Two IKEA bar areas – each with distinct design motivations

IKEA cabinets + Semihandmade doors + Summit wine coolers were all they had in common

A home bar should be an inviting area to kick back with a drink after a hard day at work or entertain friends. You want to nail that elusive, artful blend of cozy and glam. And, surprise! Budget-friendly IKEA cabinets are the key to this upscale look. With lots of customizable options, whether you want a masculine-motif bar or a midcentury-modern-inspired bar, it’s totally possible. And the good news is that this type of project doesn’t cost as much as you think, leaving you with more cash to stock the bar.

Two recent bar projects—both spanning one wall only—provide a dedicated spot to imbibe and unwind. Ashley from Kansas City, Missouri, the owner of a retail food purveyor with a new event space, knew she didn’t want customers to see clutter. Walls of cabinets might kill the mood and make it seem cramped. And external trash and recycling cans? Absolutely no. Guiding the project was a need to corral that clutter and add clean, minimalist lines to the interior, spanning one wall only. With the help of Rev-A-Shelf Stem Glass Holders, wine glasses suspend from Semihandmade’s 92” Slab Floating Shelves. A custom-storage solution below the sink and to the right of the 30”-wide beverage center helps stow trash in this high-traffic area, thanks to a Rev-A-Shelf Pull-Out Trash Can tucked into a white IKEA SEKTION base cabinet.

Then, to carve out a wine-tasting home bar in an already tight space in his home, Dylan from Bellevue, Washington, found a solution that created a completely unique aesthetic, different from anything else in the home. Stainless-steel appliances, plus wood and black trim, found their way into the elevated design for a timeless look, plus more eye-popping design choices like Fireclay’s Picket Straight Set Pattern tiles for the backsplash, IKEA KARLBY birch/veneer countertops, two IKEA VADHOLMA wine shelves, and a U-line wine fridge and under-counter refrigerator. Cabinets soaring to the 110” ceiling further maximize on the compromised space.

Created with guidance from Inspired Kitchen Design’s design team, now the home bar comes home with these projects. The best news is that they both cost under $8,500, not bad for adding a new entertaining spot.

Let’s take a look!

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Free of Clutter and Full of Storage

With an eye on creating a clean, minimalist area for customers to participate in culinary events, an intention throughout the project was to select natural or white finish materials for the 169” bar on a back wall of the retail space.

“I would like to do either white or natural Semihandmade cabinet doors, and thick floating shelves for glassware display,” Ashley advised the design team. “I will most likely keep a plain white wall or wallpaper backdrop versus tile.”

A dry bar with an IKEA EKBACKEN pre-cut countertop, in a white-marble effect, is the showpiece and conducive to gathering as well as prepping food. Semihandmade’s Chris Loves Julia Cove doors wooed Ashley, giving her that clean-lines look to blend into the space and not detract from it.

Project Numbers

One challenge was the extreme height in the space (132” high ceilings) coupled with a wide wall. The wrong design might cause the bar to diminish. A solution was to go all in and use every inch—but wisely. But because there needed to be ample room for people to walk around, Ashley shied away from walls of cabinets that would compress the space. She preferred tall, pantry-style cabinets with pull-out drawers.

“With such tall ceilings, I just don’t want the bar to look dinky and small on the large wall, and can use the extra storage space in the lower cabinets and pantry,” said Ashley. “I would like the build out to extend on just the back wall, utilizing the full 169″ space from the wall, so it stops just before the wood column.”

Custom Configuration Tip: We stacked 15” high x 24” wide x 24” deep IKEA cabinets atop both 94” high towers (then designed 15” wide x 24” high doors, turned horizontally, with vertical lift door hinges) to reach the 132” ceiling height. Extra panels were required on all exposed sides to cover the cabinet seams.

IKEA Pullouts and drawers for all base cabinets created instant storage space for items used while hosting events, such as napkins, tableware, cutlery and mixers. A 24”wide, 4-rack Rev-A-Shelf chrome wire pull-out organizes all of the clutter, pairing with three Semihandmade 92” Slab Floating Shelves (2” thick) and applying coats of Semihandmade’s Moonstone paint. This is where dozens of wine glasses are stored—via Rev-a-Shelf glass-stem holders—also creating visual interest.

“I’m leaning toward more floating shelves vs. upper cabinets for glassware display,” said Ashley.

Under-the-counter pullouts with sections for trash and glass recycling embody efficiency—without being seen.The final touch was adding a SUMMIT 30” Wide Built-In Wine/Beverage Center under the counter so drinks—whether chilled water or bottles of wine—are always within reach, but don’t obstruct traffic.

Maximizing a Small Space

Instead of the kitchen doubling as a home bar at night, Dylan decided to carve out that special spot on one wall. Knowing the space was small to begin with, the mantra to guide the project involved using every inch. One exception—because after all, this is a wine bar—are the wine bottles on display, below the 132” IKEA SKOGSÅ oak/veneer countertop.

“It may seem counter-intuitive to design two open IKEA Vadholma wine shelves considering the wine fridge, but they wanted a wine bar look,” says IKD designer Albert

Beginning with Fireclay’s Picket Straight Set Pattern white-wash tiles for the backsplash, a design Dylan loved, the rest of the design kicked into gear. Cabinets soaring to the 110-inch ceiling further maximize on the compromised space.

Project Numbers

Custom Configuration Tip: We custom stacked three sets of wall cabinets on each end: two 6” high drawers for small bar gear, 30”high cabinets for blenders and tall bottles, then 40” high wall cabinets with glass doors for decorative glassware. Both stacks of cabinets required extra paneling on each side of the home bar, to cover the seams where cabinets were stacked. All were reduced to 15” deep.

Semihandmade’s Quarterline doors in Night Sky were chosen.

“Since we have the kitchen all white,” says Dylan. “I was wondering if we should go for the (black effect).”

IKEA KARLBY birch countertops paired with wood, black and stainless-steel provide a timeless aesthetic to the home bar without being too trendy, and again, keeping the focus on those IKEA VADHOLMA open wine shelves as well as wine glasses. Like Ashley, keeping wine glasses on display provides visual interest but also keeps entertaining easy for Dylan. Rev-A-Shelf stem-glass holders mean less breakage for wine glasses, and Dylan also liked the way they looked. Three 66-inch-long floating shelves in mahogany were designed for above the sink, with 12 inches of vertical space between each for nice symmetry. Another attempt to create openness while in a small space is through 40” high wall cabinets. Glass doors provided the showcase Dylan was seeking.

“I like the glass cabinets and the drawers below them, flanking on each side and full height,” says Dylan.

To complete the design, two appliances were added: a 24-inch U-line wine refrigerator holds 25 bottles. Then, a 24-inch U-line under-counter refrigerator keeps snacks like cheese or charcuterie close by, without having to leave the room to retrieve them.

Knowing that not all guests would prefer wine, this home bar appeals to all vices. Dylan expressed a “need to have the beverage center, wine storage, and a kegerator with a tap handle poking through the countertop.” Now, with some custom design tweaks, wine, cocktails and craft beer can all be enjoyed at the wet bar. Keeping trash out of sight but also providing a quick-and-easy way to stash it was equally important. A door-mounted Rev-A-Shelf trash bin was mounted below the sink.