Antique Radio Cabinet turned Prohibition Era Style Hidden Bar

By Royal Reincarnations, Owner/ Designer in Rosenhayn, NJ.

Wanting to play off of the history of this 1929 Spartan Radio Cabinet: I deciced to turn it into a prohibition era Hidden Bar. As the radio no longer worked, I began by gutting the inside. In order to turn it into a hidden bar I had to add a shelf inside of the cabinet (as there was no bottom). I also added a hinged door to enclose the piece. The bottom existing shelf was severely water damaged and needed to be replaced. A new shelf was added along with coordinating trim. I also added new bun feet to the front of the piece. Now that the cabinet was structurally sound I began to paint in my custom Chalk paint mix using Sherwin Williams Katabonic Winds. I then glazed with GF Black; being sure to leave just enough to really give it a good contrast. I then very slightly accented all the wood carvings with silver leaf. GF Java Gel stain was my go to stain to really pull this piece together. I sealed this bar in GF HPTC to ensure a lasting finish. In order to have this piece be functional I removed, then hinged the speaker to the cabinet. This allows the speaker to drop down exposing access to the inside of the cabinet. Inside I added 2 stem glass holders to the top which can accommodate 6 wine glasses. Bottles and glasses can be easily removed from the large circumference of the speaker for quick access. The cabinet can also be slid out for full access of the back door and use of the newly installed lock with key. Unless you told someone it was a hidden bar; your secret is safe!

Project Category

Upcycling Merit CategoriesSecondary Purpose

Products Used

  • Sherwin Williams Katabonic Winds
  • GF Java Gel Stain
  • GF Black Glaze
  • GF HPTC
  • Silver Leaf

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