wood finish. It should be noted that some woodworking skills are necessary here, as you'll need to cut and measure wooden planks. The final product is an entryway console that's full of character and old-world charm, and with additional styling tweaks, like your own stylish vintage decor, creates a timeless focal point that ties an entire space together.

In a YouTube video, Our Little Nest levels up their plain, wooden kitchen bar cart, which has two pull-out drawers and two shelves underneath. Because they want to add decorative knobs, they begin the DIY by taking out the two drawers and applying two sheets of cut plywood over the front end of the drawer using wood glue. It's recommended to secure these pieces with nails.

Next, the creator preps the rest of the bar cart by sanding the entire piece down with a sander. Then, they apply white paint throughout. If you want your piece to look more vintage, a wood stain, preferably a dark shade like mahogany, will give it that lived-in, antique look. Earthy paint shades, like terracotta or ochre, can also help you achieve this look.

From here, the creator applies Minwax wood finish in the shade "dark walnut" to the tabletop, wiping the excess off with an old shirt for a natural finish. While not shown in the video, they apply black pull handles to both drawers. For the finishing touches, they nail in a wrought iron handle to the side of the table, where they neatly hold a towel. The finished product is a sleek, white entryway console with a charming wood contrast that holds a wine rack, candle, and other decor.

There's a reason why vintage never truly goes out of style, whether it's a timeless brass task lamp or gilded antique mirrors with distressed detailing. Whatever the case, emulating a retro look requires consulting vintage details, such as textures, color, patterns, and materials. Vintage furniture is often ornate, so look for decor add-ons with reeded, fluted, or curved ends. Adding cylindrical tapered wood legs, for example, can capture that retro, mid-century modern look.

In the YouTube video, the creator used a dark walnut wood stain for the countertop with white paint throughout the rest of the body. However, you can make the entryway table look more true to a certain time period by applying a wood stain cohesively throughout. For example, consider a dark cherry wood stain for a moody and timeless aesthetic that gives major mid-century or art deco vibes. Or, you can try out a light wood, like a timeless white oak, to brighten up the space instead. 

As another example, in the DIY above, the creator applied a black wrought iron handle, which was a popular fixture in the early to mid-20th century, to the side of the table. But brass fixtures can also give your home a touch of old-world charm if your vibe resonates more with the polished, futuristic style of Art Deco or even its contemporary revival. For that reason, consider adding ornate antique brass hardware. A reeded, unlaqcquered brass pull with an aging patina is a great option to get that vintage look, so you can use this for the drawer to use in place of the wrought iron handle.