The lockdown years sent many ripple effects across British homes. Our interiors became more biophilic as we yearned for the great outdoors, makeshift home offices sprang up left, right and centre, but perhaps most indulgent of them all was the explosion of home bars or, at the very least, home bar adjacent ideas like drinks cupboards and cocktail trolleys.
Yes, between the first national lockdown and Autumn 2021, 2.7 million UK households tried their hand at installing their own, likely a bit stir crazy and certainly longing for the conviviality of their local pub.
Now, whether you’re late to the (cocktail) party or you’ve only just acquired the means to upgrade your entertaining areas, these 12 home bar ideas will have you raising a glass to their ingenuity. Who knows, if you recreate the bar experience just so, you might find that the evenings spent unwinding at home glass-in-hand start outnumbering the nights out.
If You Need an Excuse to Live the Home Bar Life…
We get it; home bars aren’t exactly subtle, nor do they come cheap, but before you shut down the idea, hear us out.
You should consider a home bar if you have a hankering after one central, cordial entertainment space where people can unwind with a cocktail or a prosecco – and a sense of sophistication. It’s not just budding mixologists and craft beer nerds that can appreciate the feature; teetotallers can also get in on the action with the addition of a juice bar or coffee station, or indeed, some hybrid of the aforementioned.
It doesn’t have to be extravagant, even. With decorative trays, drinks trolleys, and sideboards at your disposal, you need only carve out a small nook in your kitchen, living space or dining room. The cherry on top? Forget about last calls at the bar. From the comfort of your own home, it’s always your call.
12 Home Bar Ideas That’ll Give Your Favourite Pub a Run for Its Money
*Rubs hands together* It’s the part we’ve all been waiting for: the inspiration to add to our mood boards. Grab a cuppa, as we’re about to proffer up 12 of our favourite home bar ideas, each taken from real-life homes.
View this post on Instagram
1. Find the Zest for Life with Bold Shades
Bright doesn’t have to mean garish. This lovely little example from Annie Elliott Design is a testament to that; the green here is vibrant yet sophisticated, and the way it ties in with the glass of the spirit bottles and splashes of gold from the handles introduces a wonderful sense of dynamism.
View this post on Instagram
2. Nestle the Home Bar Into a Breakfast Nook for 24/7 Versatility
Home bars aren’t strictly about practicality – often it’s simply a means to show off the booze collection and your eye for design with the décor. However, the breakfast nook x home bar begs to differ. By positioning a small wine cabinet beside the seating arrangement, you can switch between brunch mode and cocktails when the time calls for it.
View this post on Instagram
3. Celebrating Life with the Eclectic Kitchen Island
Nothing makes us more ecstatic than seeing an eclectic interior pulled off in an effortless fashion. With your ideas for home bars, in particular, there’s plenty of room to play around with colour palettes, texture and scale. Your cocktail equipment, spirits and glasses can even contribute, since they add visual interest to the scheme.
View this post on Instagram
4. Add a Touch of the Mid-Century Modern
We can’t express how much we adore this mid-century modern home pub idea. The mini shelving unit above helps anchor the zone, whilst adding needed storage space, and the gold-themed décor glows thanks to the table lamp.
View this post on Instagram
5. Work With What You’ve Got: The Open Shelving Bar
If you have a dining room something like this – i.e., there’s a dining table in situ and plenty of open shelves on the wall – you can swiftly turn the corner into a makeshift bar without breaking the bank. That said, though, if you are feeling boujee, why not splash out on some bespoke kitchen lighting? It helps develop the ambience whilst providing essential task lighting.
View this post on Instagram
6. Whisk Guests Away Into a Romantic Past
Another design route to try is traditional. If you have the fortune of getting your hands on an antique find such as this incredible pocket bar, creating a sense of grandeur isn’t difficult. Decorate the surface with a few trinkets, pack it with your favourite liquors and illuminate the space with a lamp or two, and what you get is pure class.
View this post on Instagram
7. Take Notes from Lived-In Minimalism
Minimalism and complexity aren’t mutually exclusive. While the scheme might be pared down, a lot of the hard lifting comes through materials, silhouettes and well-chosen accessories. Here, the crystal and other drinkware aren’t tagged on; they’re embedded in the décor. Plus, the brass bar shelf screams sophistication.
