Building a luxury bar at home is the quintessential dream of both professionals and nonprofessionals alike who are looking to entertain in style or to simply unwind by themselves, with a partner, or with a few friends at the end of a long day.
However, most people are perplexed when it comes to building a luxury bar at home, which can cause them to put it off, or think they have to hire a professional designer and spend lots of money to do it, but this is not the case.
Building your own luxury home bar at home is easily achievable, and it also doesn’t require a lot of space. You may also be surprised to find that much of the equipment and accessories needed, you already on hand in your home, or you can simply purchase them from a second-hand store to help make it more affordable.
By the time your bar is complete, you may find that it even rivals your favourite bar!
Choose the Bar Type
There are essentially two types of bars: a wet bar and a dry bar. Begin by deciding which type you want.
Wet Bar
A wet bar is a drink station that also includes a sink, which makes it easier to clean up spills while prepping drinks and clean drink glasses right at the station, thus eliminating the need to travel to the kitchen to do so.
However, because it also contains a sink, it needs to be positioned in an area that contains plumbing, or you may consider spending a few extra bucks to have plumbing installed.
Dry Bar
A dry bar, on the other hand, does not contain a sink. In fact, it can be a simple piece of furniture, or it can be a separate counter built into a space that enables you to store your bar items.
Therefore, you can position it just about anywhere in your home, which makes it more convenient to build than a wet bar.
Select a Space For Your Luxury Home Bar
Once you know the type of bar you want, the next step is to determine the space for it. This space can be as small as a little nook sectioned off into a cozy lounge area in a separate part of the room, such as a living room bar, or it can be a full-on bar that takes up the entire room.
- Kitchen
- Outdoor kitchen
- Covered patio
- Theater room
- Game room
- Garage
- Basement
- Butler pantry
If you are planning to have a bartender, be sure your chosen space allows you to have at least 36 inches of space between the bar and the back wall of the bar to provide the bartender with ample space to mingle and to make a variety of drinks.
Your chosen area should also include adequate outlets and plugs for various bar equipment, such as an electric blender, and more.
The space you choose should also be situated near the living area to help make mingling during sports games, cocktail parties, dinner parties, and other events much easier. The space to and from the bar should also be kept clutter-free, which will also make it easier to access the bar.
Choose the Bar Counter & Fittings
Your bar can be as elaborate as a custom built-in bar counter or as budget-friendly as a simple bar cart.
Some bar ideas include:
Built-In Bar Counter
Built-in bar counters invoke the look and feel of a typical bar when going out for drinks. However, because they are built-in, they can also be more costly. Hence, this type of bar may be more for the serious host or entertainer.
This type of bar also tends to take up more space than other bars; therefore, they usually work best in basements, game rooms, and other large spaces where the bar is the focus, as opposed to a living room bar, which is for more casual entertaining.
To keep with the luxury theme, stick to more opulent materials for your bar top, such as white lacquer, white marble, or white acrylic.
Bar Cabinet
A bar cabinet looks like a basic cabinet, but it opens up to display your bar selection. This way, when it is not in use, it simply serves as a decorative piece of furniture.
However, some bar cabinets have glass doors for showcasing your drink collection, which is just perfect if you want to display your drink collection as part of your decor.
Some cabinets also include a rack for hanging wine glasses, as well as pull out drawers for storing various bar tools, such as bottle openers and wine openers.
When choosing your bar cabinet, stick to metallic colors, or even black, for a look of richness.
Repurposed Dresser, Cabinet, or Table Stand
You can also re-purpose an old dresser, cabinet, or table stand to serve as a bar.
However, depending on your repurposed piece, it may look a bit rustic. Therefore, to make it more extravagant, you may consider adding luxurious accents, such clear, gold, or silver handles and/or knobs, or you can simply add gold or silver trim to help give it a more luxurious feel.
Bar Cart
A bar cart is a simple cart that resembles an end table with wheels, which makes it easy to transport and use anywhere in your home. It can also be used in the bathroom for an old glamour feel.
However, to keep it luxurious, stick with a gold or silver cart, and some are also mirrored for added grandeur.
Wall Bar
You could also simply use your wall to build a luxury home bar.
To do so, simply choose a wall space and then add various open shelves, or even a wall cabinet, and voila, your very own wall bar.
This is a great choice for modern home bars or for those with limited floor space who still want a luxury home bar.
To keep it plush, stick with glass, mirrored, brass, or other shiny shelves that will help make your bar look both modern and upscale.
