Those well-behaved characters who have taken the month of January off from drinking are sure to be congratulated…but maybe that's got you thinking about having your very own home bar for the other 11 months of the year? Creating the perfect home bar is an opportunity to really get creative with your design style. Here are the top tips from our team, who have designed and participated in the use of home bars – just to ensure we are professionals on the subject…!
1. Combine materials. Although using lots of different finishes might seem like overkill in other areas, a bar is a great opportunity to use lots of different finishes to incorporate colour and texture for intrigue. Think about the range of finishes available in glass, metal, mirror, stone, wallpaper, textured timber, 3D panels or specialist finishes.
2. Include a sink. Apart from the practicality of a dedicated sink for glassware, a specialist bar sink can be a great help to a host with a wide range of accessories, and can even be used as an ice trough for champagne! Specialist suppliers such as The 1810 Company give the choice of copper, gold brass, gunmetal or stainless steel to suit all designs, with accessories to match.
3. Cooling alternatives. A wine fridge only goes so far for soft drinks, spirits and other beverages. A full under-the-counter fridge/freezer would be convenient, but if it won’t fit underneath then having a standalone might conflict with your design. Cooling drawers can also fit nicely under the counter and can be used as ice drawers, drinks storage or even used for prepared fruit accessories! Fisher & Paykel offers one of our favourites with 5 discrete settings: fridge, freezer, pantry, chill and wine modes.
4. Ambient lighting. This is arguably the most important aspect of bar design. Getting the lighting right crucially sets the ambience and can help create a space for entertaining that’s equal to a cocktail bar - minus the pesky crowds. You must ensure when lighting translucent glass items to use dimmable LEDs, in a colour temperature no greater than 2700K. Shelves should always be backlit rather than front lit - don't be afraid of leaving areas in shadow to create contrast, and offset by task lighting with spots in specific work areas.
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