Mobile Coffee Cart Makeover - Before & After
So I got a DM on Instagram that said, “Hi there! I have a unique project I need some help on.” And my reply was, “Howdy!!! I like unique projects!!!” We talked a little about time frames and availability, AND THEN she said “Oh awesome!!! I’d love to support another female entrepreneur!!” And the rest is pretty much history.
So the unique project was making over a mobile coffee cart, you see my client owns and operates The Gypsy Cup | A Traveling Cafe. She has a pull behind travel/food truck style coffee cart now and wanted to add a more mobile cart for smaller venues, wedding, and parties. She found a cart somewhere (not sure where) and bought it. The colors and style looked like they were out of the 80’s. And my client wanted to get makeover to fit her brand she has worked so hard to create. That is where I came in!
Before
Ironically we met for coffee to discuss her project! We hit if off right away and we both got really excited about the project. We talked design, colors and looked on pinterest at a million inspiration photos! Then we parted ways with a rough design. I then went back home and started creating a rendering right away! I told you I was excited. And here is what I came up with!
We started with horizontal shiplap that was white, then black, and then final decided on vertical shiplap in my client’s blue/green mini teal color. Right on brand! We also knew that we wanted the countertops to steal the show, I am a woodworkHER right! And my client had traveled to Europe recently and had seen this chevron floor that she feel in love with. It had two different width pieces and I agree it was awesome. So we knew we wanted to do that on the counters. We also agreed a light wood stain color would be awesome!
From there we knew we wanted to utilize the brass partitions in some way, but didn’t really want to keep it how it was originally across the entire front. I suggested that we hide the espresso equipment and add a menu. My client loved the idea because she can change out the menu depending on the event she is going to by simply sliding one out and putting a new one in.
So that allowed us to make the glass smaller and really give the piece some balance without being so closed off. I had never worked with glass partitions before and only worked with glass like two other times. So I called in help from the experts, my best friend from high school’s brother owns a glass company - Apache Glass! Lucky me! He got me squared away with the correct glass (tempered) and helped educate me on how to install the new panel. Plus, he helped get me new brass screws for the partitions and referred me to Jeco Glasscraft to get my clients logo etched into it. And Jess at Jeco Glasscraft is a real character and has a very impressive resume when it comes to glass etching and glass sculptures! I learned so much touring his shop! I highly recommend both of those guys for your glass needs! I am sure I will be using them again in the future.
Then lastly, but actually first, my client wanted to put new wheels/casters on the cart to help it roll easier. I had no idea how I was going to do that after I realized that they were welded on. I wish I knew how to weld, but that is a skill for another day. So I reached out to my local maker group and found someone with a portable welder that could help me. He, Jon, removed the old ones and welded on the news no problem! He also is starting to make some pretty cool furniture. You can find him at Fresh Cut Furniture on Facebook.
So that was pretty much the design process and all the help I got to make this project come together. Sometimes it takes a village. It was so fun taking this piece from drab to FAB!!!
Oh and I do have one woodworking tip for you I learned while making the chevron countertops. I used two speed squares and a couple of clamps to ensure my first two pieces were lined up perfectly. Which made installing the rest go way smoother.
I had a ton of fun with this makeover…. from the design all the way to seeing how excited my client was when she picked it up. It is definitely worth going out of your comfort zone sometimes and trying something new! I learned about glass and really got to expand my design skills. So I know that my client and I love it, but what do you think? Would you take on a project like this? If not, what is holding you back? You can do anything that you want to do!
Oh and here are a few more after shots to enjoy! I can’t want to order a coffee off the cart that I made over!
After
Thanks for following my building journey! Have an AWESOME day! And keep Building Awesome!
Sadie Mae