We went to the 2011 Southern Living Idea House and it had a beautiful wet bar. It was complete with a sink, ice maker and fridge. The living area was a little ways from the kitchen and this wet bar was kind of tucked in an out-of-way spot off the living area, so it wasn't really noticeable when first walking into the room. When you go around the counter, there is a step-down so it is actually sunken.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Southern Living Idea House Bar

Pardon my inability to stay out of this conversation...

"The growth in wine has been driven by very rapid growth in boxed wine."

That might be one element. A large part of the growth has been driven by younger generations drinking wine.... younger. Wine is more acceptable and normal to drink at younger ages. (There are stats to back this up.) Other factors include the thought that wine is healthy as well as growing availability of wine at all price points.

Wine consumption and spirits consumption have both grown for many years running. As far as I can tell, wine now outsells spirits annually and definitely outpaces it in growth. The majority of people (I think 57%) drink wine.... (this percentage has grown over the years.)

So, there is truth that wine is more popular now. However, it is not a result of decline in spirits; many people drink spirits & beer still.

Conclusion: there are plenty of lushes out there of all types who might enjoy a beverage/wine station or wet bar. ;) Cheers!

I live in a neighborhood that has many houses with wet bars. I don't know anyone who uses them. They are just a waste of space in these homes.

But they do make sense if well planned out and not close to the kitchen like on another floor.

I think it would be helpful to define "wet bar". If you mean an actual bar where one person is on one side making drinks and people sit on stools on the other side, then yea, I think they are kind of out, but I still love the idea of one outside by a pool. Plus I am sure that men still want them in their man caves.

But if you mean a designated drink area like the pics of good examples we have seen here... then no, I don't think they are out at all. When remodeled our kitchen 4 years ago, I actually eliminated eating space in the kitchen in order to accommodate...

1. A wet bar/drink area. We have a sink there but I wasn't willing to sacrifice a bank of drawers for a fridge. We don't use it every day but I have never regretted this. We entertain a lot and it has been wonderful.

2. A message center. This is essentially a desk with no seating! I love this, too. Yes, it is a junk magnet but in every house the junk has to go SOMEWHERE, and now it is easy to keep organized and accessible.

So basically these are two dated concepts - the wet bar and the kitchen desk - that we just reconfigure a little to fit contemporary needs.

Nicole

Actually wine long outsold spirits--I'm not sure where the notion comes from that wine is suddenly outpacing spirits but that's made up. You are correct that both wine and spirits are increasing in popularity. Boxed wines are growing by double digits a year. Remember that wine is much cheaper than spirits in general, because spirits are very heavily taxed.

I think it's wise to consider a "beverage center" to be multi-purpose over time. It can be a way to get the kids out of your way in the kitchen, or a good place to serve wine, or a convenient place to mix a drink. It's certainly possible to make one space do all of those tasks, depending on who lives there. But it has to work. You need room for storage, room for mixing or setting out glasses, refrigeration and ideally a DW.

In that vein, I can't help but be struck by the fact that some of the bars shown upthread share the same fault as a lot of bad kitchen islands--all the seating is on one side, with no easy way to converse. In a home, you're not sitting there next to strangers sort of feeling out whether it's OK to strike up a conversation. And you're not facing a professional bartender who is standing there all the time ready to make your manhattan or listen to you complain about the game. You're just looking at a wall. When people put a real bar in a home, they should configure it so it actually works for their own space, not blindly copy a commercial space with very different requirements.

Add in that you can get a really good bottle of wine at Trader Joes for like 6 bucks, and it makes total sense. I can now keep a pretty good stash of wine without breaking the bank! Love Trader Joes.

Carriem, I really like how you used that unused space.

And go green :)

The largest retailer of fine wine in the world is Costco.

jill, what are your favorite wines from TJ's?? i don't have a TJ too close, but have occasionally driven over to one--bought like $3 white wine that i used for cooking(can't remember what it was...) but that's all i've tried so far...

I wouldn't say their out, but we have one in the house we just bought. We use the wine fridge and the beverage fridge but haven't used the sink yet at all! But, I could see how it could potentially be used. Ours has a garbage disposal too!

