Building a Wet Bar – Fun and Functional

It used to be that only the elite homes in your neighborhood had a wet bar, they were an extravagant luxury for those who had a little more cash to burn. But now you see homeowners taking it up a notch and installing these bars in a wide variety of middle class homes. If you're thinking of adding this to your home's decor, know that you have a wide variety of options, from built in to free standing units, small kitchens all the way up to large entertainment areas.

Some people prefer the bar to be out of the way, an unseen asset to the room that's mostly hidden. Others would rather dually feature the home theater area and the adjoining wet bar in order to combine the viewing and eating experiences. Whichever you prefer, you'll want to carefully plan the flow of traffic around the bar, not only walking traffic but where you would put any bar stools for seating. Due to the amount of plumbing involved in the function of a wet bar, it's not easy to move it if you decide later that you do not like how things look or function.

A few things you'll want to consider would be lighting, counter space, room for any appliances (generally not a stove, but definitely a small refrigerator and freezer, sink area, and storage for glasses and standard bar essentials. Some people like to feature their more expensive glassware and alcohol so open cabinet designs are an option. A truly open bar area would be placed away from the wall so the food preparation area is able to view the TV and main seating area. This allows the cook and bartender to be part of the evening's entertainment as well. Most bars would have a countertop that hangs over enough to allow for 2 to 4 simple bar stools to be placed with plenty of leg room and seating area to have a comfortable place to eat.