Speakeasy Bar Cabinet
A hand-carved blackened Bavarian oak bar cabinet with a sculptural front, wine bottle storage, and two doors and two drawers on push-to-open Blum hardware. Quiet sculpture closed, a fully considered bar open. Built to order in our Chicago workshop.
Built in Chicago
Lifetime warranty
Final approval before delivery
Nationwide white-glove installation
The Piece
Most bar cabinets try to look like bars. Speakeasy doesn't. Closed, it's a single dark relief carved into blackened Bavarian oak. Open the doors and drawers and the bar shows up all at once, ten bottles of wine, a home for the small tools, everything laid out around how people actually pour a drink.
Carved Front
The relief runs across both doors. It's cut by hand, in the same sculptural language as our Noir cabinet. No two fronts come out quite the same. Blackening keeps the color inside the wood instead of on top of it, so the surface catches light differently depending on where you're standing in the room.
Storage
Two adjustable shelves handle standard bottles or taller, odd-sized ones. The layout shifts as your collection changes. The drawers hold the small stuff, an opener, a jigger, coasters. Blum TIP-ON BLUMOTION hardware runs everything. Press once to open. It closes itself.
Build
Solid oak carries through the whole piece, doors and carcass both. The relief is cut straight into the door fronts, not into a veneer. Drawers are dovetailed maple. The back panel is veneered plywood for stability. It weighs about 150 pounds. It ships in two pieces, body separate from doors and drawers, to protect the finish in transit.
Finish
A 2K polyurethane spray, applied in our commercial booth, holds up under daily bar use. Hand-rubbed Odie's Universal Oil goes the other way, soaking into the grain so the carved surface stays something you feel as much as see. We'll ask how the cabinet will actually get used before recommending one.
Every Speakeasy Bar Cabinet is built to order in our Chicago workshop.
Meet the designer and builder
Jerry Rodman
Jerry Rodman founded Statement Chicago and designs every piece we make. He left a corporate career to build furniture, and for years he built each commission himself. Today Jerry and his team of four build every piece by hand in our Chicago workshop, and he leads each project from the first conversation to the day it is delivered.
More about Jerry
Jerry started the business eleven years ago in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood, first as Bucktown Built and now as Statement Chicago. The shop is known for large dining tables and complex custom furniture.
Every commission begins with how you live and the room the piece will live in. Jerry presents three design options, refines the one you choose, and stays involved through delivery.
WGN featured his Ancient Kauri Dining Table, a ten foot table made from New Zealand kauri that was growing about two thousand years ago.
Built Around You
Every Speakeasy Bar Cabinet is built to order. The piece shown is one interpretation; yours can be sized and configured to your room and the way you entertain.
Doors
Hand-carved blackened Bavarian oak, same sculptural language as our Noir cabinet. Since each is carved by hand, no two fronts match exactly.
Dimensions
40 inches wide, 20 deep, 40 tall as built. We'll size it to your room and your collection on request.
Interior
Two doors, two drawers, ten-bottle capacity as shown. Shelves adjust for taller or odd-sized bottles, and the layout can shift toward glassware or bar tools depending on how you use it.
Hardware
Blum push-to-open throughout. No handles or pulls anywhere on the front.
Finish
Blackened Bavarian oak as shown, in either a 2K polyurethane spray or hand-rubbed Odie's Universal Oil. Other species and treatments are available if the room needs something else.
Available In
Client Experience
“I can’t say enough about the quality, craftsmanship, and creativity that he puts behind all his pieces. They are in a class of their own.”
Custom furniture client, Chicago
Before you order
Cost?
Starts at $10,700. Final number depends on dimensions, interior layout, and finish.
What is it?
Blackened Bavarian oak cabinet, hand-carved front, two doors, two drawers, wine storage built in. Built to order in Chicago.
How's the front carved?
By hand. Same style as our Noir cabinet. Expect some variation front to front.
What's inside?
Ten wine bottles behind the doors, adjustable shelving. Small tools in the drawers.
Materials?
Solid oak, doors and carcass. Dovetailed maple drawers. Veneered plywood back panel for stability. About 150 pounds.
Why black instead of stained?
Paint sits on top of wood. Blackening pulls the color into the grain, so it still reads as wood, just dark, and the carving shows through shadow instead of getting flattened by a coat of color.
Hardware?
Blum TIP-ON BLUMOTION. Push to open, closes itself. Nothing visible on the front.
Can I resize it?
Yes. Dimensions, layout, wood, and finish are all open to change.
Finish options?
2K polyurethane spray for daily wear, or hand-rubbed Odie's Universal Oil for a softer feel. We'll talk through which fits your use.
Timeline?
10 to 12 weeks from deposit.
How's it shipped?
Body as one unit, doors and drawers separately, to protect the finish.
Who builds it?
Jerry Rodman, in business for 11 years, with a shop crew of four on Chicago's north side. No subcontractors. You work with the person building your piece.
Delivery
Every piece is built to order in our Chicago workshop, and delivery is coordinated directly with you once it is finished. We build and ship nationwide. Our white glove delivery partners review the access path, handle any assembly and set the piece in place in your home.
Care
Care depends on the finish. A 2K polyurethane finish needs little more than a soft, damp cloth; avoid harsh chemical cleaners. A hand rubbed oil finish benefits from a light coat of Odie's Universal Oil once a year, or whenever the surface looks dry. With either finish, use trivets under hot dishes, wipe up standing water and keep the piece out of prolonged direct sunlight.
Lifetime warranty
Every piece is covered against manufacturing defects for the life of the piece. We stand behind what we build.
Order yours
Tell us about your room.
Share the size you need, the wood you love, and how you will use the piece. We will size and quote it for your space and guide every step from there.