A home bar is far more than a place to have some drinks – it’s a social gathering spot, enjoyed by both you and your friends.

You might not have any idea where to start when it comes to designing your own home bar, so I’ve created a guide to answer your questions and help you plan/design your ideal home bar furniture choices and all!

Features

There are a lot of different features that come with today’s best home bars, so read through the following and decide if any of these are for you:

Flexible bar: these are normally smaller and have wheels on the bottom so they can be easily moved or stored away.

Wet bar: they feature a built-in sink so it’s easier to clean up your bar.

Built-in fridge: perfect for keeping your drinks in, so you don’t have to go back and forth from the main fridge.

Ice machine: again, no more back-and-forth between the kitchen fridge to ice up your drinks!

Draft system: just like the regular pubs, you can find home bars with built-in draft systems that allow you to have beer on tap.

Home Bar Furniture Styles

Just like any other kind of furniture, bar furniture can follow different interior design styles. Choose between these different bar sets that come with their own stools:

Modern: Trica Cheers Martini Home Bar Set

Contemporary: Home Styles Furniture Steamer Ebony Folding Home Bar Set

Traditional: Pulaski Edwardian Home Bar Set

Transitional: Pulaski Sixth Street Wooden Home Bar

Rustic: Powell Brandon Wooden Home Bar Set

Bar Furniture Sizes

Depending on how much room you have, there will be a bar that fits your living space.

Small (between 34 and 44 inches wide):

Howard Miller Merlot Valley Wine and Spirits Console Home Bar

Trica Citybar Home Bar & Champagne Swivel Stools Set

Howard Miller Vintner Wine and Spirits Home Bar Console

Medium (between 60 and 65 inches wide):

Home Styles Furniture Steamer Black Folding Home Bar

Powell La Questa Wood Home Bar

Howard Miller Syracuse Modern Home Bar

Large (between 75 and 80 inches wide):

Powell Tuscan Pub Back Home Bar Cabinet

Pulaski Carlton Manor Classic Home Bar

Hillsdale Large Cherry Home Wrap Around Home Bar

Bar Furniture: Outdoor Bar Sets

Who says you need a home bar on the inside only? With these summer months , there’s nothing more relaxing then enjoying a drink outside with your friends. Take a look at the following outdoor sets that will draw guests to your home in the summertime:

Alfresco Home Santa Barbara Outdoor Patio Bar Set

Bamboo Tiki Bar with Roof

Tommy Bahama Wooden Java Outdoor Home Bar

4D Concepts Wicker Bar Set

Alfresco Home Sabbia Tiki Outdoor Patio Bar Set

Home Bar Design: Paint Colours

If you’re lucky enough to have a room dedicated to your home bar, you have the freedom to paint all the walls a great shade to match your bar.

Even if your home bar is off to the side of your kitchen, dining room, or living room, you can always paint an accent wall to separate the bar from the rest of your house.

I’ve put together a couple different colour combos using www.benjaminmoore.com‘s Personal Colour Viewer that would look distinguished in a home bar. I’ve also chosen different coloured bar stools that would go well with the wall paints.
Give your home bar a sophisticated look with a dark brown colour scheme. Since the colours are so rich, black, white, and silver bar furniture wouldn’t take attention away from the walls.

Hillsdale Kingstown White Swivel Bar Stool

Black, grey, and brown are very classic and traditional, but don’t be afraid to give them an updated spin with furnishings in bright purple or red.

Amisco Kris 30″ High Upholstered Seat and Back with Armrest Swivel Bar Stool
For a hip, modern bar, why not try a shocking red wall colour? Chrome and black furniture really contrast with the red, making your home bar stand out.

Euro Style Agnes Round Low Back Bar Stool
A home bar with a soft purple wall colour gives off a contemporary vibe. Basic black furnishings with accents of brown or silver will compliment the gorgeous violet shade.

Regal Boston 30″ Backless Bar Stool
Terra cotta walls really give a home bar some flavour! Warm browns, espressos, and even purples and greens work well with this shade and give your bar an exotic flair.

