Putting a Bar in My Kitchen

Hey guys, I put a bar in my kitchen. I know what you must be thinking, but please, give me a moment to explain. Remember that vast expanse above the stove?

Well, it was such an awkward space since a microwave used to live there. Store bought shelves were too wide for the area (by one inch!), and installing a fitted shelf with brackets would make it look too busy. I also needed something that the landlord would be happy with (or happy with it removed), so I settled on a BYGEL Rail from IKEA.

I used some easy-to-remove anchors so if I ever change my mind or our landlord doesn’t want it once we’re gone, I can hammer the anchors into the drywall, patch the holes, paint, and forget they ever existed. Here’s Eliana pulling a Vanna White on the anchors. What a lovely hand model.

The trick to get a shelf or bar centered in an area like this is to measure the center of the entire width, then measure to the center of the rail from the screw holes. From the center of the wall, measure out to where the screw holes will be, mark them and continue to the other side. From there, level the marks and proceed. I’m pretty bad at explaining things so I hope that made sense.

This bar definitely wasn’t my first choice in what to install here but the wire basket adds some functionality without clashing too much with the wood cabinets.

In these photos the herbs I use the most contained in my thrifted jars are on the shelf-basket…

…along with some lemons, but that has already changed.

Initially I planned on installing two bars but once I held two up, it felt over-crowded… much like the beach during spring break or the mall on black friday. So I went with one, which leaves the top half a little empty, but I have plans for that.

So there’s one little kitchen upgrade that brings me closer to calling Project Kitchen Improvement done. What do you think? Were you a little upset I didn’t have a fully stocked self service bar installation to show you?

Share This Post

2 Comments

  1. I love it! Thanks so much for your sweet comment on the blog today! Totally cracked me up! Glad someone got the Portlandia reference!! 🙂

  2. Your reference literally made me LOL, my children probably think I'm a little crazy. Thanks for stopping by!

Leave a Reply to Kimberly Smith Cancel reply