I’m planning out a home bar and have been stuck on one surprisingly complicated decision: what should I do for ice?

I could just use the ice maker in the fridge, add a countertop ice maker, or go with a built in ice maker that’s more like what you’d see in a commercial bar. I’ve been looking at a few countertop options, including Costway, but I’m not sure if giving up the counter space is worth it.

The fridge option obviously saves space, but I’m not sure it can keep up when I have friends over. A countertop machine seems like the easiest option, but I’d have to give up some counter space. The built-in option seems like the best long-term setup, but it also means more money, space, and installation.

For those who have built a home bar, which setup did you go with? Is a dedicated ice maker actually worth the extra space, or has the fridge ice maker been enough for you?

We recently created a basement bar, and the backsplash in thin brick. I would like to put up 2 shelves, roughly 30" wide each for liquor and wine bottle storage.

One idea we had was to have an antiqued mirror on the wall with the shelving in front of it. I am generally a pretty handy person, but I honestly don't know the correct way to go about trying to install shelving through or on top of a mirror.

We are also open to other tips and recommendations people have to bottle displays/storage

Doesn't look like Sub-Zero or U-line or any of the other reputable brands make a simple under counter freezer for our home bar reno.

Your suggestions will be much appreciated :)!

In the next few months, id like to start on building a "bar" in a 8'x20' container. It's narrow, but plenty long for all the more im looking for. The build out is easy, i got that covered. They layout is my question. Ima toss up a couple of my ideas, but im definitely open to suggestions.

there are bunch of liquor and liqueur in island bar's drawer I keep it cool and dark place unable to show it because my cats would push them all down

We are renovating our basement and added this small dry bar. The right, far wall will be an antique mirror with liquor shelving. The left wall will have a TV and two light sconces. The backsplash will be brick.

I'd love feedback on if the TV should be centered on that well, or centered on the cabinet we have back there. And, once that's decided then I need to add 2 new electrical boxes where we want to put sconces. Any recommendation on sconce styles would also be appreciated.

Looking for any opinions how to setup the area. Considering a 60 inch cabinet with sink, with an L design. Building against a wall/under the stairs!

Not sure what to do exactly with the area under the stairs. It’s about 3 feet from the half wall to the stair frame. If I place the cabinets against the half wall, I’ll only have about 12 inches or so of clearance from under the stairs.

Any input appreciated

Finally, at the age of 49, I have my own home bar, thanks to my (former architect) wife who designed it.

That's it for the grand tour! Always happy to get bottle recommendations, suggestions, and questions.

Found this channel on YouTube, a couple of good ideas.

https://youtu.be/68Y9diJHhng?is=Wp2Vx7R_bDEK8--B

We built a new house and moved in 10 months ago. I still make frequent trips to the liquor store to continue filling up the bar, especially after finding new recipes in r/cocktails

Top shelf is for Whiskey and Bourbon, and the main shelf is for everything else. It's possibly overkill since my wife barely drinks, but I love it.

For years I've loved browsing this subreddit looking at others home bar set-ups and it's finally time for my husband and I to build our own! We're working with a woodworker to build a home library (see second photo for design inspo) and one short wall of it will be a wet bar in the same library style. The rough plan is to have full depth kitchen cabinets on the bottom, and 12" deep shelves above to match the rest of the room, with a niche in the centre for a bar sink (the art will be protected and wil essentially serve as a backsplash which the picture light above it providing extra task lighting to the sink area).

As I plan this I'd love to know what you've incorporated into your bar that you love, if there's anything you included and don't use, or anything you missed! Honestly any suggestions are welcome.

I currently have the uppers drawn as open shelves but may want to add cabinet doors to some or all. I plan for this entire wall to be used to store our glassware, liquor, etc., basically all our bar-related things.

We know we want a panel-ready wine fridge in the lower cabinets, and possibly a second fridge to use for mixers, other beverages, milk for a coffee station, etc. I've also just started thinking about a freezer for glasses and ice. Other considerations: should we look at adding an additional dishwasher for glassware? An icemaker even though the kitchen freezer nearby has one? Or anything else I haven't thought of?

Some context about us:

• We only host really large groups a couple times a year and this room isn't large enough for more than 4-6 adults to comfortably gather so big get togethers won't rely solely on this bar, it's more to serve my husband and I and maybe a couple friends.
• We drink wine, beer, and cocktails pretty much equally, but we have a two-tap kegerator in another room and don't drink much beer outside of that. We definitely want a wine fridge in here for storing wine for drinking soon, but will have a secondary wine fridge in our basement for aging wine.
• The kitchen is very close to this room and has a full-sized dishwasher, but we use it a LOT and it is normally full and run every single night already.
• We're expecting our first child and know that our lifestyle will likely change a lot over the next couple decades so while we envision this space to be a nice area for my husband and I to spend quiet time together with a drink, we also realize that practically the wet bar may spend a period of time serving as a coffee station or something instead.

Built a house, a home bar was a necessity. Getting settled in and the next step is to go bottle shopping. Also need a new shaker and bar tools.

DIY Drybar