The only think I'd change on mine is our beverage fridge is a combo ice maker/fridge. I'd like to have a little more room in the fridge if the ice maker was separate, so if you have the room, get a separate ice maker, wine fridge and beverage fridge. We keep beer and pop in the beverage one, and if it was bigger, it would be nice to keep water and other beverages in there too.

busybee - I don't remember exact names, but here's what I do. I love red wine, not fruity, but full body. A guy at a wine store told us a long time ago to just look for anything from the Paso Robles region. My Trader Joe's has a lot of wines from that region (it always says it on the front label) and I just buy whatever label looks good to me :-) How's that for scientific selection of wine!? But, really, it hasn't failed me yet. Everything I've tried from that region has been really good.

MTN and LYNN - That's why I want it to be dual purpose, I don't want the look of a desk. But, I do need somewhere to sit and use my laptop or write out checks. I currently use my island and I hate that. I agree w/staring into a wall, but since I've downsized I really dont have anywhere in my house that I can look out and see anything worth looking at.
I thought the top could even have a wine glass holder, wine bottle holder then on the other size open shelves for cookbooks. I forgot when I designed my kitchen to put a bookshelf on the end of my island. DAH
THe space is only about 4 1/2 feet long, one end has a 2 1/2 foot corner-wall which would give me alittle more counter space for mixing drinks and it would have to be fairly narrow so it's not in the path of my window seat or my island.
Maybe I could get the doors on the bottom to slide back into the cabinet, like some entertainment centers have, that way I would have room for a stool and my legs and no one would know that I can sit at it...
Gez, why did I down size - my last house had a nice big office!!

Jeannie,
Of course you know your space, your options and your constraints. It may in fact be a good choice for you. I was just popping in with my strongly held view, but of course is some circumstance it makes sense.

I had to think of this conversation last night when i was at a cooking club dinner with a Latin theme and we had caipirinhas. And wine. And sangria. hmm Wonder how they capped off the plumbing when we ripped out those wetbars ...

Never thought I'd have a bar in my house - ripped out the one in this house (the bar was 14 feet long and would have doubled as a hurricane shelter!!) then guess what? We built a new bar when we remodeled! We just decided that the old one had been too useful. The new one has a sink with hot and cold water, a wine/beer/beverage refrigerator, an ice maker, a coffee machine, plenty of storage for glasses, cups etc and bottles and cans. There is plenty of counter space for mixing drinks and for bar stools.
It is interesting to see how it is used. The guys hang out there when we have a party. The girls do too sometimes if the guys don't nab it first! My nephews used to like to sit there to do their homework. The bar is in the corner of a very large family room but easily accessible from the pool deck and as we live outside most of the year it is great for kids and adults to grab their beverage of choice. It really frees up my kitchen when we have a lot of guests and I am trying to prepare food. I put nibbles out there too. I don't care one bit if wet bars are in or out, we like ours and so do our guests!

I agree, Sis. "In" or "Out" is really not the best term to use. If it works for you, it's the right option. I just like to see them looking more in step with the rest of the room instead of a dated, smaller version of a "Cheers" bar. The bottom line is that yours works wonderfully for you and that's what counts.
Lynn

I know I am late to the party but wanted to respond to the original poster. We are also in NJ & our wet bar set-up is similar to what you are considering. It is in the kitchen near the family room & next to the sliders that will eventually lead to our deck.
I absolutely love the space--the sink comes in handy & was used as a beverage holder all through the holidays. The space for glasses is nice & the having a refrigerator to keep the beer & wine in really clears up space in the regular refrigerator.

I am attaching 2 pics-- the second is from when we first moved in but shows it's location near sliders/family room.
GL with your decision.

as has been said, passe style can be bad when it comes to selling, but in my opinion
no house can ever have too much plumbing even if it's just quietly waiting behind a wall for someday.
i have a wet bar in my big room. (it's not great, but it is big,lol.) the overall design is yuk, but the service we get from it rocks. when i remodel again it's being replaced with something a bit more stylin!.

however i'm about to build a wet bar in my bdrm for coffee and tea and can't wait to use it.
i'll def be adding an under counter fridge and an ice maker, since it's far away from the main ktichen in the house.

btw, i'm able to add the wet bar finally because when we built this addition fifteen years ago i made sure i had as much versatility as i could.
i also have laundry hookups in the closet behind it so we can add a washer finally.
and with the plumbing built in already, if i need to turn this entire third floor addition into an apartment, i can.

I am planning to put in a sink in what I am referring to as my beverage center. It will be handy to have water for my coffee pot, so a sink will be included.

I guess what I am trying to say is that wet bars can be more versatile these days. Coffee, smoothies, cocktails, etc. whatever your vice, a sink is handy.

