- Home Bar
Home Bar Ideas and Designs
How big should my home bar be?
The ideal style of your home bar will depend on your lifestyle and entertaining habits as well as the amount of available space. If big groups come round regularly then you should consider dedicating a part of your living room or basement to a larger seating area – complete with a bar table, bar stools and wet bar section – to keep everyone suitably comfortable and merry. If TV is essential, check if there is a wall nearby that’s a big enough to mount it on without restricting anyone’s view. A key feature of home bar ideas is the storage – gleaming wine racks and low-lit glass shelves. Make sure you can afford these little delights after you have built the basic structure. Alternatively, if space is limited, a freestanding home cocktail bar would give you somewhere to prepare cocktails that is out of the way – in the corner of your dining room or under the stairwell for instance. Also, mirrored surfaces can help to create the illusion of space. Sketch the layout of the room in which you would like to place the bar and think about where all those bottles, cans and snacks are going to go. Then speak to either a home bar specialist about your home bar ideas, or to a joiner about adapting a vintage bookcase or creating something bespoke.
What style of home bar should I choose?
Try to play off the interior decor of the surrounding area. A kitsch Manhattan-inspired home cocktail bar will look out of place in a country cottage, for example. Similarly, a long white walnut home bar would jar against a bright red contemporary kitchen. That said, contrast might be something that you accentuate, not least through the choice of flooring, which would help to make your home bar stand out. Collect home bar ideas in an Ideabook, settle upon a theme and then discuss the design with your home bar specialist or joiner. Lighting sets the mood in bars, particularly late at night, so pay special attention to placement, intensity and how you want your guests to feel. Dim underbar lighting creates a warm, intimate atmosphere, while spotlights brighten and energise.
Which home bar accessories and facilities should I include?
This really does depend on how far you are willing to go. A home bar can replicate almost everything you see in your local, from running water and refrigerated wine cabinets to draught beer pumps and bespoke lighting and a sound systems. Again, the most important thing is to work with what’s there – available space and home decor. Is that black lizard effect leather flooring really going to go? How about the turquoise splashback? Do those flowers look out of place or will they help to soften up what’s fast becoming a man cave? There are several ways to make a home bar more visually interesting without spending big on fixtures and fittings. Select furniture that’s comfortable but also sparks interest, such as salvaged chairs or a second-hand leather sofa. Add a touch of glitz and glamour through your choice of glassware, drinks trolley, ice bucket, shaker and spirit bottles if you want the home cocktail bar look. Then scatter a few curios around the bar – ornaments, lamps, artwork, photos and travel mementos are great home bar ideas to get the conversation started.
Whether you want inspiration for planning a home bar renovation or are building a designer home bar from scratch, Houzz has 71,436 images from the best designers, decorators, and architects in the country, including Tamas Toth Photography and Violet & George. Look through home bar photos in different colours and styles and when you find a home bar design that inspires you, save it to an Ideabook or contact the Pro who made it happen to see what kind of design ideas they have for your home. Explore the beautiful home bar ideas photo gallery and find out exactly why Houzz is the best experience for home renovation and design.
- Mirror (1854)
- Stone Tile (1783)
- Ceramic Tile (1204)
- Stone Slab (1173)
- Glass Tile (1156)
- Mosaic Tile (1083)
- Wood (1063)
- Metro Tile (952)
- Brick (429)
- Marble (380)
- Porcelain Tile (372)
- Matchstick Tile (289)
- Metal Tile (269)
- Glass Sheet (206)
- Travertine (80)
- Cement Tile (74)
- Slate (58)
- Limestone (42)
- Terracotta Tile (30)
Photos: Jonathan Bond Photography
This is an example of a classic home bar in Buckinghamshire.
Inspiration for a contemporary single-wall home bar in Cheshire with black splashback, medium hardwood flooring and brown floors.
Inspiration for a small contemporary single-wall wet bar in London with an integrated sink, open cabinets, stainless steel worktops and beige floors.
Kitchenette for granny flat - deborah_j_waterhouse90
©Anna Stathaki
Inspiration for a large contemporary single-wall wet bar in London with flat-panel cabinets and blue cabinets.
Outline of bar. Framing. Ikea? - hilda_richards
Design ideas for a retro home bar in London.
Bloomsbury encaustic tiles from Artisans of Devizes.
Design ideas for a large contemporary single-wall home bar in Wiltshire with open cabinets, dark wood cabinets, wood worktops, ceramic flooring and brown worktops.
Will need to be able to lock stuff away - lopajunck
Photo of a bohemian bar cart in Berkshire with dark hardwood flooring and brown floors.
flamingo - mernie_cabading
Matt lacquer suspended bar with integrated fridge and lift up bar top.
This is an example of a medium sized contemporary single-wall wet bar in Dorset with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, wood worktops, white splashback, glass sheet splashback and ceramic flooring.
Inspiration for a medium sized classic single-wall home bar in Hertfordshire with no sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets and grey floors.
slide and hide doors on drinks unit - juliet_turner68
Inspiration for an urban l-shaped breakfast bar in London with white splashback, metro tiled splashback and grey floors.
like the light fixture, for above our dining table, but would like the metal beam holding the cables to be brass matching the taps etc and then brass bits holding the light bulbs - wjcstott
This is an example of a contemporary galley breakfast bar in London with glass-front cabinets, medium wood cabinets, carpet, black floors and black worktops.
Classy home bar - but maybe likes a little bit like a hotel? - jefferyandwilkes
Design ideas for a traditional single-wall home bar in London with no sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets and mirror splashback.
Bar area for the dining room (inside the built-in joinery) - njumabhoy
Tamas Toth
Small traditional single-wall home bar in London with no sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, mirror splashback, dark hardwood flooring and grey worktops.
Painted bookcase - ecranwell
Home bar with view over hidden study desk and secret direct access stairs to master bedroom on mezzanine
Design ideas for a medium sized modern home bar in London.
Photo of a contemporary home bar in London.
dream bar - judith_goredema
Eleanor Baines Photography
Photo of a contemporary home bar in Surrey with multi-coloured floors.
Just bought one of these on Ebay. Going to replace the formica with a funk patterned wrapping paper and cover it with toughened glass. - georgina_o_neil
This is an example of a contemporary home bar in Surrey.
bar....lights on glass ends - webuser_987345930