Photo of a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped seated home bar in Las Vegas with wood benchtops, grey floor and brown benchtop.

Nottingham house

Alexander James Interiors

Striking in their indigo denim tones, these Harlequin Takara fabric bar stools bring an alluring burst of colour to our indulgently rich wine room design, the thick satin feel adding another layer of luxury.

Parlor Level Bar Details

Urban Chalet Inc.

Photos by Dana Hoff
Mid-sized contemporary galley seated home bar in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, onyx benchtops, beige splashback, stone tile splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Brookville II

Margali & Flynn Designs

Photo: Richard Law Digital
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped seated home bar in New York with a drop-in sink, open cabinets, dark wood cabinets, wood benchtops, brown splashback, ceramic splashback, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

Bar

Kylie Sargent

Home Bar
Inspiration for an expansive contemporary galley seated home bar in Geelong with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, timber splashback and medium hardwood floors.

Energy efficient home

RoJohn Home Improvement Inc

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped seated home bar in Other with granite benchtops, grey splashback, stone tile splashback, concrete floors and grey floor.

Custom Contemporary Hills Home

Brownhouse Design, Los Altos, CA

Scott Hargis Photography Open concept bar located in the great room. This feature creates a separation to the formal dining room.
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary galley seated home bar in San Francisco with no sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, stone slab splashback and bamboo floors.

Contemporary/Modern Wine Cellars

Innovative Wine Cellar Designs

Innovative Wine Cellar Designs is the nation’s leading custom wine cellar design, build, installation and refrigeration firm. As a wine cellar design build company, we believe in the fundamental principles of architecture, design, and functionality while also recognizing the value of the visual impact and financial investment of a quality wine cellar. By combining our experience and skill with our attention to detail and complete project management, the end result will be a state of the art, custom masterpiece. Our design consultants and sales staff are well versed in every feature that your custom wine cellar will require.

Downtown Loft

Dan Macdonald/ Craftsman Kitchens

Trina Knudsen
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary single-wall seated home bar in Salt Lake City with light wood cabinets, glass benchtops and green splashback.

Casa La Barranca

Bernardo Pozas Residential Design

Inspiration for a large contemporary single-wall seated home bar in Austin with flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, grey floor and black benchtop.

Montclair Luxury Basement

JSE Interiors

Contemporary galley seated home bar in New York with a drop-in sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, grey splashback, grey floor and grey benchtop.

Olympus Cove

Marilyn Lewis Design Group, LLC

Inspiration for a contemporary seated home bar in Salt Lake City with open cabinets and black splashback.

Cornerstone

The Masonry Center, Inc.

As a wholesale importer and distributor of tile, brick, and stone, we maintain a significant inventory to supply dealers, designers, architects, and tile setters. Although we only sell to the trade, our showroom is open to the public for product selection. We have five showrooms in the Northwest and are the premier tile distributor for Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Eastern Washington. Our corporate branch is located in Boise, Idaho.

Contemporary Bar

Legacy Kitchens

Steve Kunz created this stunning bar using 2 colours of painted cabinets - Latitude North and Spring Blossom. The wall is covered with Xstone, creating a textured feel.

Dubai Restaurant & Nightclub

Concrete Decor Studio & Store

Custom designed concrete bar top with fiber optic lighting designed by Concrete Décor for Dubai Restaurant & Nightclub in Allentown, PA
Photo of a large contemporary seated home bar in Philadelphia with concrete benchtops.

Custom Walnut Bar

Woodland Partners Custom Builders

Custom bar with walnut cabinetry and a waterfall edged, hand fabricated, counter top of end grain wood with brass infused strips.
This is an example of a large contemporary galley seated home bar in New York with open cabinets, dark wood cabinets, medium hardwood floors, wood benchtops, brown splashback, timber splashback and brown floor.

SouthBay

Hallmark Homes Inc.

Photo of a large contemporary galley seated home bar in Other with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, mirror splashback and dark hardwood floors.

Contemporary New Home Design & Build

Icon Projects Ltd.

Rec room, bunker, theatre room, man cave - whatever you call this room, it has one purpose and that is to kick back and relax. This almost 17' x 30' room features built-in cabinetry to hide all of your home theatre equipment, a u-shaped bar, custom bar back with LED lighting, and a custom floor to ceiling wine rack complete with powder-coated pulls and hardware. Spanning over 320 sq ft and with 19 ft ceilings, this room is bathed with sunlight from four huge horizontal windows. Built-ins and bar are Black Panther (OC-68), both are Benjamin Moore colors. Flooring supplied by Torlys (Colossia Pelzer Oak).

Luxurious High Rise Condo

Connie Anderson Photography

Home bar, high rise condo Connie Anderson Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary seated home bar in Houston with a drop-in sink, brown cabinets, marble benchtops, porcelain floors and white floor.

Custom Bars

Putnam Design, LLC

Contemporary seated home bar in New York with open cabinets, mirror splashback and grey floor.

Contemporary Seated Home Bar Design Ideas

A contemporary home bar can provide a spot of indulgence for one, or be a central hub you gather round when entertaining. Whether you’re thinking of planning a wine bar, outdoor bar, or just making room for a bar cart, browse these images for inspiration, and ask yourself the following questions.

Where should you position your home bar?

The most popular location for a contemporary home bar is in or near the kitchen or dining room. If you prefer entertaining outdoors, however, an outdoor bar can be a dream addition to any Aussie backyard – and imagine the luxury of swimming up to your very own pool bar! If you're building from scratch, a landscape architect can help you work out the ideal design for your space.

What type of home bar is best suited to your needs?

Home bars come in all shapes and sizes, and with an array of practicalities. Utilise an awkward corner with a cabinet bar; maximise floor space with a trunk bar, which unfolds to create a bar counter; or conveniently turn any space in your house into a bar room with a mobile bar such as a fun bar cart. If you prefer a more grandiose option, or all the amenities of a real bar, you can’t go past a built-in contemporary home bar.

What home bar functionalities do you want to include?

Decide how you will use the bar and whether you will need sinks, storage and refrigeration. Including a sink in your contemporary home bar design is a practical addition if you choose a location far from your kitchen. If you’re a wine connoisseur, you may want to include additional wine storage, whereas a mini bar fridge within the kitchen may need no extra storage at all. Home bars that will be used infrequently – perhaps an outdoor bar in the cooler months – may not need refrigeration and could suffice with large ice buckets.

What bar furniture will you need?

Seating is essential to any home bar and will impact the style of your home bar design. Bar stools, for example, come in an array of materials and styles, from traditional wooden bar stools, to resort- and industrial-style stools. Storage is another important element, so look for a liquor cabinet and wine racks. Next, if you are creating a freestanding station, you will need a bar table, which are taller and shallower than regular dining tables. Check that your stools and table height work together before you finalise any home bar designs.

How can you personalise your bar design?

Bar tools and accessories are an easy and interchangeable way to personalise your bar design. You may want to create a wine bar, tavern-style bar or retro bar, so look for wine glasses and tumblers, for instance, that will help carry this style. Coasters, bar mats or signage will help you to further achieve your desired look.