Mini Bars For Home
Buy the best mini bars for home selected and recommended by interior designers. By Emily Hilton.
There is something special about coming home after a hard day and going to your very own mini bar. Have it in your billiard room, or right off the den, but just having a mini bar for your home adds shows guest a swagger they may have never noticed. Whip up a martini or a rum and Coke, without leaving the room. Large and smaller sizes are available, and many styles to fit into your room groove. .
Mini Bars For Home
Buying Guide
Emily Hilton
Interior Design Expert
Emily is a young, talented designer, whose professional interests gravitate towards kitchen and dining spaces. She prides herself on her attention to detail, obsession with functionality, and appreciation for craftsmanship.
All of us constantly make an effort at adding more comforts and convenience to our living spaces. Aside from the regular rooms, yards, patios, and home accessories, mini home bars make excellent add-ons to well-designed homes. Depending on the availability of space and size, the kind of mini bar, as well as its accessories, must be considered when choosing between different mini home bars.
- Straight bars or front bars - On one side, these bars accommodate the host; while the guests are on the other. They're often paired with back bars, which consist of shelves that are used for displaying and storing liquor, storage cabinets, and countertops. Built-in back bars paired with front bars create that traditional clubhouse feel perfect for traditional homes or cabins.
- Corner bars - Traditional back bars modified result to corner bars, which are made to sit in corners of rooms rather than being placed against walls. They're best used in rooms where floor space is limited. Because of their small size, they’re more of decorative features rather than complete mini home bar solutions.
- Folding bars - Folding bars are great space-saving options for family rooms, which double as venues for parties and gatherings. The bar's sides open out to extend and create a home bar of the standard size. When it's not used, the sides are folded away to free up more space.
- Hidden bars - They're your best choices if you have children. They're ornate, lockable cabinets, which safely conceal your home bar with shelves, racks, worktop counters, and drawers.
The next thing you have to do is to set a budget when commissioning or purchasing a mini home bar. The exact price will depend on the size of your bar and the specific features that you choose. The average cost of a small custom made basemsnt bar with basic features starts at $2,000, while different mini bar units can be obtained for around $200.
Getting a home bar is an exciting process, so you can easily get tempted at buying a unit that's been equipped with the most elaborate designs and made using the finest materials. If money isn't an issue, you can go ahead and purchase any unit you desire. However, it's a good idea to set a realistic budget so there won't be any financial implications on your purchase.
Another aspect that needs to be accounted for is the size of your new mini home bar. Different kinds of mini bars come in different dimensions. Measure the available space you have inside your home for a mini bar. A back bar that'll go against a wall will require an open space at the front. As for a front bar, it requires ample room so people can stand on each side. Take note: you need to account for the room that's needed for positioning stools, removing items, and opening doors. The regular height of a mini home bar is 40-42 inches. As soon as you've taken the measurements and you've ensured that they are all correct, you can begin the selection and buying process.
Bars & bar sets create excellent entertainment areas and they add to a home’s comfortable atmosphere. Here are the steps on how to choose the best piece based on your needs and requirements.
Before you take a close look at various bar sets available and making a choice on what to purchase, you first need to think about the space or ‘footprint’ that your bar furniture will take up. That includes the table and chairs.
Measure carefully the outdoor space, then use tape to mark the size of the bar furniture that is ideal for your space.
Make similar templates for your chairs, so you’ll see how the furniture set will interact with your space.
You would want space between and around the chairs that will allow people to move around easily.
For outdoor bars, make sure you have enough space for the storage of the bar set if you won’t be keeping it outdoors all year-round.
Bars and bar sets are currently available in various materials – hardwoods like teak and oak, softwoods like pine, HDPE lumber, aluminum, and wicker are all available.
Take into account the following factors if you want to choose the right material(s): maintenance, durability, appearance, comfort, surfaces (how well the surfaces can resist foods and drinks), weight, comfort, and price.
- Softwood
Softwoods are inexpensive as they're abundant in supply, but they don't weather well. They also don't resist spills.
- Hardwood
As for hardwood, it’s durable and resilient, but requires protection and varnishing to stay outside.
