I love the charm of the 1930’s house we moved into, and I adore our main living room. There are little nooks and built-ins that I think are so cute. This is also the first home where I have a wet bar, and I think it adds an element of fun and functionality to the space. However, when we moved in, I knew our wet bar could use a bit of a face-lift.
Our wet bar area has two side windows and a vintage mirror, and I wanted to keep those aspects intact. The mirror makes the space look bigger and the windows provide natural light and bookend the area. The countertop, sink, faucet, cabinets, and cabinet pulls needed a little TLC though. Now, it was very liveable the way it was before, but I wanted the wet bar area to draw your eye in when you entered the home.
I purchased a Kohler under-mount sink and had it installed vertically. When picking out sinks you have to measure the cabinet underneath – that is how you’ll know what size you’ll need. Since we have a small base cabinet, we had to pick a smaller sink, but that was still fine for a bar sink. I knew I wanted a cast iron sink to match with our kitchen sink and to keep the “white and bright” vibe. I picked a Kohler faucet and filtration system for the bar as well.
The cabinets were in great shape, so I didn’t want to replace them, but they needed a fresh coat of paint. We painted those a nice white to keep it very neutral and bright. I think the look of the wooden cabinets fit the charm and age of the home, so the old don’t-fix-it-if-it-ain’t-broke adage rang true. Plus, painting the cabinets was a lot more budget friendly. I replaced the old cabinet knobs with some new ones so that they would stand out.
The quartz countertop matches what we put in our kitchen, master bathroom, and by our living room fireplace. I liked the grey accent color and that it was simple but not totally plain. I love the look of marble, but I don’t like the maintenance of marble, so quartz is my go-to because it is easy to clean and durable.
I originally wanted to add mirror shelving to the bar but after getting bids and looking into that more, it was going to be super expensive, hard to do, and more of a modern look than I wanted. I searched high and low for other options and I finally found a mirrored, 3-tier shelf to display our alcohol on. This was sooo much easier than trying to suspend shelves or replace the mirror etc.
I enjoy that the mirror backdrop illuminates the bar area and showcases our liquor – we also get to show off our (non-leaded) decanters which is a plus. I chose to purchase decanters from different websites to have a mismatched look. I also have leather tags that mark the decanters but, for the life of me, I haven’t been able to find one for tequila. I may have to get one made eventually to complete the look. If you can’t already tell, we are not a dry household ;).
I think the wet bar area catches the eye and creates a nice spot for entertaining. Since we have one large living room and dining room space, it also creates a nice focal point right as you enter the house. Once we can have people over again, I can’t wait to put this bar to good use and put more of a dent into some of those decanters. Until then, Patrick and I will be the only patrons of this bar.