Carrie and Crescent, love your wet bars!

A year and a half later from the original post, I'm just reading it now. We are considering adding wet bar to our lower level family room. It would be on the small side with a sink and drinks refrigerator, plus storage for glassware. It would be about the size of #4 in Live Wire Oak's posting, just the part that you see face on, not the ell to the side. Similar style, too, though we had quartersawn oak in mind, and are considering a soapstone counter and sink to add to the Arts and Crafts ambience. We rarely drink mixed drinks and usually serve just beer, wine, and soda at parties. Our parties take place on the patio off the lower level. It is a steep hillside property. With the kitchen on the main (upper) level, that means traipsing up and down the stairs dozens of times during a party, very wearisome! This seems like such a practical solution to us.

Rosefolly

I love the look of a vintage buffet with glass shelves hanging above. A small bar sink could be installed and the fridge kept close by. A vintage secretary used as a bar is also a great idea. It would be kept open to accommodate bottles of liquor, etc. What's nice about this idea is the top part could hold glasses, stirs, and other bare ware.

Aunt Jen...Reminds me of a picture I took in Cozumel years ago. The guy on the end, I think, is my husband. I can't remember. lol I thought the men all looked so cute and content. I named the photo Happy Hour. :)

As for the wet bar...we had one in a previous home that we never used. it was in our family room. If I had one in or near the kitchen, we probably would have used it more.

That is a cute pic, newhomebuilder!

In my neighborhood, which is all new custom homes...wet bars are found in basements and outdoor entertaining areas. And they are absolutely awesome for entertaining! We don't have a basement, but I would love to find out how ridiculously expensive it might be to add one to our terrace...really wish we had thought of it when building! :) I haven't seen too many on the kitchen level of homes, a lot of people do fill prep sinks with ice as an extra cooler.

I remember in Cancun the "swim-up bar" in the pool. I wouldn't mind a wet bar, it would keep people out of the kitchen, rinsing glasses, dumping ice, etc., when I'm trying to get dinner for 25 ready on Christmas Eve or clean up afterwards. And, when we remodel the kitchen, we can add a micro and hotplate and use it as our temp kitchen.

No wet bar, but I have a small butlers pantry between the dining room/kitchen, with a double cabinet above and below, as well as a granite counter space. I'm thinking of taking the doors off the upper cabs, painting the interior back black, and removing the current wood shelves and putting in glass shelves. I would also add some sort of light to the interior top, to shine down thru the glass. There is a recessed light in the middle of the pantry, but something not so glaring would be adequate. It's where I keep the liquor/bar ware/glasses already, it would just look a little nicer.

I'm hoping to find a 70s home to redo into a bit of a cottage look...but if the basement had one of those 'dated' bars...that would be fantastic! My husband would love something like that :)

We have a wet bar in our patio, we use it all the time - out of style or not this is functional for us. We use it to store beer, mixed drink supplies, and bar ware. It has a small fridge to cool drinks. The sink is to the side and it bar top works perfectly for a summer buffet. We have close friends that built one after we had ours a couple of years. When looking for a new house in a couple of months this would be a plus, if there is not one we will want to have one built.

I personally like the bar on the outside in the patio, rather than inside the home but then again we have mild weather.

Heck no, not in our house. We're always mixing something up and having a crowd to watch football or basketball or something. I love a bar.

We finally decorated our basement and I'm very happy to have a wet bar down there.

pps7 what a great room! Must be a walk-out basement with lighting like that?

Lovely job in that basement renovation, pp7!

And there is nothing very wrong with being within an arms length of a martini:-)

Flowerpwr, it's a look out basement with very big windows. We opted not to do a walkout bc we wanted our yard to be level with the main floor.

P.s. Stained concrete floors are the best! Very user friendly!

Wow! What a popular topic. We are in the process of adding a backbar with a sink and fridge to our lower level because we're sick of getting up from watching a movie in the media room to go upstairs for a drink or snack. We are not putting in a counter and stools however. Reading what people have said here confirms our decision. Now I just need to find people who can recommend sinks. :)

Our current house has a smaller kitchen and less counter space than our previous house. So, the wet bar doubles as a coffee bar since my husband is a coffee aficionado who roasts and grinds coffee. Without this space, he'd have used up valuable counter space.

This post was edited by nutsaboutplants on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 21:00

DD/DH had a bar in the family room of their 20 year old home, and had it taken out a few years ago. They never used it, but if you feel it will be functional, why not have one? Who cares whether it's in/out.