- Wicker
Wicker is light and beautiful with its texture, but it is not durable for outdoor use.
- Aluminum
Aluminum, on the other hand, is easy to maintain, resilient, and tough. Its only downside is its vulnerability to wind from its lightweight construction.
- HDPE Lumber
Consider HDPE lumber if you want a material that only needs water and dish soap for its maintenance. It also comes in various colors.
HDPE lumber is a favorite among homeowners as it makes home bars comfortable, luxurious, and stylish with a strong, high quality, and sturdy construction. The material is also manufactured to last an entire lifetime.
The style of bar you choose for your home should blend naturally with the décor of the room. Whether you build a bar extension in your kitchen or create a full bar in your den, man cave, or basement, the bar should follow lines of the room and be kept to scale so as not to overwhelm the space. There are four broad styles of bar to choose from:
The Back Bar
The back bar is what typically comes to mind when you imagine a traditional style bar. It is basically divided into three sections. The first is the bar surface with refrigeration and storage underneath, the next is an open area, and the final section is typically a tall storage area for bottles.
Back style bars are best suited to homes with a dedicated area or room for entertainment. Opt for dark wood finishes for the bar surface and stained-glass storage doors for a traditional look. You can also keep the bar modern and sleek with a marble bar top and stainless-steel storage.
The Straight Bar
A straight bar consists of a bar surface with storage underneath for beverages, snacks, and a refrigerator. The bar top extends out for a wide drinking surface and to allow for adequate legroom for guests.
A straight bar is ideally suited to kitchen and outdoor entertainment areas, as it can be easily incorporated into the layout, and can provide a valuable food prep surface and dining area.
The L-Shape
The L-shape bar has a curved or angled bar top in the shape of the letter L. The shorter side is usually a wet area for washing, with the elongated side used for storage. The protruding bar top extends along the sides to accommodate a large number of guests.
An L-shape bar is a flexible option that can be incorporated into a wide variety of rooms. Despite the seemingly large footprint, L-shaped bars can be a compact option for a room corner that allows for maximum seating in minimal space.
The Corner Bar
When you have limited space, the corner bar is the perfect option for storing and serving your favorite drinks. The design often consists of a narrow cabinet down the bottom for a mini-fridge and open surface for drink preparation and a tall series of shelves for bottle storage.
Look for a corner bar that complements the other storage units in the room or matches the accent pieces. If you have a mid-century modern living area, choose a corner bar with a rosewood finish and tapered legs. Country style entertainment areas benefit from bars made with distressed wood and with ornately turned wood legs.
The best storage for your bar depends on the size of the bar and a variety of beverages you plan to serve.
Closed cabinets offer protection for valuable, high-end spirits and liqueurs. However, some bottles and bar equipment are beautiful accent pieces and deserve to be displayed, in which case open shelving with mirror backing will show them in their best light.
For chilled beverages such as beers and mixers, you need a fridge. Mini fridges and under-counter fridges are a great option as they can be easily hidden from view to avoid spoiling the aesthetic of your bar.
For wine storage, consider a temperature-controlled display case that keeps red and white wines at the perfect temperature for serving. Remember that wine bottles should be stored sideways so that wine can touch the cork.
The real challenge when buying a bar set is deciding on one that comes with the right type and height of bar stools. In addition to form, function, and style, the main thing that you would want to explore is the height.
Here is how you can determine the correct one:
The height of bar stools is typically around 28 to 33” high. The chairs work best paired with a bar height table, which is between 40 to 42”.
A set of counter height stools has chairs that are 24 to 27 inches tall. The chairs work best with a counter height table – generally 34 to 36” high.
You're going to need at least 9 inches and a maximum of 13 inches from a stool’s seat to a table’s underside.
If you have chairs with arms, make sure that they fit with your table.
Choose bar stools with footrests, so the legs of the users don’t get tired.
Leave at least two feet in between the chairs for people to be able to move easily.
You probably do not want your counter chairs combined with bar tables. That won’t just look a bit odd, but the disparity in terms of size also means that the furniture won’t be comfortable to use. That is why most homeowners choose bar sets compared to buying the bar and chairs separately.