Currently, the word "bar" means not only a place where alcohol and snacks are sold. It is also called a separate area in the house, where various alcoholic drinks, devices for making cocktails and utensils from which these drinks are drunk are located. To date, the bar in the apartment is an indicator of the material well-being and good taste of the owners.
For whom and for what?
Those who appreciate high-quality alcoholic drinks and prefer to drink them in a cozy home environment, beautifully and comfortably, cannot do without such a detail as a bar. It is also inconvenient without it for those who like to arrange fun parties and friendly gatherings at home. The bottle bar in the apartment is required to perform the following functions:
- Storage of alcoholic beverages. In the house, connoisseurs of high-quality alcohol always have a supply of various drinks for every taste, which are consumed little by little and with pleasure. If there are often guests in the house, it is also better to always havestock rather than buying alcohol just before they arrive.
- Cocktail making. To treat yourself and your guests to cocktails, it is not necessary to go to a bar and overpay there for the opportunity to drink in a noisy and uncomfortable environment. Connoisseurs of comfort who prefer to mix cocktails at home will also need their own bar in the apartment.
There are two types of home bars - stationary (located in one permanent place) and mobile (mobile).
Stationary
This option is suitable for those who like to host frequent parties or corporate meetings with a large number of guests. However, only owners of a country house or a very spacious apartment can afford it.
The installation of a stationary bar in an apartment involves the installation of a bar counter, a rack for bottles and dishes, as well as the purchase of various devices for mixing cocktails. If the area allows, a separate room can be allocated for this purpose. The design of the bar in the apartment includes the use of special lighting, mirrors, a slate board, various posters and the obligatory installation of decorative shelves for bar utensils and fixtures.
Home Bar Furniture
Required attributes of a stationary bottle bar in an apartment are:
- Bar counter, high and narrow. It should be illuminated by lamps hanging from the ceiling. Its countertop can be glass, wooden, marble - the options are endless, it all depends onroom design. If the bar is located in the kitchen, the counter can be used as a dining table. With its help, you can separate the kitchen area in the studio apartment.
- Bar stools - high, corresponding to the height of a particular bar counter, always with a footrest. The material they are made from should match the design of the counter.
- Directly the bar is a rack located behind the bar. Bottles of alcohol are placed on it. For its manufacture, wood and glass are usually used.
Under the counter are usually shelves with utensils and appliances. The bar must have a portable refrigerator with ice.
Stationary mini-bar
If there is no possibility or need to allocate an entire room for storing alcohol, you can arrange a stationary mini-bar in the apartment. According to the type of construction, it can be:
- built-in;
- closed;
- open.
The most unexpected empty places in the house are suitable for arranging a built-in mini-bar:
- a niche in the wall;
- free space under the stairs;
- empty opening;
- free space between rooms in the apartment, for example, between the kitchen and the living room;
- space between roof slopes.
In any of these places you can install a rack or shelves for bottles and dishes, decorate the area in a bar style - with mirrors, lights, posters - creating the appropriate atmosphere.
To place the built-in bar in the interiorapartments, you can use upholstered furniture, for which armrests, backrests or specially built-in niches are usually used.
Bar in the closet
As you can see in the photo, it is most convenient to equip the bar in the apartment in the closet.
The easiest way to do this is to paint the empty cabinet shelves in contrasting colors, install a mirrored back wall and LED lighting, and place alcohol bottles, dishes and appliances on the shelves.
A closed stationary mini-bar is a cabinet standing on the floor or mounted on the wall. The contents of the bar are not visible behind its doors. Such a cabinet fits perfectly into the interior and can become its additional "highlight". Hanging locker must be securely fastened. Do not make it heavier by placing foreign objects on top so that it does not fall and all the bottles stored in it do not break.
Open minibars are rare, as alcohol can't stand the sun's rays. But, installed in a place protected from the sun, it can bring originality to the interior.
The size and configuration of the minibar depends on the size of the room and the availability of free space in it. This can be a combination of floor and hanging open and closed cabinets like a sideboard, or a combination of a built-in floor cabinet with open glass hanging shelves. You can also use a low cabinet like a dresser called a credenza as a minibar.
In order to save space in a small apartment, the bar can be arranged as a wallcabinet-transformer, the outer wall of which leans back, turning into a bar counter, and bottles and accessories are placed on the shelves inside.
