30 Home Bar Ideas That Will Up the Flair of Any Fete

When you’ve gone ooo, it’s time to hit play. This home bar, a chic and convenient backdrop to this country lodge’s game room, is a fitting way to facilitate some fun. Interior designer Vicky Charles gave the resortlike loft a vintage games table and a fully stocked cocktail bar. Game on!

You needn’t sacrifice your first child’s bedroom for a dedicated home bar. This chic version, located just around the kitchen corner, serves as a multifaceted addition to the room. “A well-designed home bar enhances the room’s aesthetic, bringing sophistication and style to the space through carefully chosen materials,” says Texas-based interior designer Ginger Curtis, who designed this dark and moody bar moment. “Opt for high-quality materials such as wood, marble, or granite for the bar countertop and shelving. These materials not only look luxurious, but also add durability and longevity to your home bar.”

“Beyond the convenience of having all the serving utensils and cocktail ingredients in one place, a bar also serves as a destination and talking point,” says Texas-based architect Nadia Palacios, who says her firm generally designs bars to be glamorous, like this chic white and bright bar, using bold materials such as marble and brass. “We also like to feature interesting pieces like antique mirrors to elevate these spaces into true jewel boxes within the home.”

A home bar can add sophistication, functionality, and a touch of luxury to any room, whether it’s a dedicated space or integrated into a living space. Just ask Southern California–based interior designer Denise Morrison, who gave this space a personalized touch. “In this home bar we incorporated a fun and interesting tile to add visual appeal to the space while also providing practical benefits such as durability and ease of maintenance.” It helps that her client’s favorite spirits are housed in art-worthy vessels. Cheers!

If you, like Rebecca Gardner, live in an apartment “the size of a nipple” (her words), give your space a multifunctional bar moment. In this Greenwich Village apartment, a closet is reimagined as a full bar, complete with a vintage crystal tumbler filled with Gardner’s house drink, Earl Grey Bourbon Punch. A lamp, ice bucket, and glassware adds bar vibes that prove bigger doesn’t always mean better. We’ll drink to that!

While a home bar in a closet feels edgy, interior designer Tanner Morgan dares us to think even further outside the box (or in this case, kitchen). “The addition of a bar to a space, whether it’s a dressing room, living room, or ancillary area, enhances the function and purpose of that space, encouraging one to linger in a now self-sufficient section of a home that was once purely functional,” Morgan says, whose team did just that in a lounge area of a recent project. High contrast black and white motifs create a dapper look.

A home bar can be a welcome addition to any space, whether tucked away in an unused nook or the room’s focus. “I believe that all rooms should have several functions,” says Houston-based interior designer Courtnay Tartt Elias, who saw in this house’s entryway an opportunity for a home bar with bold colors and exciting hardware. “Detailed millwork is always a beautiful addition, and cane cabinet insets allow for easily hidden appliances that require airflow and storage for necessary barware,” she adds.

Just as a glass of rosé can tickle the soul, a home bar can bring energy to a room. In this colorful room, Houston-based designer Benjamin Johnston unleashed his color-happy design eye. “Here, a bright pink home bar beautifully complemented the living room’s colorful, midcentury elements and stunning curvilinear couch,” he explains. “We used decorative items like throw pillows to connect the color story. When tied into a kitschy design, the home bar felt organic and lent a welcome dose of luxurious leisure.” Cin cin!

“Within an open-concept living space, a home bar and cased openings can quickly shift the vibe from intimate to extravagant,” Johnston explains, an architectural decision he instituted here for a family that loves to host. “This particular home bar marries Art Deco with midcentury influences and mixed metals.” A Cielo quartzite waterfall island serves as a conversation-worthy resting place, while bespoke spirits in apothecary-inspired bottles add a touch of whimsy.

When designing a beach house, obviously the bar area is the most important part. After bringing in sea-blue finishes clad in lushly glazed lava tiles and bright red local libations (spritz anyone?), Casa Muñoz’s Mafalda Muñoz and Gonzalo Machado designed a home bar that makes this chic Ibiza escape a real-life fun house. “[The homeowners tell me] they feel they lead different lives there, more fun lives,” Muñoz says. Cue the disco ball!

This chic home bar, tucked away in the corner of a room, doubles up as a bookshelf and a bar. Another Johnston design that ensures easy access to supplies while also contributing to the chic appearance of the space. Talk about bookshelf wealth!

Truth: A backyard situation isn’t a proper hangout spot without a bona fide bar cart. This chic drink station atop a weather-withstanding support—Emily Henderson transformed a Target potting bench into a festive drink display—completes any outdoor soiree. Add candles and florals for a extra ambience.

While this bar in New York City’s restaurant called Holywater—stewarded by the two nautical-obsessed, second-generation restaurateur brothers behind New York’s iconic shipboard restaurants Grand Banks and Pilot—is a commercial space, it’s so homey it could almost be someone’s living room. And we’re taking all the notes. “I tapped into three things I love most about bars: atmosphere, escape, and potential. We built those out in a personal, almost autobiographical way,” says Alex. The cocktail bar boasts artfully layered photographs, paintings, works on paper, and nautical memorabilia that create a lived-in feel that would translate into any home with absolute class.

Creating a multipurpose wall is the easiest way to craft a home bar without undergoing major construction. This hillside Malibu home, designed by Silvia Kuhle and Jeffrey Allsbrook of Los Angeles–based Standard Architecture, has an organic modern design. The inset niche shelving is by RH, Restoration Hardware, and the wallpaper by Gucci in the Tian print serves as the backdrop.

In Tatyana Miron’s Manhattan apartment, pops of color highlight every room. In her home bar, the custom cabinetry is painted in Railings by Farrow & Ball, and the sink fittings are by Waterworks.

The Florida apartment of interior designer Fawn Galli has a modern and tropical flair. The high-rise apartment’s water views complete the urban but colorful four-bedroom apartment. The bar overlooks Lake Boca and is clad in handmade tiles and raffia paneling. The table lights are by Verner Panton, and the vintage planters are by Willy Guhl.

It wasn’t called “happy hour” for nothing. The joyful patterns and saturated color combinations in this dream Hollywood house create a jocular overdose (we can’t speak for alcohol content). Here, a gold-lined Caesarstone counter is complemented by vintage Jean Royère stools in a Loro Piana mohair, all boldly encased with wallpaper by Bullard for Cole & Son.

This London house designed by Adam Hills and Maria Speake, who together run Retrouvius, created a Georgian-style home using mostly repurposed materials and textiles. In the bar area, the vintage chairs and pillow are upholstered in fabrics made by Dashing Tweeds. The drawers are fashioned of salvaged teak originally used for flooring. Bottoms up!

This bar moment in a 1920s Toronto house (redesigned by Colette van den Thillart) was the fresh look the homeowners were going for in their living room. The gold cabinet offers a bit of glam, while the vintage chair creates an air of sophistication. (Because we know you’ll ask) the wallcovering is Le Paradis aux Mille Fleurs by Pierre Frey.

Gotham and cool collide in this Notting Hill neighborhood Victorian townhouse designed by architect Timothy Haynes and designer Kevin Roberts. Hosting and entertaining were a main focus for the couple who reside in the home. Right off the entrance, a custom bar is lined with a mosaic by Gregory Muller.