HOW WE UTILIZED WASTED SPACE IN OUR LIVING ROOM WITH A CUSTOM DRY BAR

Four years after moving into our home, we started the process of making updates. We started with the main floor and removed the wall-to-wall carpet and replaced it with hardwood floors. The second thing we had done was highlight a nook in our living room with wall paper. Back in the early 2000’s, desks were seen in living rooms and that is what I wanted to place on that wall, since I couldn’t think of any other purposeful function. A simple long white lacquered table, dressed with a crystal lamp, a few desk accessories and a laptop filled that space in nicely. Years later, I transformed that “desk area” into a console table and then until recently – a wine bar.

Fast forward to spring of this year, my spouse and I went back and forth with ideas on how we can turn this wasted space in our living room into an area that serves a specific function. We knew it would be some type of custom built-in but not sure what exactly. In our dining room, we have a buffet cabinet that housed all of our wine, liquor, glassware, and bar essentials. Since we knew we were going to redecorate our dining room, I thought it would be better to utilize a new dining room buffet for serving food, displaying serving dishes, linens, utensils and for storage. So I came up with the idea of having a wet bar installed in this awkward space. We love to entertain and this would allow the living room to be an alternate gathering place for entertaining friends and family.

Wet bars are typically found in finished basements, as part of the “man cave” or family room but since we do not have a finished basement, the nook in our living room was the perfect spot for this creative design solution! It does not interfere with the traffic flow and the layout of the living space.

This past April, the fun began…working with our favorite designer who offers creative custom storage solutions for your home – from closets, home offices, to entertainment solutions and more. Since we worked with this designer on closet solutions throughout our home, we’ve established a great working relationship over the years. I pulled inspirations photos, jotted down ideas, and started the concept for the design layout. This was going to look great, I thought! Opposite side of the wall-papered wall is a powder room, it has easy access to the plumping for a bar sink install. Add a wine/beverage fridge and we’ve got a wet bar! Well, that didn’t happen. The wall nook measurements are 14″ depth x 71″ length x 8’/11″ height. Therefore, there was no possible way to include a wine/beverage fridge and at that point, why bother having the added cost of a sink?! This went from a wet bar to a dry bar and I had to change the design of the original rendering which at that point was starting to look like nothing but upper and lower cabinets. Disappointed, I looked at the design and thought, how does this look like a dry bar?! Thank goodness for Pinterest! I searched for ideas & inspiration and had our designer add wine bottle storage cubbies, and stemware racks. After about four revisions, we received the final rendering and were happy with the new direction!

We wanted our dry bar to be fully functional and efficient. There were other elements of the design that were important to us…maximize efficient storage space, a countertop material that won’t scratch nor succumb to the wear and tear of every day use or stains from accidental spills, and cabinetry that blends harmoniously with the style and aesthetic or our interiors.

No fridge? No problem! Since the depth of the nook area is too small to house an under-the-counter wine/beverage fridge, I purposely requested the bottom drawer to deep enough to hold tonic water, can juices and sodas for mixed drinks. Whenever we entertain guests, a beautiful bucket of ice will be available on the counter top for self-serve.

We incorporated clever storage solutions for the liquor that included a pull out drawer in each of the bottom cabinets. A shelf was added above it for additional storage space for items like ice buckets, a pitcher, cocktail shakers and not frequently used glassware.

One of my favorite features of the cabinet drawers and doors is the soft-close system, including the pull-out liquor drawers. When designing the dry bar layout, I knew exactly what I wanted to store in each of them. The above picture shows all the metal straws, drink stirs and cocktail picks. Other draws include barware essentials like corkscrews, wine openers, strainer, jiggers, muddler, and a measuring cup. Another drawer includes storage for all our beverage napkins (seasonal and everyday).

DRY BAR DECOR ACCESSORIES AND ESSENTIALS

DRY BAR CABINET LUCITE AND BRASS HARDWARE

When it came to choosing the hardware for the dry bar, we ultimately made the decision to choose the same hardware we have on our custom coat closet, located on the other side of the living room. For cohesiveness, I continued the look with these stylish and modern lucite drawer pulls and toggles with polished brass from LuxHoldups.

Glass inserts on the upper door cabinets were installed – a beautiful way to showcase our collection of glassware. A center open shelf was added to display framed art. Tasteful decor and accessories were added to the countertop which matches the overall style of our living room.