For our team, some of the most exciting home remodeling projects are the ones where homeowners really lean into what they love. We love being able to think creatively and help our clients create spaces where their passion can flourish.
The home wine bar is a classic example. True wine enthusiasts need a dedicated place to properly store and enjoy their wine collection. For other homeowners, a home bar is geared toward making cocktails, building the perfect atmosphere for gathering with friends, or just working as the perfect complement to a spacious living area.
In this post, I'll show examples from our remodeling portfolio that demonstrate just some of the ideas and design principles that can be put into action to construct your ideal home bar.
If you're someone who always wants the perfect bottle to pair with what you're serving for dinner, you need a lot of well-organized space for your wine collection. In this Urbandale remodel, we built an extensive wine cellar with wall-mounted wine racks for horizontal storage as well as slanted vertical cabinets to display specific bottles. In the center, we also designed a tasting area with wine glasses and a small countertop. With dark wood throughout, this wine cellar and wine bar emanates upscale elegance while remaining highly organized and functional.
Temperature control is critical to preserving high-quality wines, and this cellar acts as its own wine fridge, offering effective temperature regulation so that wine ages without incident. Open racks allow wine bottles to be displayed with the label out, and unique design elements like the wood-finished chandelier and herringbone wood floor add a touch of style and refinement.
This dark speakeasy design gives you an idea of how you can approach your bar if mixing drinks is your jam. Dark cabinets and countertops create a low-key, nightclub vibe that is punctuated with accents like the green brick backsplash, sleek leather bar stools, and metallic accents from the pendant lights. In this home, glass-front cabinets keep high-end bottles on display while including extra protection against unwanted access from younger family members.
The beauty of this approach is that it can be adapted to your personal style, giving you the flexibility to develop a speakeasy vibe that best suits your home.
For this wet bar, our client didn't want white walls or perfectly clean lines. Instead, their inspiration came from natural materials. The wood bar/island is a statement piece, showing off the wood grain and irregular shape and texture of this natural material. The stone walls and backsplash offer more textural and visual contrast, and pendant lights hang down from a solid wood beam.
There's enough countertop space to make drinks or prepare snacks, plenty of ambient lighting, and ample storage for plates and glassware.
This wet bar surrounded by open shelving creates a vibrant, light-filled space with high-end contemporary design elements. Patterns abound, from the backsplash to the stylish countertop, to the backs of the bar stools, and the dynamic chandelier.
The open shelving enables easy access as well as a compelling display of bottles and glassware. This kind of bright and glimmering wet bar creates an inviting atmosphere to celebrate the weekend or enjoy a fancy cocktail with friends and family.
An innovative approach we've taken to some kitchen remodels is to include a separate bar area within an open-kitchen design. In this case, we built a separate bar with its own color palette and distinct hardware, giving it a sense of harmonious contrast with the rest of the kitchen.
This sleek and modern bar can work as a place for mixing drinks or can be set up as a coffee bar. Homeowners find that this type of auxiliary bar is a great addition to their kitchen remodels because it makes it easy to get a drink or a cup of joe while other people are in the kitchen. In that way, it can improve flow and keep the kitchen from becoming a chokepoint in the mornings or during a dinner party.
This is the perfect solution for a tucked-away wine bar, with a compact and cozy design that can fit in many different spaces, including a dining room, family room, or even a hallway (as in this remodel). It's an ideal choice if you have limited space but want to create an attractive spot for pouring a glass of vino.
In this home, we installed a small counter and closed cabinets with wall-mounted shelving above. This offers just enough storage and working space for a wine enthusiast to enjoy their collection while also creating a visual twist as you walk through the main floor.
Sometimes the main goal of a wet bar in a remodel is to provide convenience and practical storage. For this project, the basement had tons of square footage that our client wanted to make into a relaxing living space. So for this remodel, the wet bar wasn't the focal point, but it needed to include certain essential elements, like a mini fridge, sink, microwave, and a mix of cabinets and drawers.
To keep the space more open, we didn't install an island, and to create visual cohesion, we matched the color tones throughout the basement. Some wall art in the wet bar spruces things up with a touch of personal style while achieving the central goal of having an easily accessible wet bar that complements the basement living space.
One design option for many home bars is the wrap-around peninsula. The benefit of this layout is that it gives you more counter space and gives the bar more gravity within the room. It's not just a place to pass through, but somewhere you can sit and enjoy an appetizer and sip on a drink.
We especially like this type of floor plan when there's already a space restriction. For example, in this basement project, we felt the peninsula worked better (and was more cost-effective) than trying to take out the wall on the far end. Instead, we turned that wall into part of the bar's backsplash, using it and the peninsula design to demarcate the bar area.
As these examples show, home bars can take many forms. The key is to identify your priorities and assess what's possible in your space so that it's truly your bar.
At Compelling Homes, we specialize in custom home remodeling. We start by understanding your needs and then apply creativity and vision, working with you to develop a plan that is tailored to your home.
As a design-build firm, we manage remodels from start to finish, handling all the details from initial brainstorming to the final inspection. We've been serving the Des Moines region for over 15 years and take pride in our long track record of projects completed to the highest standards.
If you're thinking about installing a wine bar or are wondering how to include a wet bar in your remodel, we'd love to collaborate. Contact us today to schedule a free in-home consultation, and let's explore what we can accomplish together.