What determines the design of the mini-bar
Regardless of whether you will equip a bar in your apartment with your own hands or prefer to purchase a ready-made model, the following parameters should be considered:
- Capacity. A standard minibar holds up to thirty liters of alcohol. This is quite enough for normal home use. Serious collectors will want larger models that cost more and take up more space.
- Number of branches. Depends on whether you intend to store different types of alcohol separately, as well as the need for a variety of tools and fixtures.
- The temperature inside the bar. The usual set of alcoholic beverages is stored under standard average temperature conditions. If the collection includes drinks that require special storage conditions, then the minibar should be equipped with compartments with different temperatures.
When buying or creating a minibar, it is important to consider how many bottles will be stored in it. Only a full bar looks good.
Benefits of a home minibar
Why choose a mini-bar? Because it has a number of undeniable advantages.
- Compact size allows you to place it even in a small apartment.
- The device of such a bar will cost much less.
- If alcohol is stored in the bar, in the kitchenlockers and in the living room frees up additional space for other necessary items.
- Minibar, if necessary, easy to move.
- The presence of special shelves with devices for storing bottles ensures that they do not fall or break.
- The mini-bar decorates the interior and allows rational use of the usable area of the apartment.
The presence of a bar in the apartment indicates the good taste of the owners, emphasizes their status.
Where to place the bar?
The place where the minibar will be located depends on where the hosts are usually used to receiving guests.
If you place a bar in an apartment in the kitchen, then it is most appropriate to arrange it in the form of a locker that matches the design of the kitchen set in appearance. This will allow him to fit well into the interior. You can also make the design of the bar more prominent, as long as it does not stand out from the general style of the room.
Very often, parties and friendly gatherings take place in the living room, so the presence of a mini-bar there is more than appropriate. You can allocate a separate corner or a niche in the wall for its arrangement, or you can simply embed it in the headset without violating the overall style.
Quite often a bar is installed in the office. In this case, the most common design is in the form of a safe.
Very interesting is the idea to equip a bar in an apartment on a balcony or loggia. Even within a small balcony space, you can create a very cozy corner by installing a rack or a bookcase forglasses and bottles, a compact folding tabletop and folding or bar stools. The views from the balcony will serve as a good setting for a pleasant pastime.
Mobile minibar
This is the best option for small rooms with a shortage of free space in them. There are many options for arranging such a bar.
The bar in the form of a small cabinet with a folding outer wall can be easily moved to any room, while the folding wall can serve as a bar counter.
A very popular option for a mobile minibar is the numerous modifications of the table on wheels.
Its advantage is the ability to move it around the house. The multi-tiered design allows you to transport and store bottles of alcohol, dishes and accessories on it. There are a lot of design options for such a bar. This mini-bar in the form of a globe looks especially elegant.
The mini-bar made by hand looks especially original.
DIY mini bar ideas
It is quite easy for people with an extraordinary creative mindset to equip an original mini-bar at home, which will have a unique, memorable design. For this purpose, you can use:
- antique cabinet, sideboard or chest of drawers;
- glass medicine cabinet (looks good in a modern-style apartment);
- old suitcase orchest;
- barrel, inside which you can install shelves, and on top - a countertop.
- old refrigerator;
- piano;
- canister.
This is not a complete list of items that can become the basis for the creative imagination of a home master.
Required Tools
In addition to a variety of alcoholic drinks, the bar should have special equipment for making cocktails.
- Shaker - a container into which cocktail ingredients are poured and mixed. Its design can be classic, consisting of three parts that can be separated, and Boston - in the form of two glasses superimposed on each other.
- Jigger - two measuring cups soldered together.
- Glass for mixing ingredients of the same density.
- Stainer - a special strainer through which a cocktail is filtered to remove pieces of berries or ice from it.
- Mudler - a pestle for grinding berries.
- Long-handled bar spoon.
- Corkscrew.
It is also desirable to have a blender with a juicer function for making fresh juices.
The minibar does not require a large number of glasses for drinks. It is enough to have glasses for whiskey and strong cocktails, tall glasses for tropical cocktails, shot glasses for pure spirits and wine glasses.
Well, the selection of drinks in a home bar entirely depends on the tastes and preferences of the owners.