We are doing a dry bar because our kitchen sink is about 20 feet away. We wanted to do a wine fridge, but decided to opt out of it to save money. We have a main kitchen fridge and a laundry room fridge so we don't really need it.

So we will have storage for glasses, some drawers, and a lower cabinet for liquor storage.

{{gwi:2132847}}

Here is my wet bar. It's tucked in an otherwise unusable corner in my keeping room between the kitchen and den.

In my neighborhood, it is expected to have some sort of wine storage or bar arrangement. I like having one. I keeps guests from the kitchen area. They naturally gather around this area while I am working in the kitchen.

For someone looking to maximize the space, this is a stackable model from Marvel. You can specify how you set up the unit. In my case, the bottom is refrigerator and the top is wine storage. The very small drawers hold corkscrews and bar tools.

I think the realtor was wrong about the wet bar. I expect they were referring to large units in basements with flashing beer signs and team colors. If you love it, enjoy it and love it . Just don't expect to get your money for it when you go to sell. Actually, you could turn some potential buyer away if you rooted for the wrong team.

We built a wet bar on our patio a few years ago, use it all the time. Stores beverages, barware and makes a great countertop for summer buffets. Never really thought about whether is was "out" just knew it would be functional for us.

We are moving later this year and hoping our next house will have an outdoor wet bar and perhaps and indoor coffee bas as well.

I'm getting ready to install a large hutch/buffet in my dining room. It will really be a place for my bar/wine stuff but will do double duty as a buffet for gatherings. I am iffy about a sink as the kitchen sink is literally about 15 steps away. I think for resale you can stage it as a coffee bar and those who drink will obviously see it's use as a bar while those who don't will like the coffee bar set up.

I like this idea as I can close it up when not in use, hiding the sink if I decide to put one in. I will put a fridge below (not a wine fridge, just a standard undercounter unit.

It's amazing how long this conversation has been going on! I thought I would add my experience. Just more food for thought for someone. We bought a 70's home and have been adding a master suite and updating. We were unable to add on to or change our kitchen and it's pretty small, so we opted to add a beverage center off the great room to get most beverages out of the kitchen. I was advised to do a dry bar by a designer who said wet bars are old news. It has an ice maker and 2 refrigerator drawers and a pull out drawer for liqueur bottles under the counter and shelves above for glassware. I have to say, now that we are using the space we really wish to have a sink. As is, it's great for water, soda, beer, and wine, but if you want to mix something with those liqueur bottles it's pretty inconvienent to not have an easy way to clean up a spill or add water to something, or blend using the ice maker that's right there. I wish I had gone with my own instinct instead of listening to a designer. We are considering adding the sink right now before the builder is totally done with our project. It's going to be more expensive now. I have a beautiful beverage center, but I wish I had researched this issue sooner. I got sidetracked by too many other decisions and just went with someone else's thoughts. We don't have room for one but a dishwasher drawer would be really cool as well.

Hi guys, we are buying a house with a gorgeous solid wood wet bar. My husband and I really don't drink much and wanted know if anyone had any good ideas how to re-purpose it?

Why don't you post a photo of the bar. I am planning on adding a small bar sink to a little corner of the kitchen. I don't drink so it is not a bar but a hand washing station/ coffee bar/ mini prep sink

OMGOSH, that is a great idea ! I will make it a coffee bar . It will be such a fun project☕️. We are still in escrow so I don't have a picture of it. I will however , post a picture when I have finished it. Thanks so much for your response.

Thanks for all the input! Our project is complete. Turned out rather nice, we think.

That is pretty. I have a 40" spot I plan on tucking my coffee bar in to. It is right next to a small walk in pantry and the dining table is just through the door way in front of it. We have way too much china and glass ware in cabinets already, but what is one more at this point.... This is my inspiration photo (I am sure many are tired of seeing this one but it does fit the style of the house)

My brother has a really nice one (he put it in himself) and he uses it. Myself, I wouldn't be using it all that frequently. Depends on what YOU like and how you entertain. In my case, my kitchen will be large enough I can just mix up drinks there.

Our dry bar mid remodel. We turned it into a multi purpose file drawer, wine rack and glassware storage. It is seperated from our kitchen by a hallway. The installers did put a plug in for a wine fridge but we opted out. It is great for entertaining. We keep the liquor in the cabinet bottom on left.