Many people like to build a home bar within the house to enjoy a drink with friends and family. In earlier days, people used to drink alcohol at home on specific days for a year as part of rituals, traditions, and family gatherings. It was a way to celebrate, connect, and follow cultural customs. For that, you will require a separate, secure space called to house bar to store alcoholic beverages and enjoy the happy moments there. Read on to understand more about home bar designs.
What is a House Bar?
A house bar is a dedicated space within the house where you can store your alcoholic beverages and prepare and serve drinks. It can be used for family, guests, or social gatherings. The size of the home bar can vary; it can be simple, like a small cart or cabinet, or luxurious and well-equipped, with premium seating arrangements and a fridge for storing drinks.
Popular Home Bar Designs That You Need to Try
A home bar is an entertaining space and a spot for personal retreats. Consider the famous home bar ideas that suit your requirements:
Art Deco Home Bar
You can make use of an open-concept living area to create a cosy home bar. In an Art Deco style decor, you include cabinets made of rich woods, such as mahogany or walnut, and feature geometric designs and sleek, polished finishes. You can use the cabinets to keep an assortment of bottles. You can also include built-in lighting or mirrored backings to showcase the contents or open up a perfect serving area!
Turn the Storage Room into a Chic Home Bar
You can make use of storage that is considered a boring space by giving a transformative touch to a home bar. Include built-in shelving, cabinets, and a sink that are essential for a modern home bar. You can decorate the room to your taste with additional elements.
Under-Stair Home Bar
Don’t waste the space below the home staircase. You can create a small home bar that includes all essential elements. As it is easily visible to all, make sure to fit the cabinet safely. And include wooden elements and storage options as per your requirements.
Outdoor Home Bar
You can also create a home bar in your backyard space. This outdoor home bar can be a perfect hangout spot with a stylish drink station. For a cost-effective option, you can include a garden table as a bar cart to make it portable during backyard parties. Adding candles and flowers gives it a warm, festive feel.
Corner Home Bar
You can make use of any reliable house corner to create a home bar. Often, the kitchen corner or room corner works well. You can include essential design elements and make the space feel more elegant and luxurious.
Industrial-Chic Designs
Industrial-chic style home bars make use of a combination of raw materials to create a look similar to converted warehouses and factories. This design commonly includes exposed brick, metal piping, and reclaimed wood to create a rugged appearance. Furniture options include vintage stools and distressed wood surfaces. To give more industrial vibes, you can also use Edison bulbs for light. Walls will commonly be painted with neutral shades, deep greys, and earthy colours.
Tiki Bars
Tiki bars give the celebration vibes of a tropical island. This home bar decor commonly includes bamboo, thatched roofs, and tropical plants to recreate the island atmosphere and give it a relaxing feel. To give a more vibrant look, you can also include Tiki mugs, Tiki masks, and carved statues.
Minimalist Home Bars
Here, home bars are designed with both simplicity and functionality in mind. It is commonly designed with clean lines, neutral colour palettes, or monochromes for walls.
It commonly makes use of materials like wood, glass, and metal to give both a modern and sleek touch. It also includes floating shelves or built-in cabinetry to create an uncluttered look. For lighting options, you can use linear pendant lights or under-shelf LED strips for illumination.
Traditional Pub-Style Bars
If you have already included a separate home bar room, you can design it as an old pub-style bar. Here, you can design the room with dark wood finishes and ornate woodwork. For walls, you can use rich colours such as emerald green, sapphire blue, and ruby red. Stained glass and brass fixtures will give a sleek finish to the house bars. These types of bars set for homes commonly include a long counter with high stools, beer taps, and shelves to store glasses and drinks. To add a more pub-like feel, decorations like dartboards, flags, and pictures of old-world scenes or vintage scenes are often added. The furniture is usually made from strong wood like oak or mahogany, which makes the bar durable and long-lasting.
Home Bar Decor Ideas: Essential Elements
Consider including the following major elements to decorate your home bar:
Bar Cabinet
Bar cabinets are essential to keep your pricey wine, liquor bottles, glasses, or any other things. Consider the following bar cabinet ideas for your home
- Minimalist Bar Cabinets
These cabinets are suitable for modern homes. They are designed with clean lines and functional storage. While installing, you can use subtle lighting to highlight and create a balanced view.
- Vintage-Inspired Designs
This will make the home bar more attractive with a retro style. These bar cabinets are designed with brass accents and ornate carvings.
- Multi-Functional Units
These bar cabinets will be designed with both a shelf and a sideboard.
- Rattan and Cane Cabinets
To achieve a natural touch, you can use rattan or cane bar cabinets to create warmth and texture in your house bar.
- Wall-Mounted Bar Cabinets
If you are working on a small home bar, you can use wall-mounted bar cabinets to save space.
Bar Counter and Seating Options
The bar counter is the major element of any house bar. You can design a home bar counter with traditional wood finishes or sleek marble or quartz for a modern look.
For setting options, you can use bar stools or comfortable high-backed chairs tailored to suit the home bar counter designs.
Lighting for House Bar
To improve the home bar experience from ordinary to extraordinary, use the right combination of lights. Different varieties of lights, such as ambient, accent, and task lighting, can create a pleasing mood. To institute a perfect ambience, install pendant lights over the bar counter and place the wall sconces in a suitable place to add visual interest and functionality.
Backsplash
A backsplash is very important for home bars. The bar backsplash is the element that brings all elements together. You can design your backsplash based on your style using materials such as marble, granite, glass, or bricks. Along with visual impact, a backsplash will give a protective layer for walls, mainly in wet bars.
Refrigeration and Ice Makers
You can consider including a separate, dedicated wine fridge or small ice-making beverages to fulfil the house bar requirements.
Sink and Water Sources
You need to include a sink with a water tap to make a more comfortable space. You can use that during cleanup and drink preparation.
Things to Consider Before Designing Your Home Bar

When you want to add a home bar to your house plan, discuss it with your spouse and family members and come to a final decision. Later, you can continue with
- Assess the available space to get a brief idea of how much space you can dedicate to a house bar. For locations, you can choose basements, living rooms, or outdoor spaces to enjoy better entertainment and joy.
- Measure the area you have considered for the house bar; by doing this, you can design a counter, seating, and passway around the space accordingly.
- Determine your budget for the house bar. By setting a clear budget, you can add major features and use suitable materials.
- Consider how often you make drinks and have guests over. This will help you choose the right bar setup. If you only need a simple space for mixing drinks, a dry bar (without a sink) is a good choice. But if you want an easier way to clean up during parties, a wet bar with a sink is better.
- Add basic requirements such as plumbing, electricity, and ventilation.
Pro Tips for House Bar Design
- Fix the budget for the house bar construction. Avoid overspending by using budget-friendly alternatives.
- You can recycle vintage furniture, use shelves for storage, or employ a simple bar cart to create a stylish bar setup on a budget.
- Don’t place the house bar in an inappropriate location. Always choose a space that is separate from heavy traffic areas. Provide sufficient counter space and proper storage to keep beverages.
Decide whether you want to work with contractors or take a DIY approach. If you have the necessary skills and tools, you can continue with DIY. It can be a more budget-friendly and joyful process. If not, work with an experienced architect or a construction company like Brick & Bolt to build an effective house bar. They will design and execute the plan in an effective and budget-friendly way.