Upcycled Hutch and Desk into a Beverage Station/Potting Bench

Tricia is back sharing a fabulous remake. This is right up my alley “turning” ordinary furniture into something fabulous.

Enter an old hutch and a little girl’s desk. Exit and beautiful beverage station that does double duty as a potting bench.

My mom has always had a knack for growing things. Not only did she grow a couple of pretty cute kids 😉 but she’s also been blessed with a green thumb.

Too bad the green thumb has not been hereditary. Her birthday is right around the corner so I wanted to surprise her by making a potting bench using the top of my great-grandmother’s hutch and the desk I used when I was a little girl. Since my mom is hosting our next family reunion, I thought it would be a great idea to make the potting bench work double-duty by being able to convert it to a beverage station come time for the reunion.

I started off by giving both pieces of furniture a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White.

I found the wooden wine glass rack on Amazon and it fits perfectly.

It was spray painted with Rust-Oleum’s white primer.

My mom loves turquoise almost as much as I do, so I painted the back of the hutch with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in 2 parts Provence and 1 part Florence.

After that, I watered down the left-over turquoise paint and gave both pieces of furniture a blue-wash.

The term blue-wash was totally made up, but it’s simply brushing on the watered-down blue paint then wiping some it off with a slightly damp rag.

I love the way the turquoise paint highlights the details on the desk.

After lightly distressing, the desk and hutch was protected with a couple of coats of Annie Sloan’s Clear Wax.

Aren’t the blue glass knobs adorable?

These are the same blue knobs I used in my hall bathroom makeover. I found them at World Market but I changed the metal from old-brass to silver with some Rub ‘n Buff so they would match the galvanized metal bottle opener.

A jig saw was used to make a hole big enough to slip a 10 quart chafing pan inside for holding ice and beverages.

You can find the pans at a local restaurant supply store or online here.

When ice is in the pan, there will be condensation so seal the exposed edges of the wood with an outdoor polyurethane.

I added a shelf underneath the desk so I can replace the wine box with a drip pan to catch the condensation.

When the party’s over, the beverage station converts to a potting bench!

I made a simple tray from the remaining shelf, stained it and added some screen door handles.

This covers up the beverage holder and gives my mom a flat surface to work on.

She can hide extra tools or potting soil in the pan.

  For the tools she uses often, I cut down a 1/4″ dowel rod, slipped the rods in the wine glass rack and hung some S-hooks.

The dowel rods also hold buckets from Hobby Lobby for seeds.

Here’s the lovely view from my mom’s covered porch where we spend much of our time when we go visit.

I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees her new potting bench / beverage station made from her grandmother’s hutch and my old desk.

And I have to admit, I’m really looking forward to filling the ice bucket with some frosty beverages and relaxing with my family on the back porch. Mom, if you’re reading this…surprise and happy (early) birthday!!!

To see another double-duty DIY project, come check out the monogramed artwork that cleverly conceals the doorbell.

Hope y’all are having a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you next month!