You can construct a storage bar for your dining room with a big or small budget. Basic modifications can turn your ho-hum dining area into a Mecca for partiers that offers this big bonus: an opportunity to tuck away boxes of serving pieces that should always remain--well, hidden. If the size of the room allows it, you can also add bar stools. One warning, though: stock up on tasty snacks and you may never get rid of your company.
Instructions
1. Find inspiration for designing and constructing your bar by consulting do-it-yourself magazines and books, chatting with home improvement store design center personnel and getting examples from the Internet.
2. Seek professional design or carpentry help if your skills are insufficient. Work with your consultant(s) to design the bar so it fits naturally into the room's floor plan. Try this trick and you won't have to sacrifice floor space: cannibalize a closet that faces into or backs up to the dining room.
3. Use masking tape to indicate area earmarked for a back (wall) and front (island) bar design. Cut out the drywall to create an inset for the back half of your bar. Frame up the area with lumber. Hire a plumber to run PVC piping if you plan to install a working sink. Upgrade electrical wiring to accommodate a wine keeper or food refrigerator. Complete the back wall upgrade by adding electrical outlets, cable connections and other amenities.
4. Install new sheet rock. Prime and paint the wall. Install back cabinets along the floor and back wall and suspend overhead cabinetry using cabinet bolts, anchors and hardware made for heavy mounting.
5. Finish off the back bar by adding counter tops, back splashes, a sink (if desired), under-cabinet lighting fixtures, easy-glide shelves and cabinet doors. Go all out and make them glass-faced cabinet fronts. Finish all of the details required to complete the back bar.
6. Frame up the island bar per your plan. Install matching cabinets and molding and a matching counter top. Retrofit cabinet interiors with shelves to hold glassware, a blender, mixing utensils and other supplies. Place a commercial bar rug on the floor between the back and front bars to absorb spills and cushion feet.
7. Stock shelves and drawers with bar towels, aprons and cleaning supplies. Keep a cocktail recipe book in a drawer with beer openers, corkscrews, martini shakers and other aids in case someone asks you for something exotic. Supply your bar with wines, beers, soft drinks and snacks.
8. Use cabinets and drawers not dedicated to bar supplies for table linens, serving trays and other storage. Plan a party to introduce friends and relatives to your new gathering place.
Tags: back wall, dining room, your dining, your dining room