Easy tips to build your own home bar

So what is the best way to go about designing a home bar? SundayET spoke to industry experts to understand how to get the best look for a personal bar at home.

Afzal Chandiwala, director of Mumbai-based interior store Living In Style says that the first thing to be considered while installing a home bar unit is availability of space followed by one’s personal taste and style.

“The primary consideration should be whether you require a full service bar that comes with bottle storage, barware drawers, a prep area and extra storage room or smaller, more discreet home bar design.

For apartments with small decorating space, free standing wine bars, mini bars and liquor cabinets can provide ample storage and the flexibility thus making them a perfect choice.”

In fact, there are a lot of options to choose from if space is a constraint. “One can choose from hutch wall cabinet bars which are full sized bar units that fit against the wall like a hutch with built in shelves, bottle racks and glass holders.

Then there are hide-a-bar liquor cabinets, available in a wide range of decorating styles, from discreet mini bars to full-sized units with everything including the kitchen sink. Mini bars and side server liquor cabinets are all space saving and are great for people who need a smaller footprint in a piece of furniture,” adds Mr Chandiwala. Once you have worked around the space element, you can go on to decide the theme and colour tones of the bar. Don’t forget to include classy accessories as that can add the chic look to the bar.

A vital aspect to consider while planning a bar at home are the costs. The cost of designing a standalone wooden home bar unit can work out to approximately Rs 1,50,000 and upwards. And if you want to design exclusively customised permanent bar units, these could cost an upward of Rs 2,21,000. Anurag Kanoria, chief designer of Mumbai-based interior store The Great Eastern Home says that the budget can differ depending on personal tastes and the kind of ambience that one wants to create.

“Designing a home bar will to a large extent depend on your budget requirements. For instance, on an average, the price range of whisky glasses is between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,650 per glass. While the prices of Crystal ice buckets starts at Rs 5,700 and champagne ice buckets at Rs 10,800. So merging all elements together based on one’s budget is necessary.”

Many stores also offer completely furnished home bars that can cost in the range of Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.50 lakh. “The cost of designing a home bar depends on the choice of customers. One can use cost effective options too such as designing a home bar by setting up a rack next to an existing cabinet. Or one can attach a liquor board room to the cabinet and create a home bar,” says Amitabh Bendre, design head of Delhi-based interior store Evok. Whether a small space or large, you now can make a fashionable statement at home with a personal bar. Cheers to that.