HOME BAR DESIGNS FOR STYLE & FUNCTIONALITY

With at-home adult beverages becoming an essential accessory these days, follow these tips to take your home bar from drab to fab.

CONFIGURATION

You must first decide how much space to dedicate to the home bar. These spaces can exist in a variety of ways, whether it’s a small storage cabinet or larger built-in, a DIY or repurposed piece, or even an entire room for a truly immersive experience.

SURFACE AREA

How much “bartending” space will you need? Do you have any specialty liquors that you’d like to have on display? Or do you plan to keep your most-used tools within arm’s reach? Are you creating a dual-height installation that will allow your guests to pull up a seat at the bar? Much like your kitchen cabinets and “work zone,” be mindful of the amount of travel distance and surface area needed to craft your specialty drinks.

WET OR DRY

Decide if your bar will have a water source – either a sink or perhaps an ice maker. For an even more professional look, consider a push-activated glass rinser adjacent to your sink. With endless possibilities for location and layout of a dry bar, nestled into a corner of the room or even on a mobile unit, there are more things to consider when adding water access.

REFRIGERATION

An undercabinet wine or beverage refrigerator can ensure that your offerings are always at the perfect temperature, with some models featuring dual temperature zones to keep a variety of beverages consumption-ready! Special in-cabinet refrigerators feature ventilation on the front of the appliance, to prevent overheating when installed. Of course, be mindful that a kegerator may take up valuable real estate with the countertop-mounted tap.

ELECTRICITY

With refrigeration and other bar tools comes the need for readily accessible electrical outlets. When possible, plan for your outlets to be installed in the underside of the upper cabinet, or install a power strip just under the cabinet to keep your backsplash free from clutter and still allow you to power that electric wine opener or cocktail shaker.

STORAGE

Keep all the tools and equipment for craft cocktails handy with space to store ingredients like bitters, simple syrup, and mixers, as well as glassware and garnishes. Custom cabinet mounted glass racks keep your glasses on display and ready for action, or add glass doors to your upper cabinets to keep them dust-free and ready for use! A simple puck light can add a touch of ambiance and shine reflecting off your stemware.

DISPLAY

Whether a roomful or single piece of cabinetry, your home bar allows your design prowess to shine! Take a risk by adding a pop of color to the cabinet, or pump up the glam with crystal cabinet knobs or a glass tile backsplash. Whatever your design mojo, a home bar is the perfect place to let your imagination run wild!

IMBIBE

Whether hosting a small gathering of friends or drinking with family, a well-appointed home bar allows you to please any taste. As always though, drink responsibly.

A well-appointed home bar can provide you with a variety of libations at the ready, but the layout and function of the bar can make you a cocktail connoisseur.