42 Chic Bar Ideas for Shaking Things Up at Home (2024)

Playful gestures, such as the bar's neon sign, animate the Jazz-era details of this 1920s New Jersey estate by designer Steven Gambrel. Deep, satin-brushed shades of teal (Pantone Stargazer) connect the bar to the neighboring library.

Rich warm colors invite travelers to sit back and relax in the upstairs bar designed by Errez Design at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House. The bar's built-in undercounter JennAir beverage center makes it easy for guests to treat themselves to refreshments.

At this Amy Meier-designed Michigan cabin, stitched leather stools (Matteograssi) and vintage Swedish lamps (Hans Agne Jakobsson) welcome guests to gather around an oak bar after a day at the lake. Meier relied on reclaimed materials like the barn wood ceiling and oak-and-paver flooring (Surfaces Material Gallery) to give the space rustic charm and character.

A sexy tortoiseshell wallpaper (Schumacher) and antiqued gold shelving (Kathy Kuo Home) create a dazzling bar in this Arkansas farmhouse by Heather Chadduck Hillegas. The counter skirt fabric (Ian Mankin) elegantly hides any extra bar supplies from the eyes of guests.

A chartreuse hallway leads guests straight into the glossy bar at designer Ceara Donnelley's 18th-century Charleston home. Sleek peaco*ck-blue cabinetry (E25-95, Fine Paints of Europe) and unlacquered brass make for a genius decorating co*cktail.

In this midcentury Dallas home, designer Meredith McBrearty and architect Ryan Street cleverly added a bar into the dining room to break up the sprawling space. The eye-catching black Moroccan tiles with walnut paneling and cabinetry draw peoples' attention to the area where they can view video work by photographer Gregory Scott on the neighboring wall.

Why only settle for a bar cart when you can have a whole tasting room? Designer Melanie Turner and architect Yong Pak transformed the lower level of this Atlanta manse into an entertaining haven, complete with a retro-chic tasting room. Polished gold Warren Platner chairs, cork flooring (Globus Cork), and a carved mahogany table make subtle nods to French Art Deco.

Scenes of whimsy headline the arched bar alcove in Janie Jones's Birmingham cottage. Arabescato stone (Surface One) grounds the playful Gracie’s Stonyford wall­paper.

Folding louvered doors reveal a chic glazed-tile bar for poolside drinks on the terrace at Ceara Donnelley's 18th-century Charleston home. The cabinetry and doors are painted Mizzle by Farrow & Ball.

Classic form meets ultimate function in Barbara Sallick's kitchen bar with its narrow shelf for decanters, beautiful brass sconce lighting, and subway tile backsplash with an exaggerated, 4" by 8" scale.

Is there anything better than mixing up a co*cktail to take outside during pleasant weather or enjoy inside with a view of the garden? At this Connecticut home designed by Miles Redd, the sunroom features a built in bar on one side, along with a delightful trompe l’oeil tent decoration embellishing the curved ceiling. The chairs and sofa (the latter from a Sister Parish–decorated apartment) are covered in Sanderson’s rose-printed Chelsea fabric. Ceiling artistry, Agustin Hurtado

Textile and interior designer Marika Meyer converted an antique secretary desk lined with wallpaper into a home bar in her Washington, DC-area home. Instead of books, the shelves store glassware, and other collectibles. (The secretary also doubles as a desk while she is working from home.)

Local treasures like a carved wooden alligator, sea fan, and varnished turtle shell idle in the bar of this Naples, Florida, home designed by Celerie Kemble. A subtle stripe in the woven shade echoes the stripe in the wallcovering from Phillip Jeffries. The cabinetry paint is Grasslands from Benjamin Moore and the fixtures are from Waterworks.

In this Paris apartment designed by Jean-Louis Deniot, a silver-and-gold-leaf bar off the living room moonlights as the laundry room. The bar fixtures are by Margot. The original musically-themed friezes over living room doorways bring lyrical contrast to modern works of art throughout the rest of the apartment.