View this post on Instagram
8. Bring On the Glam with an Intentional Lighting Scheme
With small areas, a lot hinges on the lighting, and this remains true for the home bar, no matter how showy or humble. We suggest borrowing ideas from your favourite establishments, be they a classic English pub, hotel foyer or fancy rooftop bar. In the above example, the balance is struck perfectly: plenty of natural light from the windows, some visual intrigue overhead and then a dash of accent lighting around the rim of the bar.
View this post on Instagram
9. Let the Barstools Do the Talking
Although the wallpaper is pretty busy in this tailored bar space, the barstools aren’t receding into the background. Instead, the block shade of pink allows them to stand their ground in the most beautiful way. Take this as your sign to experiment with barstool styles – there are so many out there that can flip the whole scheme on its head, in a good way.
View this post on Instagram
10. Turn Cupboard Space Into a Statement
Sometimes we don’t want the booze on display 24/7. A great way to get around this problem without having to resort to saying goodbye to your home bar is by putting it in a pantry cupboard. This way, you have the best of both worlds: a streamlined-looking kitchen and a hidden surprise. Great if you’ve kids in the house.
View this post on Instagram
11. Remix Classic Silhouettes with Modern Colours
Taking traditional shaker kitchen fixtures and bathing them in colours that feel unmistakably modern is a beautiful way to remix old classics. The ice cream pink notes of the cabinetry here are so decadent against the hints of grey in the marbled work surfaces.
View this post on Instagram
12. Raise Eyebrows with a Beautiful Alcove Bar
Did you hear that? It’s last orders, and so we’ve got one final home bar idea on the menu. This alcove bar is simply stunning. Neither overly decorated nor sparse, it feels distinctively adult, mature and cocooning, but it’s the details that do it for us. The hardware? The fluted cabinetry? Gorgeous.
Guiding Considerations to Ground You
Before we love you and leave you, let’s pile on a few helpful considerations that will support you along the decision process. We always find that while inspiration in isolation is galvanising, it’s easy to come to a standstill when you get to actually weighing up your options.
Types of Home Bar
This guide has sprinkled in plenty of types of home bars, but if you want a grasp on the sheer optionality, here’s a handy list.
- Kitchen island bar – ideal if you already have an island that could do with more frequent use
- Kitchen countertop bar – when you’re craving a home pub, but space is at a premium
- Pantry or shaker cabinet bar – as above, but also stunning in a farmhouse kitchen
- Sideboard bar – harks back to the original use of the sideboard, stylish and fits the mid-century style like a glove
- Drinks trolley – cheap, easy, portable; what’s not to love?
- Open shelving bar – with a tiled or painted backdrop, it floods your interior with character and side-steps the need to buy additional furniture
- Alcove or nook bar – a classy way to build dimension and ideal if you’re aiming for the French bistro style
- Banquette bar – combine window seating and the snug feel of a corner for all-round cosy pub vibes
Materials
Materials matter – end of discussion. The more natural ones, like wood and ceramics, bring warmth through texture and their connection with nature, while metals and synthetic materials encapsulate a more modern feel. Don’t leave your fittings – handles, door knobs, taps etc. – out of the conversation, either. By coordinating the seemingly inconsequential details with the broader scheme, or perhaps using them as a point of contrast, it brings a level of richness and complexity that triggers the happy hormones in our brains.
Size & Storage
As with any home décor project, planning around size and storage comes with the territory. If you need to be space-savvy due to an awkward layout, a small non-traditional bar surface or nook might be your best bet, whilst commodious rooms with unused spaces are the perfect excuse to go all out with an island or custom-made bar.
In terms of storage, don’t forget to utilise vertical space; open shelving and hooks toe the line between functionality and style so well, and overhead cabinets free up room for a plethora of kitchen island décor ideas.
Let’s Drink to That
If there’s anything that these home bar ideas have proven, it's that the ostentatious, live-laugh-love aesthetic conjured by the word need not keep you hostage. Be bold, be creative, and above all, be intentional. By taking a leaf from some of these home pub concepts, along with the lighting strategies we see out in the wild, you can turn a neglected corner into a sight worth drinking in, and untapped furniture into indisputable centrepieces. And to that, cheers!
