A corner mirrored bar
Inspiration for a small contemporary single-wall home bar in Seattle with no sink, beaded inset cabinets, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, mirror splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and white benchtop.

The Ocean Retreat

Stefanie Rotella, AKBD - Neil Kelly Company

Inspiration for a small transitional single-wall home bar in Other with shaker cabinets, brown cabinets, granite benchtops, grey splashback, mirror splashback, carpet, brown floor and blue benchtop.

The Ocean Retreat

Stefanie Rotella, AKBD - Neil Kelly Company

Small transitional single-wall home bar in Other with shaker cabinets, brown cabinets, granite benchtops, grey splashback, mirror splashback, carpet, brown floor and blue benchtop.

Dark and Stormy Wine Bar, Devon PA

kat robbins Interiors

Moody and luxurious home bar with dark painted cabinets, live edge wood, antique glass, brass piping, and LED lighting throughout. Featuring a wine cooler, ice maker, and custom under stairs wine storage. Brass top bar with velvet barstools, and an industrial chandelier, which casts patterned light and shadow onto the ceiling and textured wallpapered walls.

Rutt Cabinetry - Entertaining Capital Kitchen - Andrea Langford Design

Rutt Quality Cabinetry

"In this fun kitchen renovation project, Andrea Langford was contacted by a repeat customer to turn an out of date kitchen into a modern, open kitchen that was perfect for entertaining guests. In the new kitchen design the worn out laminate cabinets and soffits were replaced with larger cabinets that went up to the ceiling. This gave the room a larger feel, while also providing more storage space. Rutt handcrafted cabinets were finished in white and grey to give the kitchen a unique look. A new elegant quartz counter-top and marble mosaic back splash completed the kitchen transformation. The idea behind this kitchen redesign was to give the space a more modern feel, while still complimenting the traditional features found in the rest of the colonial style home. For this reason, Andrea selected transitional style doors for the custom cabinetry. These doors featured a style and rail design that paid homage to the traditional nature of the house. Contemporary stainless steel hardware and light fixtures gave the space the tasteful modern twist the clients had envisioned. For the floor, large porcelain faux-wood tiles were used to provide a low-maintenance and modern alternative to traditional wood floors. The dark brown hue of the tiles complimented the grey and white tones of the kitchen and were perfect for warming up the space. In the bar area, custom wine racks and a wine cooler were installed to make storing wine and wine glasses a breeze. A cute small round 9” stainless steel under mount sink gives a perfect spot to keep champagne on ice while entertaining guests. The new design also created a small desk space by the pantry door that provides a functional space to charge mobile devices and store the home phone and other miscellaneous items." - Andrea Langford Designs

Beacon Hill Duplex

Eleven Interiors

Photographer: Greg Premru
Photo of a small transitional single-wall home bar in Boston with blue cabinets, light hardwood floors, no sink, open cabinets, mirror splashback and white benchtop.

Galley Style Home Bar with Medium Stained Maple Cabinets

Denise Quade Design

Base cabinets separates the bar from the bar height seating area. A full depth french door refrigerator was built into an alcove. Floating shelves were used on the backwall for alcohol storage. Mirrored backsplash was used behind them. The walls were paneled to keep the eye flowing around the entire space.

New Home in Bettendorf Quad Cities with Modern Lighting and Custom Cabinetry

Village Home Stores

Home bar in lower level with Slab doorstyle, Tricorn Black painted finish, and waterfalling thick "Golden Dragon" Cambria Quartz tops.
Inspiration for a small modern single-wall wet bar in Other with black cabinets, quartz benchtops, mirror splashback and black benchtop.

Evanston Traditional Kitchen Remodel

Constructure Remodeling LLC

Small traditional single-wall home bar in Chicago with recessed-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, granite benchtops, mirror splashback, dark hardwood floors, brown floor and multi-coloured benchtop.

12-9 Townhouse

gne architecture

Peter Dressel Photographer
Photo of a small modern single-wall home bar in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble benchtops, black splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and mirror splashback.

Wet Bar

Kingswood Kitchens

Design ideas for a small traditional l-shaped wet bar in New York with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, mirror splashback and light hardwood floors.

Sleek Modern Dry Bar

Shepel Homes - Kitchen and Bath

This project repurposed a plain white closet into a convenient and dry bar cabinet that nails that modern look with its sophisticated warm black color. With elongated hexagon mirrors in the backsplash, light strips in the corners, and light beaming from the design, the lighting effect appears as if it is naturally well-lit. Modern style always requests sleek, current details, like a finger pull drawer. This Sleek Modern Dry Bar has a built-in fridge and drawers perfect for the wine setup. Last but not least, we also converted the door beside the sleek modern dry bar to a modern design accentuated by a glass. Door trims were removed, and we painted the door's jambs with warm black color that matches the modern dry bar awesomely, enhancing the sleek and modern look even further.

Glen Oak

Luminosus Designs LLC

custom curved sofa, custom furniture, custom window treatment, custom-built-in bar & bookcase, custom area rug, custom window treatment, blue, cream, white, black, silver,

Bespoke Home Bar

Stickland Wright Architects + Interiors

Hidden Bar Home bar Fitted storage Bespoke Bespoke cabinetry Shaker style Pendant lighting
Small transitional single-wall home bar in Sussex with no sink, grey cabinets, mirror splashback and white benchtop.

West 93rd Street

Sarah Tombaugh Architect

Photography by Jon Shireman
Design ideas for a small contemporary home bar in New York with no sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, wood benchtops and mirror splashback.

Large Open-Plan Kitchen Diner

Cillian Johnston

Small transitional wet bar in Dublin with an undermount sink and mirror splashback.

University Park Kitchen Remodel

HRS BUILD

extended floating brass with glass shelves
Small transitional single-wall bar cart in Dallas with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, blue splashback, mirror splashback, dark hardwood floors, brown floor and blue benchtop.

Contemporary Home Remodel

Able And Baker

Photo of a small contemporary single-wall wet bar in Los Angeles with no sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain floors, beige floor, white benchtop and mirror splashback.

Riverlake Colony Custom Home

Colonial Homecrafters, Ltd.

This is an example of a small traditional single-wall wet bar in Richmond with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, mirror splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and brown benchtop.

Historic Home Renovation & Addition

Joy Martin Architecture

Inspiration for a small traditional single-wall wet bar in Minneapolis with no sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, mirror splashback and dark hardwood floors.

Small Home Bar Design Ideas with Mirror Splashback

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.