If you are serious about entertaining then a home bar is just what you need, and here are some tips on themes to use to decorate your bar.
If you are serious about entertaining, or just want to have a fun place to get away from it all, then a home bar is just what you need. You can just go with a stocked bar and a couple of stools, but why "just settle"? Go all out and create a theme for the bar! This theme will not only showcase what you love, but create an ambience for fun that will really get the party started!
"Sports" and "bar" go hand in hand, like "peanut butter" and "jelly". If you have a favorite team or sport, it is the perfect starting point for a sports themed bar. Remember that if possible, it just wont be a true sports bar unless you have TV (or ten)! If you select a particular sport, or sports in general, consider covering round seat barstools with white or orange vinyl and paint on the details of a basketball or baseball with fabric paint (just be sure to let dry before sitting!). Frame and hang jerseys and sports equipment on the walls. The bar itself can be made out of a wood top with pipe supports. Thread softballs or hockey pucks with holes drilled in them onto the supports. If you are handy with a lathe, make some custom large wooden bats to support the top. Use hockey sticks or bats to hang curtains from, or use black and white checkered fabric for a racing themed motif. Paint a mock track on the bar top.
If you are going to theme it around your favorite team, begin with team colors. Use these colors for paint, stools, window treatments, and fabrics. You can utilize ideas from the sport themed bar above. Team logos are available on almost anything imaginable, and clocks, glassware, and team memorabilia will round out the décor. You could even use a projector to paint the logo onto one of the walls.
Another popular trend for home bars is the tiki bar. If you choose this theme, stock up on grasscloth, bamboo, and natural grass skirts (or thatching) for thatch. Use a light wood with a clear sealer for the bar top, and pipe supports with bamboo poles covering them. Cover the front with grasscloth, long grass skirts (or two layers if shorter skirts are used), or even rattan placemats stitched together. You could also continue the bamboo poles across the front of the bar and leave a twelve-inch width in the center for a panel of tropical fabric. Create a roof by mounting a two-foot wide sheet of quarter-inch luan about an inch from the ceiling. At the bottom of the "roof" place a two-inch spacer between the luan and the wall to create a slightly angled effect. Cover the luan with grass skirting. Place bamboo poles from the "roof" to the bar. Mount bamboo torches on the wall in an "X" shape, criss-crossing one another, with bright tropical fabric behind. Cover the stools with either the tropical print or a palm tree print. Serve drinks in either coconut shaped or brightly colored glasses with umbrellas. Pull it all together with pineapples, totems, masks, silk palms and driftwood.
If you want a very traditional home bar, then decorate it like an Irish or English pub. This theme will make use of wood and trim everywhere, stained in mahogany stain. Bring in wooden or leather bar stools. Pint glasses or jars for ales and lagers are a necessity, and as an extra touch, consider getting them with English or Irish logos on them - like Guinness or Bass. Mirrors, bar towels, and coasters are also available with these logos. Mount authentic wooden bar signs on the walls, consider getting one personalized. Hang a flag of your country of inspiration, and if nothing else, you MUST have a dartboard!
The Retro Martini Bar is absolutely the theme of choice for the hip and trendy, as well as the nostalgic. You can create a bar that even the Rat Pack would envy! Use mirror tiles on both the bar backdrop and on the bar top itself. There are many fabulous retro posters available to frame and hang on the walls. You can get them either in geometric style or for a more Sinatra like feel, with vintage martini prints. For perfect lighting and bar stools, select items with an art deco design. Be sure to stock plenty of martini glasses in both small and large, as well as at least two shakers, olives, and pearl onions.
There are so many great ideas for a home bar. Once you get yours finished, you'll owe it to yourself to celebrate! How about having a party themed around your bar? Invite your guests to come over dressed according to the theme to set the tone. Not only will your home bar create the atmosphere, but it will be sure to take center stage as well!
