It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right? With the increasing popularity of the bar cart and home bar setup, I thought I’d share my own home bar! This setups has taken on many forms over the past year or so as I’ve collected pieces for it and added things here and there, but I think I’m at my final setup. I’ll definitely decorate it for the holidays by adding some lights and tinsel, but as far as the actual pieces on the bar, I finally have everything I need.
The actual bar is the IKEA KALLAX bookcase that I turned on its side so it is the right height for a bar. This unit is so versatile and there are so many different ways to use it (just go in Pinterest and look at KALLAX hacks, it’s amazing!). It comes in a variety of colors, and for only $70, it is perfect for storage, decorations, and as a home bar.
When styling a home bar, I always start with storage for wine since that can take up a lot of space. I got these inserts for the KALLAX system from IKEA, but unfortunately they’re not available anymore. They have a similar wine storage system that hold 9 bottles and fits easily into one of the compartments. I gave myself plenty of room for wine since we like to stock up every few months and work our way through slowly.
A good set of nice highball and double highball glasses displayed brings lots of light to the bar setup as the light glints off the crystal. These glasses from Ralph Lauren are a gorgeous set and are perfect for sipping whiskey or bourbon
Having an assortment of bar glasses is also important since you never know what kind of cocktail you may be making if company comes. I like to have an assortment of wine glasses, champagne flutes, martini glasses, and margarita glasses since you can pretty much serve any drink in one of those. I got all my bar glassware from IKEA since it is inexpensive and good quality.
A fun sign livens up a bar, and there are so many fun, punny signs on Etsy that you can print out and frame for your bar.
No bar is complete without a good set of bar tools, and this set has pretty much everything you could need. It comes in a set with the coordinated ice bucket, shaker, and tray which makes it easy to display.
I like to feature one bottle of special or seasonal wine on the top of the display and put some wine glasses with it for easy access when company comes.
Finally, I like to have some sort of cocktail book on hand for inspiration or if someone asks for something you don’t know how to make. Now the internet is always good for looking up recipes, but this book in particular has lots of fun stories about each cocktail that is a great conversation starter.
