Summer weather just begs for home parties with friends and guests dining and drinking the night away. If you are in the mood for hosting dinner get-togethers and other summer entertainment in your home, you need to have the right equipment to quench your guests’ thirsts. Home bars are ideal as you can serve your guests specialty drinks while controlling the amount of liquor that flows from your bottles. Picking out the right home bar can be a bit confusing as there are a large variety of bars on the market to fit your style and preferences. Here are a few tips to choosing the best home bar for whatever summer entertainment you plan to dish out.
Decide On Whether The Bar Will Be Indoors or Outdoors
The best way to decide on the type of bar you need is to decide on the specifics about placement. Will the bar be indoors in a living room, open kitchen, dining room or den? Will it be placed outside in an outdoor kitchen or as part of an outdoor living space? By deciding on where the bar is placed, you will understand if you need a bar made out of materials that can withstand the outdoor weather and won’t fade from the sun’s ultraviolet light. You also can figure out the style to the bar as you want it to complement the area where it will be placed or make it into an interesting focal point where people can gather.
Figure Out Seating Placement
Seating allows people to feel like they are at a professional bar setting at their favorite watering hole. Yet it can also cause a big traffic jam during the large gatherings as people can’t get in their drink order as you try to please everyone. So consider whether you will have seating by the bar or have guests use the couches and chairs available in other parts of the space. Then think about the number of seats you want. While you would love to have a lot of people to entertain with your drink mixing skills, you don’t want to have tons of chairs taking up room after the party is over. Having the right amount of seating for everyday use is also ideal to keep the area neat and organized.
Will The Bar Have A Sink Or Faucet
Plumbing aspects become important when you are looking to have a full service bar with a sink to wash glasses and a faucet to give a person some water if they have had a bit too much alcohol for the night. These elements will dictate the placement of the bar as you will have to run lines for hot water and cold water for the faucet, as well as drainage lines for the sink. Always take this into consideration regarding the placement and style of the bar, as you may not want to run extra pipes through some areas of the home.
Types Of Drinks You Will Serve
The types of drinks your guests will want can dictate what types of items you will need to stock in your bar, as well as the amount of space you will need to house all the items. If you will be serving mixed drinks, you will need space for blenders, juicers and other preparation equipment. That means your bar will need to have the right amount of counter space for the equipment, and the right amount of under-the-counter storage during the occasions when the equipment is not in use. If you are serving beer, a mini kegerator might be an ideal solution as you have to consider the amount of shelf space to accommodate it in your home bar. Don’t forget the other accessories such as mini fridges and ice makers as the more items you have, the bigger the home bar you will need.
Don’t Forget The Drink Ware
Nobody serves beer in wine glasses or cocktails in beer mugs. Your glassware will decide on how the bar will look with spaces to store mugs, hanging racks for wine glasses and other storage nooks for cocktail glasses. Since you have figured out the types of drinks you will be serving, it will be easier to decide on the types of glasses to store on the bar and the number of glasses to have. Then you can pick out the best home bar that will give you the right amount of space for all the accessories.
Pick Out Your Unique Style
Do you have a traditional decor style, like modern themes, or have a personality somewhere in-between? The styles to home bars are endless along with matching bar stools that will bring the look together into the perfect decor that turns your bar into a conversational piece in the room. Home bars come in many shapes and styles, as you can purchase rectangular bars, round bars, bars with tiered serving levels and other styles. You can also have open bar shelves, sliding doors, or cabinet doors to securely keep all your liquor away from young, curious hands. Whether you want a bar where you can take center stage during the party as you become the bartender or a wet bar where people can serve themselves, there are tons of different home bars to select for your home.
Summer Entertaining Just Got Better With Home Bars
The right home bar for your home is out there. To get an idea about the style and functionality of the bars that are available, check out what is offered at places such as California Stools, Bars and Dinettes. You can get an idea about the bars that may fit into your preferences and the low prices that are offered. Then you can sit down and create a list of the types of things you are looking for in a bar, such as the amount of shelving you want, open or closed bar shelves, protection from adverse weather for outdoor bars, the shape of the bar, the amount of seating and other important features. Once you have figured out what you want in a bar, you can then narrow it down by price.
During the summer, people everywhere will host dinner parties, after-dinner parties and all night celebrations. Having a bar can cut down on the amount of time, and the mess, for people who have to walk from one room to the next to just get a drink. Let your guests have the time of their lives as they are served drinks by their perfect host. Look to having the best bar in your home as it will be an investment well worth getting for your space.