For those people who love to entertain at home, nothing beats a home bar. It wasn’t that long ago that a liquor cart on wheels or liquor cabinet would suffice, but today’s home bar enthusiast wants more.  

Bourbon aficionados need ample space to properly showcase their unicorns. Many of them put serious time and effort into the hunt for their prized bottles, so their bar should do them justice. Craft beer lovers want a means of drawing the perfect draught and need storage space for bottles and kegs. Wine connoisseurs — need proper refrigeration as well as plenty of room for dozens of bottles of treasured white, red, rosé, sparkling, and dessert wine.  

Craft cocktail fans want room for every type of liquor, mixer, and cocktail garnish imaginable. 

And they all need running water, storage space for recyclables, glassware storage and icemakers — big time icemakers.

When designing the bar itself, allow for 24” in width per person, with the counter height 42” from the floor. The typical bar height is 42”, so make sure you intend to use true bar stools, as kitchen stools are made to work with a 36”-high counter. If a dedicated icemaker is installed, then you will need to add a refrigerator to store mixers, cocktail garnishes, and  party food. A drawer unit dishwasher is a nice addition, but a deep sink with a high faucet is a necessity, as long-stemmed  wine glasses require hand washing and empty wine bottles need  to be rinsed before being placed in the recycling bin. If space  allows, it’s convenient to have drawers or cabinets for clean  glasses close to the dishwasher.

Ideally, there will be three tiers of lighting on separate, dimmable  switches. The first tier should be for the lighting of liquor  and barware. The colors of the liquids, label designs, and  unique bottle shapes are made to be in the spotlight. Consider undercabinet lighting, as well as lighting for the liquor shelves and inside glass door cabinets. The second tier should illuminate the bar using pendants or track lighting. The third tier is a general lighting of the room to give the bartender enough light to see what they're mixing.

Designing the home bar that matches your style and home entertaining interests is a great opportunity to showcase your talent and creativity. No matter how limited or extensive your design space, Staghorn can create the perfect drinkscape — from a small bar in the corner of a man cave to a full-on wine cellar with tasting room and storage for hundreds of bottles.