LACK/MONGSTAD/BEST� bar

Materials:
IKEA BEST� shelf unit (201.021.54)
IKEA BEST� shelf unit (501.021.57)
IKEA BEST� black glass top panel (901.965.35)
IKEA BEST� VARA glass door (701.785.80) x2
IKEA INREDA drawer without front (901.812.23)
IKEA BEST�? VARA drawer front (501.473.73)
IKEA INREDA bottle rack (901.965.21) x2
IKEA INREDA mirrored glass shelf insert (501.965.42)
IKEA DIODER LED light strip set (501.923.65)
IKEA MONGSTAD mirror (000.815.91)
IKEA LACK wall shelf (401.037.51)
The Container Store oak undercabinet stemware rack (390040) x3

Description:
After spending over a month shopping around for bar furniture and not finding any one piece that was "just right," we resolved to hack together our own. We had started off thinking about doing another EXPEDIT bar, but after walking around the IKEA showroom, inspiration struck and we put together this LACK/MONGSTAD/BEST� bar.

We assembled the BEST� shelf units and put them together to form a three-wide unit. Before doing anything else, we realized we had to put in the DIODER lights because we wouldn't have any other way to do so once it was wall-mounted. We put a hole in the middle unit where the drawer would later be so that we could string through and hide the lighting control in the drawer. The shelf units with lights were mounted on the wall with the top about waist high.

We then installed the mirrors in the middle unit, followed by the bottle racks, and then the drawer. Next, we put the glass shelves into the side units and then installed the doors. We ended up not using any of the wooden shelves that came with the BEST�.

The LACK shelf was the next thing to be mounted. The oak stemware racks from The Container Store were the nicest racks we could find, and the color provided a nice contrast against the black-brown of the rest of the bar. One of the racks had to be trimmed to length so that the three could fit within the span of the shelf. We pre-drilled the holes to mount the racks into the bottom of the shelf before putting it up, since the holes to mount the LACK to its bracket would be blocked by the racks. Once the shelf secured to the wall, we finally mounted the racks to the underside of the shelf.

Finally, the MONGSTAD mirror was hung in place between the LACK shelf and the BEST�? shelves. With everything hung and mounted, we finished off the bar with the black glass panel, which provided a nice surface for our bar.

We're thinking about applying a decal to the mirror (perhaps Guinness or Johnnie Walker) to really give it that pub feel. Now to stock it!

~ R Truong

Hacky New Year EXPEDIT Bar!!!

Materials:
IKEA EXPEDIT 2x2, 1x5 and desk extension
Ikea Expedit Desk add-on
Undercabinet Stemware Rack
Wine Bottle Racks (2)
Aluminum Channel
Plastic speaker port
Anthropology brass pulls (5)
Rigid Casters (4)

Description:
We hacked together a mini-bar for our office holiday party and beyond. Here's how we did it. Cheers!!

1) I used a 2x2 and a 1x5 to create an-extra long counter top for the bar, and an EXPEDIT desk add-on as a moveable door/surface combination. The idea was to allow the bar to take on different looks depending on where the moveable door was positioned.

2) I cut a continuous channel into the top of both EXPEDITs. We laid length of aluminum track from Home Depot into the channel. The channel is set a few inches in from the outermost edges of the EXPEDITS so that it'??s not visible from the sides.

3) The rolling cabinet door is basically an inverted L, with inset casters rolling along both the floor and inside the aluminum track.

I cut the edge of the EXPEDIT desktop to a width of 11-3/8"??, to be 4" shy of the back edge of the EXPEDITs. This left a 4" surface along the length of the bar to display bottles without blocking
the track.

I also cut out a recess in the underside of the desktop in order to mount the first set of casters.

4) Next, I cut the bottom end off the vertical support of the desktop to reveal the cardboard honeycomb inside. I removed enough honeycomb to insert a 1" x 2"?� pine strip into the hollow frame. I attached the casters to the pine strip and mounted it inside the cut end of the desk - deep enough so the wheels would the floor without being seen.

I used Gorilla Glue to affix pine blocks into the channels for the other casters and the aluminum track, since the EXPEDIT is too hollow to screw into otherwise.

Now the fun part...

5) I cut a hole through the top of the EXPEDIT 2x2, and lined it with a 4" speaker port. Easy ice access, and it'??s the perfect size to let a bottle chill for awhile. A last-minute brainstorm was to turn an EXPEDIT door Insert on it'??s side so that we could pull it down to open, slide in a small trash bin as an ice bucket, and voila!

6) For the finishing touches I added two J.K. Adams 12-Bottle wine racks because they fit almost perfectly in the square compartments of the EXPEDIT. I had to sand the outside edges down a little and pounded them in with a rubber mallet - no glue necessary! They came unfinished, so I sprayed them black. I did the same with an under-cabinet stemware rack from The Container Store, then Gorilla-Glued it in.

I use Rosewood PANYL, which is one of my favorite combinations with the Black-Brown EXPEDIT finish. Lastly, I took the woodgrain theme even further with some petrified wood pulls that were being closed out at Anthropology.for $2.99 each.

Total Time: 6 hrs

Total Cost:

EXPEDIT 2x2, 1x5 & desk add-on - $150
Aluminum track, casters, wood - $40
Speaker port - $6
J.K. Adams wine racks - $54
Container Store stemware rack - $30
Anthropology pulls - $15
PANYL - $35

TOTAL - $330

~ PANYL, NYC

Breakfast Bar with lot of storage space

Materials: VIKA AMON, EXPEDIT, CAPITA

Description: Step 1: add wheels to the Expedit unit
Step 2: screw Capitas on Expedit
Step 3: screw Vika Amon with Capitas

Budget: bar + stools (from amazon) $250

Make sure to choose wheels with brakes for obvious reason.

~ Pierre, San Francisco

EKBY MOSSBY wine rack

Materials: EKBY MOSSBY, EKBY BJARNUM, thunder group 10" chrome wire glass rack

Description: I needed a wine rack, but since I live in an apartment I had no room for a standing bar. All the hacks were of standalone bars or under cabinets and my cabinets were too low to hang wine glasses. And everything online was either too small or very pricey.

So I purchased a Ekby Mossby, held it up with the Ekby Bjarnum brackets and drilled in 10 chrome wine glass wire hangers. As you can see in the picture it fits my wall perfectly. Enjoy.

~ J M