Creating the Perfect Home Bar

Updated on: September 5, 2022

It's time to skip the high priced cocktails at restaurants and create your own libations in the comforts of your own home with a simple project… building your own bar. With just a little space and some extra time, you can easily build your own wet bar at home, complete with storage, refrigerator, and style!

Planning is key when tackling this project. You need enough space to fit in what you need… cabinets for storage, a refrigerator for keeping sodas, beer, and wine cool, a sink and faucet for washing glasses, and the right amount of lighting to illuminate this space. You will need a water line for your sink so have that all mapped out before starting. A quick note on dimensions - a small under counter refrigerator is typically 24" wide, a sink can be as small as 6" to 7" wide; countertop height is 42" high. If you want upper cabinets, you need at least 36" minimum above your countertop. Also, keep in mind; if you plan on building your bar in close proximity to your kitchen, you need to select the same cabinets or at least complementary cabinets to the ones that are in your kitchen.

Here's a design we created for a customer. Instead of plain fillers, fluted fillers and rosette were used to achieve a more custom look.

For your cabinets, I would plan out all the glasses and cocktail accessories you need to store, and design your cabinetry based on that number. It's best to have a little extra room than not enough! There are so many custom options available with cabinets these days, if space allows, I would definitely try to squeeze in a built in wine rack. It frees up your counter and it looks great. I would also consider glass-front upper cabinets if you want to show off all your fine glassware!

It is also important to have a small sink and faucet built in to the bar. It allows you to wash your glasses right there rather than having to carry them back and forth to the kitchen. The sinks for these areas are a lot smaller than your average sink and come in different shapes; square to circle to rectangle and oval. Believe it or not, you can up the design with your faucet selection. If you are going for a modern touch, choose a sleek, clean-lined faucet with angular handles. If you have more of a vintage, country side, look for one that has a gooseneck and more classic handles.

As with any interior project, lighting is very important. You want to make sure there is enough ambient and task lighting so you can see the bar and everything in it! For your ambient lighting, I would place recessed lighting close to the bar area. That will provide your general lighting for the space. For the task lighting, place under cabinet LED lighting on the upper cabinets. If you aren't planning on upper cabinets, place pendants hanging above the counter and that will provide the necessary lighting.

Now the important part, stocking the bar! For glassware, you need wine glasses (red and white), a lowball (or old-fashioned) glass for when you are serving a drink "on the rocks", a highball glass for mixed drinks, martini glasses, a few shot glasses, and pint glasses for beer. Also have a cocktail shaker and stirrer on hand for when you need to mix it up! If mojitos are your thing, a muddler is a must have so you can crush the mint for the drink.

Creating your own bar at home will take a little time, but if it's planned right, the project will be a breeze!