August 24, 2023
The Home Bar is one of the more hedonistic trends to have emerged in home décor over recent years. After the kitchen became the de-facto centre of contemporary living, the Home Bar is a natural extension of our increasing tendency to entertain at home.
A Home Bar offers the perfect setting for socialising, catching up with family and friends over a drink, without leaving the comfort of our own home. Regardless, whether you prefer premium spirits, imaginative cocktails or just want a cosy setting for gatherings it can become a favourite corner of the home.
Incorporating a Home Bar into the living room provides a natural focus to the space and can inspire the decoration of the entire room. Read on to find out what are the essential ingredients to create your own bar at home. Whether it be modest or the expression of a genuine passion, we have something for you. From practical considerations to decorative flourishes, we have put together the ultimate home bar guide.
Piano Black 30.5×30.5 cm (Available in-store)
Buonarroti Monti Polished 2 cm (Available in-store)
Calacatta Borghini Polished 2 cm (Available in-store)
Down through the years, the home bar has been accommodated within a cabinet or even a tray. Nowadays, the concept has evolved to entire room installations able to reproduce not just the aesthetic but also an authentic pub atmosphere.
Even though we can be playful and more experimental with the Home Bar, there are some strict criteria to follow for comfort and proper use. Keep the following Home Bar ideas in mind before you start:
Airslate Patna BPT 250×120 cm (Available in-store)
Tortona 1L Piazza 120×14.5 cm (Available in-store)
There are several basic items that the Home Bar installation must include which add authenticity to the overall experience. These include but are not limited to the following:
The Home Bar should fit your personality and style, it’s one of life’s luxuries, a self-indulgence. So be sure to add everything to celebrate this way of bringing family and friends together. The fittings, the finishes, the glasses, the bottles and the lighting. You deserve it.
Just like our newfound interest in gastronomy and impressive kitchen designs, the home bar is the logical extension of spending more time at home. Mixology is now a buzzword and describes the elevation of cocktails to another level of sophistication. As well as tonics and bitters, garnishes and fresh fruit are nowadays de-rigueur, and all these ingredients require storage solutions.
Cocktails and other drinks should be thought of as an assembly line with a place for everything and everything in its place. Home bar accessories including hardware like glasses, shakers and strainers must all be accommodated. And what better way to store beautiful glasses, for example, than to put them on display? There is an appropriate glass for every cocktail and drink, and science backs up the sensual experience of oxygenating our drinks.
The Home Bar is a quintessentially modern piece of furniture that is closely connected to changes in society over the last century. The cabinet-style bar first became popular in the 1930s when it was considered the height of modernity, and was typically made of chrome, aluminium and Bakelite.
Lucerna Silver 120×120 cm (Available in-store)
The materials might have changed but the essence of the Home Bar Cabinet remains the same: glass-backed shelves to reflect an eclectic selection of glasses and liquor bottles. A pull-down panel or cover that converts into a serving surface. Integrated drawers to store towels, napkins etc.
The Home Bar Cabinet can be freestanding or wall-mounted, built into a niche or occupy an alcove. A vintage furniture option can add a stylish focal point to a room without taking up too much space while a modern design can blend seamlessly with the space.
We can afford to be more daring and exuberant with Home Bar décor. Whether your preference is a traditional country bar or a more cutting-edge contemporary approach. After deciding on the bar counter material then comes the wall cladding. Hard-wearing and resistant options with low porosity are recommended, choose materials that are easy to wipe down and maintain in pristine condition.
Timber is the best material for recreating the traditional classic style Victorian bar. Start combining a timber counter with panelling and a marble or stone worktop. Add mirrors and shelving with period light fittings for an authentic look and feel. Finally, add the finishing touch with Bar stools with upholstered seating.
Crystal Cream 29.5×34.5 cm (Available in-store)
Crystal Navy 29.5×34.5 cm (Available in-store)
For the pared-back modern home bar, start with a feature wall using textured or geometric tiles. The bar counter should either use the same tiles for cladding or something that compliments the chosen finish. Try and integrate the materials with the overall room décor, perhaps the colour or the style matches. Less is more with minimalism, the decoration will be the selection of bottle shapes and their labels.
Industrial
Style
Stainless steel, concrete, and metallic mosaics like aluminium and glass combined with black and grey tones help create the industrial-style home bar. Keep materials hard and easy to clean with no fussy detailing. Simple rectilinear volumes are better matched to the industrial aesthetic, keeping the design uncomplicated.
Nevada Deco Antracita 8×30 cm (Available in-store)
Crafts and handmade elements provide the inspiration for the rustic or cottage-core home bar. Hand-crafted tiles, Moroccan tiles and geometric motif tiles, for example, are perfect for creating a warm and cosy feeling bar worktop and surround. The style works best in pastel colours and star monochromatic tones, like black and white or blues. Without a doubt, timber bar stools and furniture add the ideal accessories.
The surface or counter is the most important functional part of the home bar. The choice of material will help aesthetically and functionally. The Home Bar worktop must be not only attractive but also easy to wipe down and resistant, just like kitchen worktops. Additionally, take into account that different materials are associated with different decorative styles.
Rhomboid Verdigris 29.8×29.8 cm (Available in-store)
The Home Bar can work in the most constricted corners of a room. In fact, it’s the ideal addition to an awkward corner that doesn’t lend itself to anything else.
Unlike other functions, not having natural light is an advantage to a Home Bar. Beverage bottles are best kept out of direct sunlight and the artificial lighting element adds a better vibe. Additionally, the bar stools can double for the breakfast bar and other accessories like lighting can add an atmospheric ambience.
The Drinks Cart is another space-saving solution. Store neatly in a corner when not in use and then put it centre stage when required. There are wonderful modern and vintage style options on the market to compliment your décor.
Aston Polished BPT 120×60 cm
Essential Diamond Persian White 30.5×30.5 cm
Gravity Aluminium Sides Aquamarine 27.7×29.2 cm
For anyone who has dreamed about the perfect kitchen, then the Home Bar is the logical extension of the art of entertaining. As we have seen, it can be whimsical and idiosyncratic, reflecting our décor and personality.
Summing up, mixology is the new gastronomy, and a world of new tastes and flavours awaits discovery.
To unveil your inner cocktail-making talent, we recommend you explore a world of decorative possibilities at your nearest Porcelanosa showroom.
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English · UK
