Photo of a midcentury seated home bar in Los Angeles with open cabinets, medium wood cabinets and beige floor.

A touch of Paris was the inspiration for the design of our client's 1957 pool bungalow. Being a single female executive she was excited to have us to incorporate the right amount of femininity. Pink is on trend right now and we thought this was the perfect project to use soft hues and pair it with shades of gray and teal. It was important to the client to preserve some of the history of the home. We loved the idea of doing this while coordinating it with modern, clean-line furniture and decor pieces. The main living area needed to serve multiple purposes, from seating for entertaining and relaxing while watching TV alone. Selecting a curved sofa helped maximized seating while lending itself to the client's goal of creating a feminine space. The hardwood floors were refinished to bring back their original charm. The artwork and oversized French mirror were a nod to the Paris inspiration. While the large windows add great natural light to the room, they also created the design challenge for TV placement. To solve this, we chose a modern easel meant to hold a TV. Hints of brass and marble finish the room with a glitzy flare. We encountered a second design challenge directly off the living room: a long, narrow room that served no real purpose. To create a more open floor-plan we removed a kitchen wall and incorporated a bar area for entertaining. We furnished the space with a refinished vintage art deco buffet converted to a bar. Room styling included vintage glasses and decanters as well as a touch of coastal art for the home's nearness to the beach. We accented the kitchen and bar area with stone countertops that held the perfect amount of pinks and grays in the veining. Our client was committed to preserving the original pink tile in the home's bathroom. We achieved a more updated feel by pairing it with a beautiful, bold, floral-print wallpaper, a glamorous mirror, and modern brass sconces. This proves that demolition isn't always necessary for an outdated bathroom. The homeowner now loves entertaining in her updated space

The Ultimate Home Bar

WR Woodworking

Walnut face grain bar top with a brass inlay
Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped seated home bar in Austin with an integrated sink, wood benchtops, grey splashback, glass tile splashback and brown benchtop.

大人の部室（リノベーション）

Polite Design Office/ポライトデザインオフィス

大人の部室（リノベーション）
Small midcentury single-wall seated home bar in Other with wood benchtops, dark hardwood floors, brown floor, brown benchtop, an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets and brown cabinets.

Retro Lounge

Design by Numbers / Rebecca Zajac LLC

Rebecca Zajac
Midcentury seated home bar in Las Vegas with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Castlebay Home

Ellecor Design & Gifts by Haden Long

This is an example of a large midcentury single-wall seated home bar in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, distressed cabinets, granite benchtops and ceramic floors.

Markham

Joey Vogel | Interior Design

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury single-wall seated home bar in Toronto with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, onyx benchtops, blue splashback and medium hardwood floors.

ダイニングキッチン

株式会社Y’s Style

This is an example of a midcentury single-wall seated home bar in Other with medium hardwood floors, brown benchtop, an integrated sink, beaded inset cabinets, grey cabinets, beige splashback and brown floor.

Menlo Park Project

Supple Homes, Inc

Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped seated home bar in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback, light hardwood floors, brown floor and white benchtop.

Mid-Century Modern Man Cave

Fran Kerzner- DESIGN SYNTHESIS

Photography by Cristopher Nolasco
Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury u-shaped seated home bar with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback and light hardwood floors.

Wooden Basement Bar

Forward Design Build Remodel

This is a custom walnut wood bar and counter! We also used walnut for the floating wooden shelves and bar stools. The walls are painted Tint of Honey 1187 from Sherwin-Williams.

Old World Charmer

Modern Home Systems

This is an example of a large midcentury single-wall seated home bar in San Diego with dark hardwood floors, an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, medium wood cabinets, wood benchtops, yellow splashback and brown floor.

Capitol Hill Condo

Ambrose Construction Inc.

Design ideas for a small midcentury l-shaped seated home bar in Seattle with dark hardwood floors.

Wappingers Falls Addition

DBS Remodel

Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped seated home bar in New York with dark wood cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, brick splashback, brown floor and black benchtop.

Mid-Century I Kenmore, Washington

Syltebo Wight Homes & Jon Syltebo Painting Company

Photo of a small midcentury galley seated home bar in Seattle with no sink, beaded inset cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, mirror splashback and ceramic floors.

Ormond House Renovation

FISHER ARCHitecture

This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury single-wall seated home bar in Other with light wood cabinets, granite benchtops, light hardwood floors, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Morningside CC

User

Design ideas for a large midcentury galley seated home bar in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Menlo Park Project

Supple Homes, Inc

Mid-sized midcentury l-shaped seated home bar in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback, light hardwood floors, brown floor and white benchtop.

Retro Lounge

Design by Numbers / Rebecca Zajac LLC

Rebecca Zajac
Design ideas for a midcentury seated home bar in Las Vegas with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

My Houzz: Bright Midcentury Charm in Missouri

Jessica Cain

Midcentury Seated Home Bar Design Ideas

A midcentury 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 midcentury 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 midcentury 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 midcentury 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.