The bar features under mount lighting and illuminated liquor shelves. Photo: Roger Davies
Mid-sized contemporary l-shaped seated home bar in Los Angeles with light hardwood floors, wood benchtops, brown splashback and beige floor.

Downtown Condo Remodel

Design Services NW

Design ideas for an industrial single-wall seated home bar in Seattle with open cabinets.

Apartment Designed By MAIA Design Studio

Shamanth Patil Photography

Shamanth Patil J
Inspiration for a contemporary seated home bar in Bengaluru with marble benchtops, medium hardwood floors and white benchtop.

Création d’une grande ouverture sur le jardin et Rénovation d’une cuisine

Marie Verthuy

Vue depuis le salon sur le bar et l'arrière bar. Superbes mobilier chinés, luminaires industrielles brique et bois pour la pièce de vie.
Inspiration for a large industrial single-wall seated home bar in Paris with open cabinets, beige floor, medium wood cabinets, light hardwood floors and white benchtop.

Mount Pleasant House - Basement Bar

Roundabout Studio Inc.

Design ideas for a scandinavian seated home bar in Toronto with open cabinets, black splashback, concrete floors, grey floor and black cabinets.

Apartment Worth The View

Rusk Renovations

The challenge for contemporary tower living is the relationship between the view and apartment. When a view is this spectacular, construction details have to be incredible to measure up to the vistas. The stone clad walls, custom wine room, and millwork from Switzerland hold their own here. Architecture: Plainspace Architecture and Design Interior Design: Shari Pellows Interiors Photography: Paul Rivera Architectural Photography

Casa Cor GPS Point

Ornare

Contemporary seated home bar in New York with no sink, open cabinets, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and black benchtop.

Apartment in Singapore

Supercraft Studio | Architecte d'intérieur

Khoo Guo Jie
Photo of a contemporary seated home bar in Singapore with light wood cabinets.

Contemporary Home Bar

Design ideas for a contemporary single-wall seated home bar in San Francisco with granite benchtops and dark hardwood floors.

The Vista Residence

KES Studio

Inspired by the Brooklyn-esque nature of the surrounding historic buildings, this penthouse pairs sleek, urban-contemporary design with luxury finishes and materials, reflecting an industrial luxe aesthetic.

Apartment at Malabar Hill

ns*a Architecture and Interiors

Inspiration for a contemporary seated home bar in Mumbai with white floor.

Urban Classic Home

BGD&C Custom Homes

The home owners love having friends over for a drink and conversation, so the Bar is front and center in the house. It was designed for entertaining and is adjacent to the parlor and dining room. The bar area, including metal trim and transom was designed and engineered by BGD&C Custom Homes, detailed by Studio Gild, and built by Abruzzo Kitchen + Bath.

Real Estate

LUXUDIO

Contemporary seated home bar in Columbus with glass-front cabinets and medium wood cabinets.

Москва Сити

Diakonova Designs

Photo of a contemporary l-shaped seated home bar in Moscow with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, brown splashback, timber splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and grey benchtop.

水を湛える都会のオアシス

Earnest architects

バーカウンターの水中写真を挟んだ青いガラスの壁は収納棚となっており、繊細な気泡が描かれた。中庭の滝がトップライトを伝い、透過した光が水のゆらぎを壁面に映す。
Design ideas for a large contemporary seated home bar in Tokyo.

Contemporary Home Bar

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall seated home bar in Belfast with white cabinets and grey splashback.

City Living Seated Home Bar Design Ideas

A 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 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 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 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.