These Home Cocktail Bar Ideas Are Perfect For The Party Season

Raise the bar this holiday season with an ultra-glamorous cocktail cabinet that’s bound to cause a stir with guests. Whether it’s buying a bespoke piece or creating a DIY version, here’s some inspiration for your own home bar.

Watching TV these days is so passé, especially when we’ve got Netflix and Amazon on our laptops and tablets, so swap the ugly TV cabinet for a gorgeous cocktail cabinet and dial up the glamour; spend more time recreating Mad Men scenes in your living room with a glass in hand rather than watching it.

What could be better than surprising guests by opening the doors to this playful bespoke bar, adorned with a gold-leaf interior and a fun neon sign? It was built by Matt Architecture as part of a family home in west London.

This cool wall-hung ‘Bomb Bar‘ by Oliver Apt. is actually created out of old wooden ammo boxes. It costs $700.00 CAD to buy one of these pre-made ones, but you could consider doing something similar at home with an old crate box if you’re feeling crafty.

There’s no question that this is a luxury item, but the Frans cabinet from British firm Pinch is worth every penny. The exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail is what you’re paying for here – with adjustable shelves for bottle height, dovetailed joints, lacquered finish and cast copper handles, it’s an item you’ll treasure forever.

OK, so not everyone has the space for a fully fledged cocktail cabinet, so why not go for a vintage-inspired drinks trolley instead? Due to the art deco revival, these aren’t hard to come by right now, so you’re sure to pick one up at one of the high-street stores – this one comes from Mia Fleur and costs £345.

If you’re reworking your kitchen, it’s worth considering the inclusion of a built-in bar. Increasingly more people have open-plan kitchen-diners, so it makes sense to have the bar close by if you’re entertaining in this kind of space. And let’s face it, it looks pretty impressive when you open the doors, too.

If you’ve got a small apartment then opting for a piece of furniture that has more than one function is ideal. This super cute Bottleship Mark 2 is a rework of the classic Penguin Donkey bookcase from Isokon that cleverly caters for a tipple, too.

This smart sideboard by Philipp Mainzer for e15 also does the trick:

This exclusive design from Crate and Barrel is made from reclaimed peroba wood – each piece displays unique characteristics, including flecks of paint, from its former life. While you can buy pre-made sustainable pieces like this, you could also transform your old furniture into a makeshift bar – consider turning an old desk with a drop-down lid into a new drinks cabinet, for example.

There’s no need to prop yourself up at the bar in the local pub – now you can come straight home and do it instead. Turn one side of your kitchen into a bar area like in this property – bar stools, hanging glasses, chalkboard wall and wine storage give it that authentic ‘bar’ feel.