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+-- Thread: Small Home Bar Designs (/showthread.php?tid=7332196)
Small Home Bar Designs - Russell Hudson - 08-02-2017
We’ve come up with quite a few small home bar designs over the last 30 years but this client asked us to come up with a rich, classic look for their ancient (230 year old), two story stone house. It’s location was in an older, upscale section of town.
Their contractor had used us for some high-end work before and knew of our skills. We were to create cabinetry for a large master bath and likewise for a built-in wet bar in a niche on the opposite wall from the main fireplace in their living room . I told them I’d like to see a piece that looked like it had been there for a hundred years or more. What you might see in a very old, private, country club, for instance.
Although we do modern design work when asked to, I particularly enjoy creating a classical look, of woodwork from a bygone era. I love dark greens, copper counter tops and the look of well made, antique furniture. …so I finally found a small magazine photo of the kitchen in Cameron Diaz’s Manhattan apartment, that would help them visualize the direction I was aiming for….
Next I had to plan the configuration of cabs for both function and ‘old world’ appeal…
original wet bar rendering with amendment notes / A small refrigerator exists behind the lower right door
Cabinets installed (pre-finish) and a door’s lower rail to handle the fridge’s heat exchange
I found another pic of a well worn antique piece. I wanted this bar to look like it had existed in their home for over a century (even upon close inspection)…so I showed them the kind of aging I thought best.
After much experimenting, I came up with a finish sample that really looked authentic. On some scraps of poplar wood, I stained and then painted over with a beige color, all those exposed edges that I intended to appear ‘worn through’. Then I painted over everything with a dark Hunter green. Next I sanded those ‘worn’ edges, through the top coat, to expose the stained wood beneath, showing a thin line of the beige existing between the stained area and the green top coat. Then I covered the the whole surface with urethane (to protect and make it a bit more glossy, like a old, oil based’ paint might. We had our painters do this work but I had established exactly what the finisher would do to get the look I achieved in the sample. We also used hand rolled glass to give it more ‘aging’ and help obscure those objects stored behind.
Here are two, tight, close-up shots to explain what we really did and then wider shots to show the over-all (more subtle) effect it gave.
a copper grate was created in the lower right door / sink was created as an integral part of the counter top.
this hand rolled glass has random air pockets and is closer to how old ‘seeded’ glass looked
LED lights were hidden beneath left and right sections
a home’s wet bar… made to appear ‘vintage’. Over-all effect looked very authentic.
I’m adding this last shot because it but shows the copper counter best.
The copper is unfinished so it will age further. It’s known as a ‘live’ finish.
Now I have another nice photo to show for the small home bar designs we’ve made.
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - Mags® - 08-02-2017
Love the detail. How did the clients like it? I would have been impressed.
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - Wipedout - 08-02-2017
Very nice
I'm sure your clients are thrilled
I've been trying to figure out what to with my the wet bar area in my house. I just can't think of anything
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - Steve N - 08-02-2017
Russell I like your work, makes every place you've shown look warm and inviting. Keep posting, LOML uses your threads for making "Honey Do" jobs
Honey do this, Honey do that......................... Keeps me out of jail
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - EdL - 08-02-2017
Russell, I think you knocked that one over the wall in center field.
Excellent job.
Ed
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - TomFromStLouis - 08-04-2017
A thoughtful design well executed; hard to improve on that.
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - Gary G™ - 08-04-2017
I have thoroughly enjoyed each project you share.
Thanks!
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - FloridaRetiree - 08-04-2017
Looks great!
Good work.
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - ShopStud - 08-05-2017
Russell, this is AWESOME ! Love the design and execution, particularly the copper countertop. After a while, it will age a bit. At that point, do you plan to go back and give it a couple of clear coats ? Also, what did you use for the counter, under the copper ? Ply, particle board or MDF ?
RE: Small Home Bar Designs - Russell Hudson - 08-06-2017
thank you to all / appreciate the feedback / metal workers did the counter /
it's actually laminated to a man made substrate, Shopstud ...and if & when they want the top to stop aging, they can coat it... or shine it up again & then re-coat / I think I'd let it get pretty dark before I tried to re-burnish the surface