Living Room Bar Styles And Ideas
Having a bar set up in your living room offers a sophisticated spot for entertaining guests or simply relaxing after a long day. From built-in cabinetry to portable carts, there are many options for incorporating a bar area into your living room decor and layout. The style you choose ultimately comes down to your space, budget and personal taste.
Bar Area Design and Layout Ideas
When deciding where to put your living room bar and how large it should be, start by measuring out the space and sketching some layout options. Consider traffic flow through the room and conversational groupings as you determine the best placement. Bar islands or carts can easily be moved, while permanent built-in bars need more planning.
Determine Available Space and Bar Dimensions
Take measurements of your living room including wall lengths, openings, and furniture placements. This will help you scale your bar area appropriately. Standard home bar sizes range from 4 to 12 feet long and 2 to 4 feet deep. Bar height is usually 42 inches. Make sure to leave adequate room for people to comfortably sit or stand around it.
Bar Island, Built-In, or Portable Bar Styles
Bar islands are great for open floor plans as they allow traffic to flow around them. Built-in bars maximize storage with cabinetry and shelves. Portable bar carts offer flexibility to wheel around as needed. The style you choose may depend on factors like available living room space, plumbing access for sinks, budget, and permanency of the bar setup.
Bar Seating and Standing Capacity
Determine how many people you would like your living room bar to accommodate. Bars designed for standing only require less space than those with seated areas. For bar stool seating, allow for 25-30 inches of width per stool. Standing capacity ranges from 2.5-3 feet per person around the bar area. This will help inform your measurements when laying out your living room bar.
Living Room Bar Decor Ideas
Your living room bar decor can match your current interior design scheme or take on a style all its own. Have fun brainstorming creative ways to decorate the space with personalized flair. Use lighting, artwork, surface materials and accessories to give your bar area an inviting look and feel.
Rustic, Modern, Industrial Decor Themes
Match your living room bar to themes like modern, industrial, mid-century or rustic styles. For example, a reclaimed wood bar top and leather bar stools convey rustic charm. Stainless steel shelving with clean lines gives off modern vibes. Incorporate decor consistent with the motif to pull the bar area together.
Backbar Shelving and Glassware Racks
Functional and decorative backbar shelving showcases your glassware collections while storing bar tools and spirits. Glass racks let you elegantly display wine glasses and vintage finds. Illuminated shelves also provide bar task lighting. Curate the items on your shelves to complement your living room bar decor style.
Paint, Textures, Lighting, Art
Consider colored paint, varied textures and accent lighting to make your living room bar a focal point. For example, an emerald green lacquered bar cabinet with brass hardware and accessories pops against lighter wall colors. Hang your favorite local artwork to personalize the space.
Living Room Bar Cabinet Ideas
Bar cabinets provide concealed storage to corral all your barware and spirits while keeping counters clutter-free. They come in many configurations with options like stemware holders, wine glass racks, refrigerator drawers and sinks. Select cabinetry styles, sizes, materials and hardware that align with your living room design tastes.
Materials: Wood, Metal, Glass
Bar cabinet materials like wood, metal and glass each have their own aesthetic. For a light and airy look, glass door cabinets display items while protecting them from dust. Wood cabinets offer a traditional pub feel with artisan details. Metal and glass convey an industrial, apothecary vibe.
Door or Open Bar Cabinetry
Glass door bar cabinets keep everything tidy behind closed doors when not entertaining, while open shelving allows you to artfully display your bar collections. Enclosed storage is also safer if you have small children. Choose sliding doors, hinged doors, roll-top doors or a open shelves based on your functional needs and style preferences.
Integrated Wine Fridge, Sinks, Appliances
Higher-end built in bar cabinets allow you to integrate other appliances like wine fridges, beverage centers, ice makers and sinks. This creates a fully-functional wet bar for your living room tailored to your entertaining needs. Consider options like under-counter wine refrigerators if you want quick access to chilled bottles.
Living Room Built-In Home Bar Ideas
Custom built-in wet bars with cabinetry, countertops, sinks and storage make a sophisticated addition for frequent entertainers. Work with contractors to create a living room bar tailored to the space with specialized features. Built-ins appear neater than freestanding bars and can be designed around fireplaces, media centers and other living room features.
Custom Cabinetry, Tile, Lighting
One benefit of built-in bars is choosing cabinetry, countertops, tile and lighting customized to your living room design scheme. Mix metal, wood and glass elements for an eclectic look. Add undercabinet lighting to illuminate glassware displays or marble tile backsplash as an accent wall.
Concealed Storage for Barware
Built-in bars allow ample concealed storage to hide away bar tools, glassware collections and serving essentials behind cabinet doors to minimize visual clutter in your living room. Design interiors with pull-out shelves, wine racks, refrigerator and freezer drawers placed for ergonomic efficiency.
Automatic Doors, Electrical
High-tech built-ins may incorporate features like touch-latch doors for automatic access and electrical outlets to operate appliances. Consider running plumbing and electricity to your custom bar area during renovations for added functionality. This enables you to have running water, appliances and device charging built seamlessly into your living room bar setup.
DIY Living Room Bar Ideas
You don't need an expensive renovation to add a bar to your living room. DIY bars are budget-friendly projects you can tackle in a weekend for much less. Repurpose furniture, build your own bar from scratch or customize an inexpensive cabinet for a custom look without the designer price tag.
Repurposed Furniture Into Bar
Browse thrift stores and online classifieds for unique furniture pieces to repurpose into a DIY bar. An old buffet sideboard makes a charming cabinet bar. Upcycle a vintage dresser into a makeshift backbar by removing the clothing rods and adding shelves. Paint, replace hardware and style with your barware collections.
Budget-Friendly Builds and Upgrades
Basic home improvement skills allow you to create a custom wall-mounted or standalone bar on a budget using lumber, pipes and other basic hardware supplies. Upgrade an inexpensive cabinet from big box stores with special features like corrugated metal panels, tile backsplash, lighting under the bar lip or pegboard walls to hold bar tools.
Creative Small Space Solutions
Work around awkward living room spaces and small square footage with crafty solutions like corner-mounted shelves, wheeled cart bars, or wall mount folding down bar tables. Multi-functional furniture also allows you use the bar surface as a desk or dining table when entertaining is over. The options are limited only by your imagination.
Living Room Bar Stool and Table Ideas
Bar seating and standalone tables provide surfaces for resting drinks or serving appetizers to guests in your living room bar area. Choose bar stool styles and table shapes suited for holding plates and glasses balanced during mingling and conversations.