We can work from home and we can play from home. What better way to add a little of fun into the day-to-day routine than with a drinks cabinet or home bar?
At the conclusion of the workday, when the final Zoom call is complete it’s time to relax and pour ourselves a glass of something delicious.
Whether it’s a drinks cabinet, side table, shelving unit, or full-scale home bar, outfit yourself with enough style and elegance to rival even the finest cocktail club or speakeasy.
Your home bar can be in your kitchen, dining room, living room, or in a designated drinking room. I embrace the work hard, play hard philosophy with a drinks cabinet in my office, Mad Men-style.
If you cook for your household on a regular basis, having the home bar in the kitchen is ideal. It makes running back and forth between preparing food and entertaining much easier. Putting your home bar in the living room is a good choice if being cozy and comfortable are your priority. If your dining room is big enough, you could have your home bar at one end. But if the space is too small, it risks feeling cramped and crowded.
A conservatory is also a beautiful location for a home bar with the benefit of feeling like you’re at an outdoor party and giving access to the patio and pool area from the bar.
The size of the room will determine whether you choose to go for a full-scale fitted home bar, a drinks cabinet, side table, or cabinet. You don’t want the space to feel cramped and if you plan to include bar stools or other seating arrangements, ensure there’s enough room for everything without people feeling hedged in.
To further integrate the bar into your space, keep it feeling personal with little touches such as candles, photographs, or flower arrangements. Once all the decorative additions are in place, you must remember the home bar essentials. The most important home bar necessities include:
Tools, such as a shaker, strainer, measuring cap, knife, muddler, and blender
A bottle of each of your favorite spirits
A selection of mixers such as soda water and ginger beer
A selection of glasses, including highballs, lowballs, and flutes
An ice bucket
A beautiful classic shagreen bar set from AERIN.COM
To finish it off, you definitely need to install some great lighting. Whether you opt for a pendant lamp hanging over the bar, recessed lighting above or within the bar itself, or a table lamp at one end, it’s a good idea to trade standard lighting for something more sexy to complete the look.
Linda Price-Bennett
Currator of The Good Life ™