Midcentury Single-wall Home Bar Ideas and Designs

What started as a kitchen and two-bathroom remodel evolved into a full home renovation plus conversion of the downstairs unfinished basement into a permitted first story addition, complete with family room, guest suite, mudroom, and a new front entrance. We married the midcentury modern architecture with vintage, eclectic details and thoughtful materials.

Fresh Baby Blue Kitchen & Bar Cubby

Model Remodel

A clever under-stair bar complete with glass racks, glass rinser, sink, shelf and beverage center
This is an example of a small midcentury single-wall wet bar in Seattle with a submerged sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, engineered stone countertops, medium hardwood flooring and grey worktops.

Mequon Mid Century Modern

JFK Design-Build, LLC

2nd bar area for this home. Located as part of their foyer for entertaining purposes.
Inspiration for an expansive midcentury single-wall wet bar in Milwaukee with a submerged sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, concrete worktops, black splashback, glass tiled splashback, porcelain flooring, grey floors and black worktops.

Riggs Residence

Green Works Construction & Design Inc.

Design ideas for a medium sized retro single-wall home bar in Los Angeles with a submerged sink, blue cabinets, engineered stone countertops, mirror splashback, medium hardwood flooring, brown floors and white worktops.

ENCINO RESIDENCE

CHRISTOPHER ALLEN LLC

photography: francis dreis
Midcentury single-wall wet bar in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, brown splashback, metal splashback, beige floors and brown worktops.

Mid-Century Modern in the Pines

Patty Jones Design, LLC

Small midcentury single-wall wet bar in Other with a submerged sink, dark wood cabinets, brown splashback, mosaic tiled splashback, medium hardwood flooring, brown floors and grey worktops.

Fun Midcentury Bar

Design One Cabinetry

A combination of concealed and floating shelves keep the back bar functional and fun.
This is an example of a medium sized midcentury single-wall breakfast bar in Other with flat-panel cabinets, orange cabinets and mirror splashback.

Stable Conversion

SHED Architecture & Design

Mark Woods
Photo of a small midcentury single-wall wet bar in Seattle with white cabinets, wood worktops, white splashback, concrete flooring, a built-in sink and flat-panel cabinets.

Collector's 2 Bay Wall Hanging Unit with Mesh Surround

Amuneal Manufacturing Corp.

This version of Amuneal’s Collector’s Shelving Unit features solid machined brass fittings and posts with a wire mesh surround in a warm brass finish. The unit mounts to the wall to support a series of easily adjustable glass shelves. All of our Collector’s Shelving Units are fabricated in Amuneal’s Philadelphia-based furniture studio and can be customized as required for residential and commercial spaces.

Mount Pleasant, Washington DC Residence

Design Milieu

Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Inspiration for a small retro single-wall bar cart in Other with medium wood cabinets, wood worktops and medium hardwood flooring.

Point Loma Casita

Ike Kligerman Barkley

William Waldron
Inspiration for a midcentury single-wall breakfast bar in New York with a submerged sink, open cabinets, composite countertops, light hardwood flooring, beige floors and mirror splashback.

Margate

J&L Designs

Paul S. Bartholomew
Design ideas for an expansive midcentury single-wall wet bar in Philadelphia with a submerged sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, engineered stone countertops, mirror splashback and porcelain flooring.

Wet Bar

Fairview Custom Homes

Aperture Vision Photography
Medium sized retro single-wall wet bar in Other with a submerged sink, wood worktops, black cabinets, green splashback, slate flooring, slate splashback, brown worktops and recessed-panel cabinets.

Village Haven

Silver Maple Construction LLC

Photography by Susan Teare
Inspiration for a small retro single-wall wet bar in Burlington with a submerged sink, medium wood cabinets, wood worktops and light hardwood flooring.

Palm Springs Mid Century vacation

Melinamade - Residential Design + Interiors

Metallic velvet flock wallpaper by Zinc
Photo of a small retro single-wall home bar in San Diego with glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, granite worktops, grey splashback, porcelain flooring, grey floors and grey worktops.

Portfolio

Fox Home Innovations

Photo of a medium sized retro single-wall wet bar in Wichita with a built-in sink, raised-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, soapstone worktops, multi-coloured splashback, stone tiled splashback and ceramic flooring.

2 Bay Collector's Shelving Unit

Amuneal Manufacturing Corp.

Our Collectors’ Shelving System is infinitely flexible and fully customizable by size, finish, and configuration to fit the style and dimensions of your space. This Wall Mounted Shelving Unit in warm brass and glass can live in many different environments and is a stunning display for a small liquor collection.

3 Palms - Wet Bar

Real Estate Judge

Wet Bar in Midcentury Modern House
Medium sized retro single-wall wet bar in Phoenix with a submerged sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, engineered stone countertops, white splashback and concrete flooring.

Horseshoe Bay

Webber + Studio, Architects

Photos @ Eric Carvajal
Photo of a small retro single-wall wet bar in Austin with a submerged sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, glass sheet splashback, multi-coloured floors, white worktops and slate flooring.

South End Townhouse

Elms Interior Design

Photography by Michael J. Lee
Inspiration for a medium sized retro single-wall wet bar in Boston with a submerged sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, granite worktops, mirror splashback and medium hardwood flooring.

Midcentury Single-wall Home Bar Ideas and Designs

A home bar is one of the ultimate indulgences for a homeowner. By no means essential but all the more satisfying for that very reason. Whether your home bar ideas would be having the boys round to watch the big match in a pub-style atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon, ‘going uptown’ to sip an espresso martini in your home cocktail bar in the loft, or hoping to recreate the vibe of an intimate speakeasy in your basement, a midcentury style home bar is a treat that’s guaranteed to lift your spirits. A place where you are always guaranteed a seat.

How big should my retro home bar be?

The ideal style of your midcentury 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 retro 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 midcentury 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 midcentury 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 1950s style 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 – 1960s style ornaments, lamps, artwork, photos and travel mementos are great midcentury home bar ideas to get the conversation started.

United Kingdom

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