If you consider yourself an at-home mixologist, make a killer charcuterie board, and know what wines go perfectly with the dishes you’ve prepared to serve, odds are that you thrive on hosting get-togethers. Not only that, but you probably have an enviable collection of liquors, spirits, and wines to make any fellow hosts swoon. But the perfect collection does not necessarily make the perfect at-home bar; the display of said collection is imperative to a home bar if you want to blow your guests away. Here are six ways you can update your home bar, ranging from easy DIYs to full-on home improvement projects.
Utilize a Bar Cart
Bar carts are a great use of space, especially in smaller homes such as studios and apartments, and they can be a great focal piece for larger home bars. Use a cart as designated storage for wine glasses, rock glasses, and champagne flutes. Or make it the display space for your liquors or mixers.
Bar carts are especially fun because they can add character to your home bar. This is a great opportunity to get your hands into a DIY project. Thrift an old cart, take out the glass shelves, and replace them with mirrored glass. Instantly, you’ve elevated your cart and your space as a whole.
Install Exposed Shelves
When it comes to creating your stunning at-home bar, it all comes down to display. If you want your space to be picture perfect, you’ll want modern serveware that will look beautiful when in use, but also while they sit idle. An amazing way to display all of the beautiful glassware and mixing mechanisms you’ve collected for your own bar is to sit them on exposed shelves for everyone to see.
You can order pre-constructed shelves, or even build your own using pieces of wood from the hardware store as a less-expensive option. This is such a quick and easy way to elevate your space and show off the pieces you’re proud of.
Wine and Beer Cooler
If you host more than just a few times a year, a wine and beer cooler is a must-have for your home bar. Having a chilled bottle of wine ready at a moment’s notice shows your preparedness, dedication to being a great host, and is an all-around classy move.
Why stop at chilled wine, when you can get a cooler that has designated space for beer cans and bottles as well? A wine and beer cooler is a surefire way to upgrade your home bar with little handy-work required. The prices of these coolers can range anywhere from less than $200 to $1500, depending on the size and model. You can make this project as affordable or expensive as you’re comfortable with.
Mount Your Wine Rack
Mounting storage, as mentioned with the floating shelves, is a smart way to make use of the space allotted for your home bar. As you know, wine takes up a significant amount of space and can potentially look cluttered. Mount your wine rack above your counter space to display delicious pinots, merlots, and malbecs as decor, and watch your bar open up. Using a wall-mounted wine rack as storage and organization is functional, while still looking totally elegant.
Install a Funky Backsplash
Home bars are meant to inspire fun, to bring people together, to bring life to the party! There’s no better way to bring life to the bar itself than installing a fun, funky backsplash above your home bar counter space.
While this may sound like quite the task to embark on, there are ways to keep things affordable and doable, especially if you’re willing to get your hands a little dirty. You can certainly go the whole nine yards and install the backsplash yourself, but you can also modify the process to your budget and time allowance. Peel-and-stick tiles are an affordable way to achieve the same look that real tile will give you, it saves a lot of time, and it’s less of a commitment.
Outsource Space Planning
If all of these upgrades are starting to sound like a bigger project than your life has time for, there are professionals out there who want to help you. Consulting space planners and organizers is a step in the right direction of updating your home bar; they know where to get the best products, how to manage all the tasks at hand, and can unload stress that can come with home improvement projects.
Updating your home bar can be as easy, or as in depth as you wish. With projects as simple as plugging in an appliance, to grouting tile backsplash over your counter space, there are plenty of ways you can elevate your home bar. Decide your budget and how much time you can give to the project, then begin!
