For years I've loved browsing this subreddit looking at others home bar set-ups and it's finally time for my husband and I to build our own! We're working with a woodworker to build a home library (see second photo for design inspo) and one short wall of it will be a wet bar in the same library style. The rough plan is to have full depth kitchen cabinets on the bottom, and 12" deep shelves above to match the rest of the room, with a niche in the centre for a bar sink (the art will be protected and wil essentially serve as a backsplash which the picture light above it providing extra task lighting to the sink area).
As I plan this I'd love to know what you've incorporated into your bar that you love, if there's anything you included and don't use, or anything you missed! Honestly any suggestions are welcome.
I currently have the uppers drawn as open shelves but may want to add cabinet doors to some or all. I plan for this entire wall to be used to store our glassware, liquor, etc., basically all our bar-related things.
We know we want a panel-ready wine fridge in the lower cabinets, and possibly a second fridge to use for mixers, other beverages, milk for a coffee station, etc. I've also just started thinking about a freezer for glasses and ice. Other considerations: should we look at adding an additional dishwasher for glassware? An icemaker even though the kitchen freezer nearby has one? Or anything else I haven't thought of?
Some context about us:
- We only host really large groups a couple times a year and this room isn't large enough for more than 4-6 adults to comfortably gather so big get togethers won't rely solely on this bar, it's more to serve my husband and I and maybe a couple friends.
- We drink wine, beer, and cocktails pretty much equally, but we have a two-tap kegerator in another room and don't drink much beer outside of that. We definitely want a wine fridge in here for storing wine for drinking soon, but will have a secondary wine fridge in our basement for aging wine.
- The kitchen is very close to this room and has a full-sized dishwasher, but we use it a LOT and it is normally full and run every single night already.
- We're expecting our first child and know that our lifestyle will likely change a lot over the next couple decades so while we envision this space to be a nice area for my husband and I to spend quiet time together with a drink, we also realize that practically the wet bar may spend a period of time serving as a coffee station or something instead.