DIY bar? What You Need to Know to Create Your Dream Home Bar

What’s in this home DIY bar article

A home bar can be an attainable goal for many homeowners, and a custom bar can have many different uses. Think coffee bar, snack bar, dessert bar, or cocktail bar. So, whether you envision a sleek, modern bar in your living room or a cozy pub-like retreat in your basement, creating your own DIY bar can elevate your entertaining game, provide a personal sanctuary, and add a unique touch to your living space.

It’s also a place to just sit around and chit-chat with friends and family. Seriously, this is a great way to make your home more awesome! But how can you create a bar of your dreams? Well, whether you build a DIY bar or trick one out to make it a custom bar for your needs, here’s what to consider before you get started in creating a bar at home.

Why create a home DIY bar?

So, you’re not a drinker, and you already have some nice areas for sitting when guests come over, so why would you build a bar? Even if you do like to drink, why build a home bar when you could actually go out to a bar? A DIY bar project can take an entire weekend to build. You’ll be able to create the custom bar you want, if you have carpentry skills. You can also buy a small home bar and then trick it out with custom bar features.

Enhanced Entertainment

A home bar provides a dedicated space for entertaining guests. It can be a small gathering of friends or a larger party. A designated area to serve drinks can make your home the go-to place for social events. It can add an element of sophistication and fun, making your gatherings more memorable.

Personal Sanctuary

Your home bar can be more than just a social hub; it can also serve as a personal retreat. Imagine unwinding after a long day with your favorite cocktail in the comfort of your own home. This space can be tailored to your tastes and preferences, offering a unique escape from the daily grind.

Potential Added Value for Your Home

Just go on Zillow for a moment. Are the homes with bars a bit more expensive? Good, that’s another benefit of this project. Overall, a well-designed home bar that’s more than a countertop and bar stools can increase the value of your property. Potential buyers often view a home bar as a bonus, a feature that sets your home apart from others on the market. It can also be a selling point that adds charm and character to your home.

Creative Outlet

So, just think about it for a moment; getting the chance to design and build your at-home bar is a fantastic creative project. But it allows you to express your personal style and tastes, whether through the choice of decor, the type of bar you create, or the selection of beverages you stock. It’s a fun and fulfilling project that can bring a sense of accomplishment once completed.

How to create a home bar

Here are the steps to create your home bar.

Choose the Right Location

When creating a custom bar at home, it’s all about space availability, accessibility, and having the right atmosphere. So, go ahead and assess how much space you have and where it would fit best. For the most part, basements, living rooms, backyard decks, and dining areas are popular choices for a DIY bar.

So, why these areas? Well, a basement can offer a cozy, pub-like feel. A corner in the living room or dining room can be sleek and modern, and a backyard deck bar is ideal for summer gatherings.

Home DIY Bar Style

Not sure about the home bar style you want for your custom bar? So this ties back into the ambiance and the space, too. But overall, the chosen style should reflect your overall taste, preferences, and desires. 

• Modern: For the most part, this is the easiest to achieve and there’s usually home bar packages that immediately come in this style, so, think clean lines, minimalist design, and a sleek finish. Often features materials like glass, stainless steel, and marble.
• Rustic: Most rustic homes are all about being warm, cozy, and inviting. Think wooden bar tops, exposed brick, and vintage accessories.
• Industrial: Now, this style is super popular in cities. So, this bar offers a blend of modern and rustic with a focus on metal, wood, and utilitarian design.
• Classic Pub: While it can have the classic English feeling with the dark wood, rich colors, and a traditional bar setup with stools and shelving for bottles.

Home DIY Bar Essentials

Supplies for a custom bar at home can be fairly obvious: For a cocktail bar, you need various glasses and drinks (especially if you’re going to do mixology). You also need your stools, a mini-fridge, and some glassware like custom beer glasses (which are super cute and have a unique touch), wine glasses, sherry glasses, champagne glasses, and the list could easily go on and on. You don’t need every glass in the world, but it does make drinks feel more special when you have a bit of a variety. 

If you are designing a snack bar, dessert bar, or coffee/tea bar, make a list of all of the special touches you can include when creating treats for friends. Are there special dessert bowls, unique stirrers or utensils, or exotic teas that can add to the experience? You could also stick to mocktails, sodas, and sparkling water.

Add Personal Touches

Beyond custom glasses and useful accessories for your DIY bar at home, there’s also the sound system, the type of music you play, and the type of lighting you use, and the seating that are also important in creating a fun experience.

For your DIY bar decor, you could add some more unique features, too. For example, you could add a TV or a sitting booth in case multiple people are coming over. If there’s space, consider including games like a dartboard or tabletop games. These are pretty common in pubs, and you’ll usually find them in celebrity homes, too.

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