If you have a passion for entertaining at your home, creating a spectacular home bar should be on your home remodeling to-do list! As your general contractor in Las Vegas, GI Construction will help you design and build a home bar that is both functional and attractive–creating a fabulous space that will become the focal point of your room! A home bar is truly the definite “hang out spot” that provides the perfect place for gathering friends or simply winding down after a long day. There are a variety of ways to style your bar so it may become the entertainment centerpiece you’ve always wanted!
Bar Location
When starting your Las Vegas home renovation project, you will first want to discuss with your Las Vegas general contractor the best location for your home bar. Some homes have areas for a bar already in place, but others will require some work. Popular places in the home for the bar would be the family room, dining room, basement, an alcove area off the kitchen, under the stairs, converted closet, home theater/studio, enclosed porch, and of course outside a patio bar or swim up bar–both being popular for homeowners who prefer entertaining outdoors. Although some bars require a good deal of space, you can still create a fabulous home bar anywhere in your home should you have minimum space to work with.
Plumbing & Electrical
You will also want to plan ahead with plumbing and electrical to accommodate for appliances–such as a refrigerator, sink & disposal, trash compactor and perhaps a wine cooler if you are a wine enthusiast. Make sure you have enough electrical outlets in strategic places to accommodate work and prep areas and appliances such as blenders. If you enjoy watching sports or movies while drinking, perhaps accommodating an area for a tv would be something to consider.
Bar Theme
After choosing the location of your bar and making sure the space will accommodate the electrical and plumbing, you will want to decide the theme of your bar. Will it be something in the same interior design scheme as the rest of your home, or will you do something completely different? Will it be a sports tavern theme, beachy theme, winery theme, musician’s lounge theme, or a western saloon theme complete with western saddle bar stools? There are so many creative ideas out there it can be overwhelming which to choose from. Something you can do to narrow it down is think about the bars that you have been to that make you feel good when you walk in. Pull ideas from these designs and search ideas online as well. Once you have decided on your theme, it’s time for the fun to begin!
Bar Shape
The shape of your bar will be based on the space allowed, the scheme of your room and the theme you have chosen to go with. You might decide on a walk-up bar that is a straight one dimensional unit along a wall. Adding an island piece across from this for seating is another option. An L shape bar is probably the most common bar shape for the home, and can be used in small or large spaces. If you have more room to work with, the horseshoe bar shape always makes a big statement. If you have minimal space to work with, you can always opt for a mobile bar cart that you can move indoors or outdoors.
Bar Top Material
When choosing material for your bar top, you will want to consider style, functionality, durability and maintenance. Some of the most popular bar tops are:
-Granite: Available in many colors and styles and its beauty and longevity stands the test of time
-Onyx: Multiple layers of contrasting colors and translucency make Onyx a stunning choice especially when backlighting is used.
-Slate: Offering a subtle textured look
-Marble: Unique, elegant with a classic look–marble is a luxurious choice many homeowners cannot pass up
-Quartz: Offered in a wide range of colors, low maintenance and extremely durable–quarts is a wonderful choice for a home bar
-Wood: There’s nothing like the richness of wood to bring out the beauty of your bar
Bar Seating
Seating will also depend on the space, shape, and theme of your bar. There are plenty of wonderful bar stool designs out there, but make sure they are both attractive and comfortable.
Lighting
Lighting up your bar is one of the more fun tasks when creating your home hangout. Strategic lighting in shelving and cabinetry can show off your glassware and other decor. Lighting up the island is also a beautiful way to accent, as are hanging up pendants or string lights. As mentioned with the Onyx counter, incorporating backlighting is a stunning way to show off your bar.
Storage
Planning for cabinetry, shelving and drawer space is always important in your home bar design. You will want it to be both attractive and functional, and strategically designed for certain items to be exposed you want to show off, as well as other items to be out of sight in cabinets and drawers.
Appliances
Many home bars are simply a place to drink and hang out and don’t have all the amenities. But if you want to go all out and have a fully functionable wet bar, you may consider sink along with disposal, fridge with ice maker, trash compactor, wine cooler and a TV.
Stocking
Stocking your bar is of course the most fun step in creating a home bar. Make sure you have plenty of glassware for different kinds of cocktails such as wine glasses (both for red and white), champagne flutes, beer glasses, margarita glasses, high ball, low ball tumblers, martini glasses and if you’re into doing shots on game nights, matching shot glasses are in order. Aside from glassware, you will have fun shopping for some of these items to make your bar set up for the maximum cool!:
Liquor
Vodka | Gin | Bourbon Whiskey | Scotch | Tequila (Gold or Silver), Rum (light, dark and Malibu), selection of beers (light and dark), wines (red and white, champagne, and a few after dinner liqueurs such as Baileys, Cognac, Amaretto etc.
Mixers
Club Soda | Tonic Water | Coke | Sprite or 7up | Ginger Ale | Orange Juice | Cranberry Juice | Pineapple Juice | Tomato Juice | Margarita Mix | Pina Colada Mix
Garnishes
Limes | Lemons | Cherries | Cocktail Olives | Cocktail Onions | Horseradish | Tabasco Sauce | Celery sticks | Sea Salt/Kosher salt | Pepper | Sugar
Misc Accessories
Martini shaker | Toothpicks | Napkins | Straws | Wine opener | jigger | tongs | bottle opener | Cocktail recipe book | Coasters | cleaning supplies | towels
*Misc Decor
Mirrors, hanging wine glass rack, bottle racks, wall hangings & artwork, amusing drinking signs, chalkboards, neon signs,
*Bonus Bar Room Extras
jukebox, foosball, ping pong, pool table
*And don’t forget the ice!!
Remodeling home improvement in Las Vegas for a home bar is an exciting project that doesn’t take long to complete. Once you’re ready to begin, GI Construction will be with you every step of the way!