Grace Classic Collection 30″ High Square Backless Wrought Iron Bar Stool

Home Bar Design: Décor
There are so many options when it comes to decorating your home bar. You can try to make it like a classic English pub & grill, or a cool downtown club. Take a look at the following décor pieces for your home bar:

Linon Vetro Di Oro Nicole Etienne Wine Bottles VII & VIII

It might seem like a cliché to have painting with bottles in your home bar, but this set of framed paintings is too beautiful to be considered cheesy.

AA Importing Clock with Wine Rack

Dress up your traditional-style bar with a floor clock featuring a built-in wine rack. It adds style to your bar while storing your wine bottles.

Napoleon Freestanding See Thru Indoor Waterfall

This modern piece not only adds ambience to your home bar, it actually attracts airborne particles and helps clean the air!

Piel Leather Coasters

No matter what style your bar is following, a solid set of leather coasters are a necessity. They will last longer than paper or wooden coasters and are rather stylish at the same time.

ELK Lighting Vesta Orange Glass Pendant Light

You can hang these lights above each barstool, behind the bar counter, or even create a centerpiece by hanging them from the center of the ceiling. They give off a softer, dimmer glow than other lights, so they’re ideal for a bar setting.

Here are a few final tips concerning your home bar’s décor:

If you were thinking about adding a rug to create some style in your bar, you might want to think again. Since people will be carrying drinks around, there’s always a possibility of a spill, and you don’t want to ruin your new rug.

Since you will most likely have to assemble your home bar yourself, you might want to get a friend or family member to help you out if you’re not confident in your assembling skills. It’s an important piece of furniture to put together correctly, so take your time and always ask for help if you need it.

If you have children, consider finding a home bar with locking cabinets, or just buy a lock to put on yourself, just in case they try to open the doors and get to your bottles or glasses.

Now you are all set with the right home bar furniture for your home bar design!

Nicolette Interior Design Diva

Spring & summer is the perfect time to design your games room for great fun after a BBQ or day out at the lake. If you are thinking of designing your own games room you need to consider what exactly it is going to be used for. Will you play cards or board games there? Will you use it for entertainment activities like electronic games such as Guitar Hero? Will you host frequent parties there and want to have a bar as well? Some people just want a games room to have a weekly poker party while others want to use it often with friends and family as a gathering place so you need to keep its functionality in mind when furnishing it.

Most people would start with a game table and chairs set for their games room design- that is generally round or octagonal with at least four chairs. Since comfort is a must many opt for an armed swivel chair that is usually found with a wooden set with either upholstered or leather seats. If you are really into poker or card games you can get one of those tops to put over a plain round table that is felt covered and has cup holders and is definitely geared for a serious game!

Another option that is becoming more and more popular is a bistro table with stools. Some of the tables are counter height while others are what you would find in a bar and are usually around 42” tall making it a more casual look but one that is fun and more versatile as it will fit into a smaller space. You can get stools with backs or without – again depending on the look you want and how comfortable you want everyone to get!

Games room design today often include an oversized wall mounted television complete with all the bells and whistles for a family entertainment center that includes interactive electronic games such as Guitar Hero or Wii. This allows friends and family to play in a band or try their hand at bowling or tennis – and it’s really all make believe – but lots of fun! Often there are comfortable sofas or chairs that are set in front of the television for sporting events like the Super Bowl or Kentucky Derby.

canopy home bar set

For those who like to play pool or snooker a pool table is always another crowd pleaser and an activity that can be played by the whole family. Space is again an issue because pool tables take up quite a bit of room but there are smaller versions that can be fun to play as well. A games room design is really up to the individual and the amount of space you have to work with – after that the ideas are endless – and all provides lots of entertainment.

Let me know how it goes, in this day and time you save a lot of money designing your own games room for friends and family instead of going to an expensive bar, games room or pub!

Nicolette Interior Design Diva