You Need This DIY Murphy Bar in Your Life ASAP
Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to one of my favorite projects of all time — the wall-mounted murphy bar. There are so many reasons why I love this project. Small-space living is real, and this bar is the perfect solution. This DIY bar can be used for cocktail hour or a craft desk space. Plus, it’s made out of a wall shelf we purchased from Amazon for $35. In total, this murphy bar will cost about $50! Add a touch of hot pink, and this piece will instantly make guests fall in love with your space. Overall, this project is not complicated and will, at most, take a couple of hours to assemble. Get ready for a life filled with cocktails :)
Materials + Tools:
— bathroom wall shelf
— 1-inch-thick wood board (15.75 x 27.5 inches)
— (2) 3-foot 2 x 2’s
— (1) 13-inch 2 x 2
— (2) 3 1/2-inch hinges
— (2) 1 1/2-inch hinges
— 2 sash locks
— (20) 1/2-inch wood screws
— (5) 2-inch wood screws
— spray paint
— painter’s tape
— screwdriver
Instructions:
1. Tape off the wood board and spray paint the edges pink, along with all three pieces of 2 x 2.
2. Using the two-inch wood screws, attach the 13-inch wood piece in between the long wood legs to make the letter H.
3. Attach the 1 1/2-inch hinges to the top edge of the wooden legs and then attach the other side to the edge of the wood board.
4. Remove the piece of wood with the towel hooks from the wall shelf and screw it in to create a front panel on the bottom of the shelf.
5. Screw the 3 1/3-inch hinges into the base of the shelf and then the other side to the wood board.
6. Attach the sash locks to either side of the wall shelf to hold the table in place.
Cover the front and back surface of the wood board with painter’s tape and spray paint the edges pink.
Same goes for the legs. Hot pink accents are the best :)
Use two-inch wood screws to create the table legs. Screw them together to create an H shape.
Screw the 1 1/2-inch hinges into the top of the table legs and then the other end to the edge of the wood board. Your hinges should come with screws, but if not, we used screws that were 1/2-inch long.
So far your piece should look like a white board with a large hot pink H.
Remove the last panel of wood from your shelf and take out the hooks. We won’t use the hooks, but feel free to screw them back in to another area of the shelf for extra hanging storage.
Slide the piece of wood to the front of the shelf and secure with wood screws on either side, as well as the top edge.
Attach the hinge to the bottom front panel of the shelf and the edge of the table. Make sure you screw this hinge into the opposite end and opposite side of the wood from the legs.
Screw in the sash lock to the top left and right side of the wall shelf. Double check the direction these locks will turn so you don’t screw them in the wrong way. (I may have done this — whoops!)
What?! It was that easy?! Yep — told you.
Ah, so in love with this DIY murphy bar! The shelves are the perfect size to hold cocktail supplies and the table will drop down to the perfect bar height for your guests.
Add this bar to your apartment for small-space living or take it outside to create an outdoor bar for your patio.
And just like that, the table folds up to keep all your alcohol safe and give you more room for activities.
Show us your project by tagging us on Instagram + using the hashtag #iamcreative!
DIY Production and Styling: Kelly Bryden
Photography: Kurt Andre
