How to Design the Perfect Wet Bar in Your Home
Whether you love entertaining guests or just enjoy sipping a cocktail at in your favorite chair after a long day, a wet bar can be a wonderful addition to a home kitchen. While many homeowners place the home bar in the basement for parties and larger gatherings, you can also incorporate a wet bar into your kitchen space because this is a natural gathering area for eating and drinking.
Here are some tips for designing to the perfect wet bar in your home and the various considerations that you’ll need to take into account for kitchen installation.
Features of a Wet Bar
Depending on how simple or elaborate you want your home’s wet bar to be, there are various components to a wet bar to plan for. As opposed to a dry bar, a wet bar has its own sink and faucet, which is ideal for making drinks and easy cleanup.
For a wet bar, you will want to install a separate sink in your kitchen for bartending purposes, which will require plumbing setup. At Central Plumbing Specialties, we have all of the plumbing supplies you’ll need for a new wet bar sink, as well as decorative sink models to personalize it as your own. One simple method is to match your wet bar sink with your normal kitchen sink for an easy pairing, such as a stainless-steel undercounter wet bar sink that coordinates with your other stainless-steel kitchen finishes. Bar faucets with detachable spray heads and with integrated filtration systems are also great for wet bars.
Other features that you can include in your wet bar include a wooden counter that doubles as a cutting board, wine glass racks, and extra storage for bottles, garnishes, mixers, and glassware. Perhaps you will also want a wine refrigerator to store bottles at the optimal temperature. You may also want to have wall cabinets with glass doors to display your fine glassware. Meanwhile, an ice maker may benefit your cocktail-making endeavors.
How to Fit a Wet Bar into Your Kitchen Design
Some homeowners are concerned about how a wet bar will look with the overall design of the kitchen to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance with optimal functionality. Open shelves often work well for wet bar storage if you’re looking for a modern and minimalistic design. It’s also a nice way to show off your finest bottle selections and beautiful glassware. Another idea is to install stem-glass holders to the underside of kitchen cabinets to store glassware until it is needed.
Since a wet bar in a home signifies fun and social activity, you can also experiment with bold colors and patterns here in the tiles, countertop, and graphics. But if your wet bar is located in the main floor kitchen rather than a basement, you’ll likely want to stick with designs that are artistic rather than ones that off a “man cave” vibe. If space is a concern, you can build a wet bar on a freestanding island with barstools.
Lighting and Other Considerations
It’s also important to think about lighting when you’re building a wet bar because the right accent lighting can really pull together an interior space. Under-cabinet lighting works well for wet bars because it is practical for your drink-making workspace and also visually attractive. You can also add LED lights to glass shelves and switch up your kitchen curtains to allow for more natural light to come in.
Other wet bar considerations to keep in mind is drawer space and whether additional kitchen cupboards will need to be installed. As with any new home project, consider how many people typically spend time in your home, how large your kitchen is, how many big parties you want to host, and what kinds of drinks you enjoy making the most. Every home wet bar looks and performs a bit differently, which is why this fun home feature is so unique and can be personalized to your own tastes and preferences!