Vintage China Cabinet to Modern Bar Cabinet & Beyond!

Types of Modern Bar Cabinets

A modern bar cabinet or vintage liquor cabinet is simply a piece of storage furniture in which you can keep bottles, glassware and cocktail making gadgets.

The sophistication and utility of modern bar cabinets varies greatly. From plumbed-in versions with a small sink, bar-height counters and space for barstools, to simpler cabinets with glassware racks or just a door that can lock, there are tricked out versions and straightforward options for anyone who wants to add a modern liquor cabinet to their life.

The Move Towards Modern Bar Cabinets

Do you remember the time when we were told that the future would be paperless? Given the state of my desk right now, this has clearly not come to pass. However, as more and more of our work and home lives (or work-from-home lives) go digital, it follows that we should need fewer cabinets and drawers to store stuff.

One thing hasn’t changed though; we still eat and drink physical foods and beverages. Kitchens aren’t getting smaller anytime soon! But how about in the living room?

Modern Bar Cabinet — Wine glass holders in the Bea Bar Cabinet

I’m seeing a trend. Not one of those “pampas grass is the new must-have home decor” types of trends, but a slower, more logical move which I think is likely to be here to stay. It’s the result of three shifts in how we live that have happened recently. Hear me out…

Over the last few years, the ubiquitous entertainment cabinet which sat under the TV to house the DVD player (remember them?), cable box, Roku etc has become redundant. Now, many people have all of this information delivered digitally straight to their smart TV.

Not only do we not need space for the black boxes, but we also don’t need storage for the DVDs (or VHS cassettes- I know some of you know what I’m talking about!). My husband, who hates to let go of anything, insists on keeping a box of all of this stuff in the garage but, the truth is, we never use it.

So we no longer have a need for the storage an entertainment cabinet used to provide. That said, my family still needs a cabinet in the living room to store a bunch of other stuff like puzzles, games (which may go entirely digital soon enough!) and random things that we can’t find another place for. I suspect we’re not alone in this!

Another trend has to do with Covid, surprise, surprise! When the bars and restaurants shut down in 2020 and stayed that way for a long time, most people’s access to a quick (or not so quick) alcoholic drink outside the house went away. So people bought more wine, beer and spirits at the supermarket, corner store or specialist wine store and took them home.

The third shift has been in the ubiquity and marketing of alcohol-alternative beverages. Unlike non-alcoholic drinks, these are concoctions developed to taste like liqueurs and spirits but with none of the alcohol. The various “elixirs” on offer follow a trend that has been building much more slowly around reducing our alcoholic intake whether for long term health, substance abuse issues, better sleep or safety.

So, if you add these three trends together, what do you get? Modern bar cabinets! Yes! I’m seeing contemporary and vintage bar cabinets pop up in more interior design magazine spreads and friends’ homes. They provide somewhere to store all those booze/booze alternative bottles, accompanying glassware and accessories. With the demise of the entertainment cabinet, they are being asked to double up as the main storage option for the living room, or at least provide a surface on which to put a photo or two.

I’ve made several pieces that can be used as modern bar cabinets in the last year and they always sell!

From Old China Cabinet to Modern Liquor Cabinet

One of the most rewarding types of furniture to “reimagine” is the vintage china cabinet. Although it may have been intended to hold dishes, with a bit of imagination, your grandmother’s antique china cabinet can also be used as a modern bar cabinet, bookcase, a unique stage for a houseplant collection, a vintage curio cabinet or just as a beautiful piece in itself.

An interesting background like the wallpaper in this vintage glass door cabinet would look fabulous as the backdrop for a collection of white pottery because the contrast would make the items pop. From a design perspective, the key to a great looking curio collection is picking a theme and sticking with it. The downfall of any display piece is a mishmash of items that makes the whole thing look like a dumping ground for objects that didn’t fit elsewhere. Don’t feel like your collection has to be something your grandmother would have amassed though! For you, a group of action figures or artisan coffee presses might make for a more meaningful display than decorative plates.

Vintage China Cabinet to Classy Cocktail Cabinet

With glossy green paint and some beautiful wallpaper lining, this vintage display cabinet went from so-so to a statement piece. If your cabinet has some doors without glass (like this one) or a drawer or two, these are great places for storing things you don’t want on display. Keep the open area or space behind glass clutter free!

Vintage Display Cabinet to Unique Bookcase

If florals aren’t really your thing, then how about adding some tigers to the mix! This antique display cabinet was transformed into a piece that could be used as a striking modern cocktail cabinet while also keeping dust off some collector’s books:

If you’re going to use your vintage display cabinet for book storage just be careful to put heavy books only on the bottom (wooden) shelf. Glass shelves can carry some weight but be careful not to overload them. To reduce the weight and to display your books in a stylish way, turn some facing forward so you can see the covers.

CD Storage Cabinet to Modern Bar Cabinet

But vintage china cabinets aren’t the only things that can be transformed into bars. Here’s a former CD storage cabinet styled as a modern bar cabinet. The addition of brass rods to keep bottles from sliding out and wine glass holders bring this 90s flashback into the roaring 2020s.

Whatever color, shape and size your modern bar cabinet is, and whatever you store in it, you’ll find it’s a great addition to your living or dining room. My prediction is that they’re here to stay. At least until we’ve digitized even the beverages we drink!