An enormous 7-foot by 4-foot deep, fresh water fish tank serves as the main focal point for this bar by Case Design.
Design professionals are constantly sharpening their skills and pencils to delight clients in conceiving spaces that are all about fun, and homeowners who need a specialized space for entertaining often make the home bar a focal point. “I think home bars are even more popular than they used to be,” says Diana Bales, a designer with Design House Kitchens based in Savage, Maryland. “I think the economic…situation has made entertaining at home much more popular,” she says. Most of the bar projects that Bales works on are in basements, but not all of them. “I have done some very elaborate bar areas on the back side of the kitchen,” she says.
But before the fun of enjoying your new space for entertaining begins, the fun of design and construction must take place—and with all the options for counter materials, cabinetry, bar stools, lighting, appliances, and more, it is easy to get caught up in the sea of innovations.
To help speed through the planning stage and arrive at the enjoyment stage a bit quicker, architect Neal Hodgson, principal of Neal Hodgson Architects in DC offers a few rules of thumb. “We always start by reviewing what spaces are available in the home,” says Hodgson.
“A bar doesn’t have to take up that much space. We allow a minimum of two feet per bar stool, so if you want to seat four people we design an eight foot bar,” he says.
Starcom Design Build Corporation transformed this space by relocating the laundry room and creating a 14-foot opening that looks over the pool and backyard.
Hodgson has designed bar tops from scratch and used actual bars purchased from architectural salvage companies. The other big determinant for size sometimes hinges on appliances. “Usually, there’s a ‘his and hers wish list,’ ” he says. “Sometimes the clients want a dishwasher behind the bar and some want two dishwashers.”
There are some other key numbers to keep in mind. The typical height of a bar top is 42 inches, which is six inches taller than countertop height and a foot taller than a typical tabletop. Having 36 to 42 inches in space behind the bar is also a good idea. “Numbers don’t show up in my head right away,” says Charles W. Craig of Charles W. Craig Interior Design in Arlington, Virginia, “but I will ask clients questions like, ‘how frequently do you entertain, how many guests typically show up, [and] are you going to be the bartender or are you going to hire a bartender?’ ”
If the bar is going on a lower level, additional lighting might need to be added. “[For] the last one I designed in a walk-out basement, we put in a dropped soffit so we could add lighting fixtures,” says architect Lorena Checa of Lorena Checa Associates in Takoma Park, Maryland. “Then we curved the soffit to mirror the curve of the bar to create a sculptural element,” she says.
Fun spaces may invite artistic treatments, but there are essentials a bar has to have. “You need a sink, dishwasher, storage for bottles and glasses, and ideally a concealed space for trash,” says Checa. To add character, some home bars take on a more commercial quality, drawing inspiration from the design of public restaurants and bars.
Case Design created this stylish yet functional custom-made bar with recessed and pendant lighting.
“We’ve done some with keg coolers, taps, and beer chests,” says Christopher Dorsey, senior designer of Kenwood Kitchens in Lutherville, Maryland. “Lighted cabinets with glass shelves are popular, flat screen TVs are nice, and so is having space to display objects. People want all the bells and whistles at home so they don’t have to go out,” he says.
The privacy and flexibility of entertaining at home versus meeting friends out makes adding a home bar attractive, but homeowners should know going in that it entails a bit more than buying a second fridge for beer and installing some built-ins for glassware. “When you think about it, you have a countertop, a fridge, cabinets…you basically have a new kitchen,” says Mark Richardson, president of Case Design/Remodeling based in Bethesda, Maryland. Richardson has seen some of his clients recycle cabinets from a kitchen remodel by using them in a basement bar. Budget calculations should be carefully considered. “Begin with what you’re yearning for. Is the bar the focal point of the room? Ask yourself if it’s what you need or what you want,” says Richardson.
This fluid, free-standing home bar designed by Lorena Checa Associates features curved copper panels. Photo by Kenneth M. Wyner
Dorsey says, “If the bar area is adjacent to another living space it needs to make sense; it has to be big enough to look like it was done on purpose as opposed to being tacked on.” Color, fabrics, finishes, and décor should all complement whatever is going on next door to the bar.
The biggest challenge to making the space look like it was always there (at an acceptable budget) is usually a mechanical issue. “Plumbing access is the real scary part,” says Bales, “if I can get plumbing I can do anything.” In order for a wet bar to be wet you need running water and a drain. If plumbing does not exist in the right location for a basement bar, using a jackhammer on the floor becomes a real and unattractive possibility.
As cliché as it may seem, people really do hang out in the kitchen at parties, and home bars offer a solution to this age-old entertaining conundrum. “Bars can be used to remove guests from the kitchen so cooking can occur,” says Hodgson. Having a separate area specifically for entertaining is a nice thing to have and the process has built-in benefits. “All renovation projects can be fun, but nobody really needs a bar, it’s something they chose to do,” says Richardson. “Because of that, they tend to be fun projects.”
Scott Sowers is a regular contributor to ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
Case Design/Remodeling: casedesign.com or 800-513-2250
Charles W. Craig Interior Design: 703-525-7574
Design House Kitchens: designhousekitchens.com or 800-827-0001
Kenwood Kitchens: kenwoodkitchens.com or 800-211-8394
Lorena Checa Associates: lorenacheca.com or 301-270-2317
Neal Hodgson Architects: 202-362-0196
Owen Contracting: owencontracting.com or 410-721-4343
