Some of the most beautiful spaces in a home aren’t created through major renovations, they’re created by paying attention to the details.
I am going to be completely honest with you, the cabinets in our entertainment room have been bothering me for a long time. We set up a bar area with standard Home Depot cabinets and while they were functional, they were also completely forgettable. Just cabinets. Doing nothing. Saying nothing. Contributing nothing to the beauty of the room. Now if you have been here awhile, you know I don’t want any area to be forgettable. I wanted every single corner of our home to feel intentional, beautiful and worthy of the extraordinary view beyond the windows. That isn’t just so for the upper floors, it is also so for our basement area.
So I called Amerock and everything changed. You remember Amerock right? I have done collaborations before with them and they are a game changer!
This post is a pure styling post, no DIY instructions because I have covered Amerock hardware installation in detail in posts covering the upgrading of hardware in our kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Just click on any of those rooms to find links to the post if you are just joining us.
Today is purely about the art of styling, how the right hardware, the right accessories and a clear aesthetic vision can transform the most ordinary cabinetry into something that looks like it belongs in a coastal boutique hotel.
Wait until you see how it turns out. I love it! It feels timeless, collected and welcoming, a place that invites you to slow down and enjoy life’s simple moments.
The Before
Our entertainment room makeover was a project we took on a year or two ago. I wanted a bright area because it is the bottom level our three story home and the entire floor is in the ground with no windows.
Coordinating with the rest of the home with a Hampton style feel was a must so we went with beautiful floor to ceiling bookshelves with gold library lighting, an electric fireplace with large white mantle, detailed molding on the walls, a rattan light fixture which felt very coastal, white cabinetry for storage and a bar to sit at while others are playing pool. If you would like to read about the finishing and styling of this area, just click here.
It turned out fantastic and is such a relaxing space, but the cabinets against the wall were lacking. They were simple and clean, but definitely boring. They just did not tie in with the Hampton aesthetic I was hoping to achieve.
They needed jewelry.
Something that said coastal elegance. Below is a closer look at the cabinets before the upgrading and I am sure you will agree, the stark black hardware said farmhouse, not Hampton house.
The Hardware We Chose
As I mentioned earlier, I contacted Amerock as they are my favorite hardware brand to see if they would be interested in trying to beautify these out-of-the-box cabinets from Home Depot.
The hardest part of working with Amerock is trying to make a decision. The quality is superb. The designs are gorgeous and wide ranging, and the finishes are stunning.
Recently, I noticed and loved a new trend of adding shelf rails to open shelving. Not only is it stylish and gives the vintage look I was going for, it is also practical to keep things like large artwork from sliding off the shelf. I knew it would create a custom furniture-like look so it was a must have for this space.
Amerock does not offer dedicated shelf rails but they do offer appliance pulls that can double as shelf rails. I looked all through them and found the best one would be the Destine appliance pulls. I had used Destine before, loved them and knew they would be a great choice again. I mean, if you find something wonderful why not repeat it throughout your home for consistency?
I also chose Ashby cup pulls for the drawers because they would incorporate nicely with the shelf rails and the old world Hampton style needed.
Now for the Finish – I don’t think you will be surprised
Golden champagne was once again the finish I went with because it would provide the coastal vintage feel I wanted with its beautiful warmth that is not too brassy nor too glitzy. Subdued elegance is always in style! Wouldn’t you agree?
As you know, I have chosen Golden Champagne for our bedroom and kitchen so I knew exactly what I would be getting. Golden Champage is a finish that is:
- timeless;
- works well with neutral colors;
- provides the right amount of warmth to white cabinets; and
- mixes well with vintage decor.
The Styling Vision — Coastal Vintage
To match the rest of the room, I decided the styling should be something like old world nostalgia meets coastal elegance, not beachy and casual but refined and collected, as though these pieces were gathered over years of thoughtful living rather than purchased in an afternoon.
Starting with layering two coastal style prints on the top shelf provided a focal point. Then moving on to the shelf below, I stacked old books in shades of blue with a starfish on top and two off to the side. Next to those items is a gorgeous pottery vase that looks like petrified wood with a wood bead garland with a stone heart draped over the side. Both items were gifts from my daughter. She knows what I love!
On the counterop below, I placed a beautiful rattan basket with handmade artisan tea towels from Tofino (another gift from my daughter). They are in navy blue with white stripes and sweet rope tassels which both the color and textures/materials are a subtle nod to coastal styling. On a more obvious coastal note, a large conch shell sits beside the basket. The shell is something we purchased on a family vacation and it brings back wonderful memories.
A mini gold lamp, gold and marble riser and marble heart flank the other side of the sink. I placed the wood-like vase and bead/heart stone garland on top of the riser to give you a closer look of it. All these natural textures and materials elevate the space due to their luxurious nature.
While I could have added more shells, one or two considered shells rather than a basket of them is the difference between coastal inspiration and coastal costume.
On the bar, I placed a unique gold candleholder which echoes the gold of the hardware along with some carved wooden sea birds. At the other end of the bar, is a collection of vintage glass barware I have found over the years at estate sales and second hand or antique stores.
All of the pieces carry sentiment along with memories. Whether they are gifts from loved ones, memories of vacations or even just fun finds at antique stores, they all mean something and hold a special place in my heart.
Creating a Collected Look
I would highly recommend creating your own collected look. Replacing the original hardware with quality pieces from Amerock was just the beginning. Then mixing old pieces that are meaningful makes the room and cabinets feel curated instead of decorated. Adding different textures such as the worn edges of the books, the natural materials of the rattan basket, cotton tea towels, stone heart and marble pieces once again says “collected” or “purposefully chosen over time”. This is so much better than buying everything new.
While this room isn’t part of our everyday routine, I wanted it to feel just as thoughtfully designed as the rest of our home. Beautiful spaces have a way of welcoming both family and guests, and even rooms used occasionally deserve to feel warm and inviting.
In Closing…
This simple refresh reminded me that beautiful design is often found in the details. Thoughtfully chosen hardware, meaningful accessories and carefully layered textures can completely transform the feeling of a space without requiring a major renovation.
Sometimes the rooms we overlook the most reveal the most about what is possible. This bar area sat unnoticed for months, functional but forgettable, quietly failing to live up to the home around it. Now when I walk past it I stop. Not because of the cabinets. They are the same Home Depot cabinets they always were. But because of what surrounds them, what adorns them and what the new hardware whispers about the intention behind it all. Beautiful things do not always require beautiful budgets. They require a clear vision, the right finishing details and the willingness to see potential where others see plain.
Whether you’re updating a built-in cabinet, refreshing a home bar or simply looking for ways to add more warmth to your home, I hope this project inspires you to look beyond the obvious. Sometimes the smallest changes become the ones that make us smile every time we walk into the room.
Thank you
Thank you so much for being here today. I hope this little coastal vintage vignette inspires you to look at a forgotten corner of your own home with fresh eyes. Sometimes the most overlooked space becomes the most loved. Just ask our bar cabinet.
