6 Beautiful tips to designing your own mini bar at home!

Asha Bogenfuerst Asha Bogenfuerst
Auto-Bars und Auto-"Schränkchen", Automöbeldesign Automöbeldesign Salas de estar ecléticas
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Have you ever been thirsty after a long day at work but too tired to go to a bar? Imagine if you had your very own handmade mini bar that you can go home to and have a drink in a relaxed atmosphere in the comfort of home. Why not just buy a ready made mini bar? Because making your own bar lets you bring out your personal style, and it's also a great project that you will pat yourself on the back for later. 

A mini home bar is a convenient spot for friends to get together and enjoy a few drinks. It provides a versatile and fluid environment where you can play any music you like or none at all if you please. Economically speaking, the home bar is a big money saver as you will save lots of money on buying drinks in bars and eating out. Instead, you can have even more fun relaxing at home with friends and having your favourite snacks and finger food at arm's length. The rest of this idea guide will present you with the basic instructions on how to make your own mini wooden bar. 

Size and Location

Take measurements of the length and width of the space you have appointed for the mini bar. Remember to also measure the space for chairs or bar stools to be placed next to the bar. The vertical space from the bar to the ceiling should also be taken note of. Make sure you leave enough space for pendant lamps or decorations that you can hang from the ceiling. You might just decide to spice up your home bar with a disco ball later on, so it's best to leave space for imagination to flow. 

Choose the best design

The great thing about making your own bar is that you can choose a design that suits you best. So, think about where you would place the bar. What kind of shape would fit best there? Some options you have are straight, L-shaped, U-shaped or C-shaped configurations.The shape of the bar should coordinate with the shape of the base you will mount it too. 

You can mount the bar top onto almost anything. Pictured here, we see a mini wooden bar top mounted onto part of an old car. You can also stack up pallets or re-use old furniture. Choose the best design based on the space it will fill, your needs, and your preferences in style as well. 

Choose the right wood

Many varieties of wood are available and each one has its own unique qualities. If you're on a budget, we would recommend choosing softwood. Softwoods aren't actually weaker than hardwoods, rather they come from coniferous trees like pine, fir, cedar, and tend to be a yellowish to reddish colour. Generally softwoods are less expensive than hardwoods because most coniferous trees grow fast and straight. 

Pine is excellent for making furniture, and is very easy to work with as it is relatively soft. Fir is harder than most other softwoods, and cedar is one of the most aromatic woods. Redwood is often used for outdoor projects because of its resistance to moisture. As for hardwoods, oak and cherry are one of the most popular ones to use for furniture, and are relatively easy to work with. Birch is the most easily available, and is less expensive compared to many other hardwoods. 

Required tools

Before you start work, prepare all the tools you will need for the job. You will need a screw gun, screws, nails, hammer, table saw, tape measure, pencil, wood for the bar top, and material for the rest of the bar. If you don't have all the tools you need, consider borrowing some or buying some secondhand instead of buying brand new tools. DIY projects are meant to be sustainable in every way it can be. 

The simple yet elegant home bar pictured here is designed by KathKarma Interior designer and space planner based in Agra, India. 

Building the frames, legs, and bottom

Start with building the frame – the legs and the bottom. Take measures and then cut to desired shape and size. The height and width of the legs, and the space between them should be exactly the same for both sides.

You can use a different material other than wood for the frame if you want to give your bar a dynamic look. Use wrought iron for a Mediterranean look and old furniture for a vintage look. 

Shelves

Don't forget to install shelves to your mini home bar. It will be much more convenient, and also make your bar look more professional. The classic design is to have the shelves installed behind the bar along the wall, however if you lack the space for that, you can also install shelves below the bar on the serving side.

Browse through bar designs here on homify to gather more new ideas and interesting styles for your mini home bar. 

Bar top

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 After cutting the bar top out and nailing it into position on the base, sand down the the outer door edges to give it a more finished look. Next,sand down and stain the rest of the wood and the shelves as well. Finally, apply three coats of waterproof sealer. 

We hope you've enjoyed this idea guide as much as we have. For more home tips, inspiration, and ideas, have a look at creative uses for used wine corks

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