Raising the Bar: Perfect Hosting & Private Luxury

This time of year in New England, patio season still feels lightyears away. But those chilly temperatures, snow, and mud present an opportunity to enjoy the great indoors with those you love. Does that sound more like a headache than a good time? With a luxurious home wet bar, it doesn’t have to be. An investment in a fully-loaded home bar helps you kick back, delights your guests, and makes that time indoors so much more enjoyable.

Throwing a party is a tremendous undertaking. The guest list, the cleaning, the food, the drink, the music — and this time of year, watching the weather and deciding whether or not to cancel. Preparing for such an event can nearly kill all enjoyment of it; the idea of renovating or redesigning an entire space on its behalf may cause you to never give another shindig again. But in the long term, a dedicated place for your mixology will help center the planning of any gathering, returning the process from a dreary drudge to a party itself.

Keep it simple. As much as we may all dream of the gargantuan mahogany bar of a classic London club or Parisian retreat, it might not quite fit with the aesthetic of your current living room — and that’s just fine. The first steps to ensuring any design project isn’t overwhelming — be it a wet bar or a master suite — is deciding style and scale. If you want a bar to ease your hosting, but don’t want it to become the centerpiece of your home, merely dedicate a corner or under-used closet and redesign it as a beautiful delight and supportive addition to the rest of the space.

If building a dedicated nook is too much for your space to handle, it doesn’t mean your fantasies of a sophisticated salon must be abandoned. Take stock of the room where your guests tend to accumulate – or where you wish they would. Don’t want them underfoot in the kitchen, or wish they would keep you company while cooking? Want to show off your living room, or would you rather have everyone socialize in the dining area? On making that choice, consider where in the room would be most natural and comfortably within the path of movement: by the mantelpiece, near the windows, next to the food. Then empty a bookshelf and cupboard, nestle your favorite bottles and glasses with a champagne bucket of ice, and you’ve made yourself the best new bar in town.

Drinks at a party’s wet bar don’t have to just be for the adults, either. If you want the children of your friends to be equally entertained – or to make your own kids feel included – devote a few of the lower shelves and refrigerator compartments to their favorite snacks and treats. And, if you or a guest decide to take a break from the scotch with a soda, no one even needs to know.

 

 

For some hosts, life is always a party, and that dedication is worth every moment of renovation stress. If you’re ready to develop the bartending skills of your dreams alongside redeveloping a whole new space, then a full bar is truly the way to go. From experience to seating, lighting to decor, creating your own unique masterpiece can redefine an entire house – and nothing is more spectacular in a home than a set up worthy of Gatsby, waiting to transform an average day and normal room into a sparkling lounge and magnificent evening.

 

 

If cabin fever really has you feeling restless for change, take redefining to another level – and redesign not just a nook, a corner, or even a whole piece of a space, but an entire room. Renovating that neglected basement or unused sitting room can eventually change how you prepare parties: there’s no stress when a space’s purpose is to party. Enchant guests with not only a wet bar but a pool table, sound system, and anything else you have ever wanted; your friends enjoy it while over, you’ll have a place to relax and enjoy at your complete leisure.

 

 

Of course, being on your own is a luxury itself. Although bars are so often thought of for parties, some evenings are best spent with a party of one. Moreover, wet bars in a master suite or kitchen don’t have to be purely for alcoholic sustenance; there’s a certain elegance of having appliances specially located in close comfort, be it a freshly juiced mimosa or a coffee. A quiet weekend afternoon with a good book, or an intimate night with the one you love the most – whatever it is, sometimes your own company is the perfect party.

 

 

However you entertain, with grand parties of any scale, the choice of including a bar in your home is one of pleasure and simple, sophisticated bliss. Inspired by cozy nights and inimitable New England snowdrifts or by waiting for that sun to finally come through, the addition of a bar – by massive renovation or just making a bit of room – is one that can be genuinely enjoyed, by you and your friends, all year round and for many years to come.

From bars to bedrooms to entire homes, we can help you design the space you’ve always dreamed of. Contact us today for a consultation.