If your wall is white, adding open white shelves to it will also create an extravagant looking wall bar.
Add the Accessories To Your Luxury Home Bar
Your bar’s accessories will also reinforce your luxury theme. Some elaborate accessories to add to your bar area include:
Ambient Lighting
Lighting helps set the mood for your bar; therefore, you need to consider what type of mood you want to set with your space and then choose your lighting appropriately.
Ambient lighting creates a soft glow that transforms your space into a relaxing, almost romantic environment because it makes your pupils dilate, thus softening the view, which is why it is often also used in traditional bars, as well as many high-end retail stores.
Some ways to create ambient lighting in your bar space include installing pendant lights, recessed lighting, or track lights, hanging a chandelier, or strategically place a few table lamps on the bar.
You can even layer different lighting options to complement each other.
Bar Mirror
An oversized bar mirror can be used as a backsplash to help add a formal touch to your bar, while also making it appear more spacious and lavish.
Meanwhile, installing a bar mirror with shelves helps give your space a more a high-end cocktail feel, especially when paired with a dark-colored bar, so you feel like you are at an upscale bar.
You could also use wallpaper as a backsplash or accent wall for your bar. Just be sure to stick to more elegant designs to help keep it luxurious.
Shelving
Adding shelving to your bar space helps create more room for storage or for simply displaying your favorite bar decor, such as your favorite drink decanters or bar signage, which will also help make your space feel more personalized.
Meanwhile, a bar mirror with shelves will help highlight your chosen display even more, while keeping with the upscale feel.
Wine Storage
If you or your guests enjoy wine, then you will also need to add some type of wine storage, such as a wine shelf or a wine rack, in your bar area.
To recreate an elaborate wine vault or tasting room in your space, which is just perfect for modern home bars, simply mount a 27 bottle wine rack or a jumbo bin grid wine rack on the wall and then fill it with various bottles of your favourite vino.
Small Refrigerator
Adding a small refrigerator to your bar space will also help give it a luxurious feel.
It will also help make storing and accessing certain items, such as chilled wine, champagne, beer, drink mixers, soda, fruit juices, and even various cocktail garnishes, such as olives, lemons, limes, and green apples, easier.
Bar Stools
Adding bar stools to your bar area helps turn it into a spot for socializing.
Bar stools also provide another chance to add luxury to your bar. For instance, velvet bar stools just scream opulence, while suede bar stools hint of luxurious softness.
You should also choose bar stools with a backrest, which enables your guests to get comfortable and mingle longer.
Stock the Bar
Now that your luxury home bar is in place, you must be excited to stock it. Some necessities to add to your bar interior include:
Drink Glasses
The type of drinks you serve will determine the drink glasses needed; however, it is a good idea to have a variety of drink glasses on hand, just in case.
Some basic drink glasses to include in your bar are martini glasses, margarita glasses, shot glasses, whiskey glasses, red and white wine glasses, and champagne glasses. You will also need beer mugs for your guests who prefer to drink their beer from a mug rather than a can or a bottle.
Cocktail Shaker
A cocktail shaker enables you to make a variety of mixed drinks with ease, which is just perfect if you are not a seasoned bartender but want to serve drinks like one.
Napkins
It is also a good idea to stock your bar with napkins for sitting drinks on or to wipe up spills. If you really want to get fancy, invest in monogrammed napkins to really wow your guests.
You could also invest in monogrammed matches for a real bar feel and that your guests can take home as a keepsake.
Toothpicks
If you plan to serve cocktails or other mixed drinks that contain a garnish, then you will also need to stock your bar with toothpicks.
Ice Bucket
Having an ice bucket at your bar will help make it easier for your guests to add ice to their own drinks whenever they’d like, which helps prevent you from having to make the trip back and forth to the freezer for more ice when they need it.
It can also be used to help keep your champagne cool.
Bring on the Spirits
Depending on your entertaining goals, your bar interior can be professionally stocked with the usual tequila, vodka, rum, and gin, as well as various high-end cognacs, whiskeys, and brandy’s that are sure to intrigue and impress curious guests, or you can keep it as simple as just few bottles of the most popular selections.
Other Accessories
Once you’ve stocked your bar with the basics, if your budget permits, you can then add various other accessories to help make it even more professional.
Some other accessories to consider adding to your bar include ice cube moulds, custom drink coasters, a bar tool set, cigar accessories, and monogrammed glasses.
You may even consider investing in a few bartender books to learn how to make a variety of drinks.
