If staying in is the new going out, what better way to do it than with your own fully stocked drinks cabinet? Add a little style to your stay-at-home set up with our must-have picks for your personal mini bar. Your next night-in never looked better…

Must-haves for creating the perfect home bar:

1. Your cabinet or console should have plenty of shelves and space for storing your accessories and items, as well as open space for showing off your pretty bottle collection. Mirrored designs are perfect for showcasing fancy glassware and gently reflect the light, adding to your drink station ambiance!

2. A durable and low maintenance finish is pretty essential – a surface topped with something like glass will be easy to wipe which is especially handy for cocktail mixing.

3. There’s nothing worse than harsh closing doors that make glassware rattle or even topple over! It may not be the first thing you think of but consider premium details like velvet lined drawers which are a great for protecting your mixing tools, or soft-close door hinges as they will help protect all the lovely glassware stored inside.

4. Balance out your accessories – if you’re going for an open cabinet look, it’s important to make sure the look is well-rounded by featuring items on both high and low shelves to achieve that polished finish.

5. It’s not all about the bottles: Okay, so they’re a must for your cocktail evening and there’s no harm in showing off a couple of your prettiest, but don’t forget to add some natural elements to your cart. Our stylist’s always recommending adding something natural like coloured flowers or organic shapes to your space to help soften the look.

Our expert and Furniture Designer, Francesca Birch says: “As we find ourselves spending more time at home, staying in really has become the new going out! What better way to enjoy our homes then with a nod to the Great Gatsby era in the form of a bar cabinet? Over recent years bar cabinets, drinks trolleys and the like have become ever more popular and we can totally understand why.

“Bar cabinets are an easy way to add a touch of luxury to our homes providing the perfect set up for an at home gin tasting event or for an all-out cocktail night from the comfort of your living room. Don’t forget to check out those cocktail recipes on Pinterest and add a Mad Men inspired modern cocktail to your bar!”

 Now for our recommended picks:

1. The Luxury Drinks Cabinet

 

If you’re looking for the ultimate cocktail cabinet, the Berkley is the piece for you as it follows a classic design shape with a mix of modern materials like glass, mirror and metal. This makes it super easy to co-ordinate with a range of interiors.

It has just right the amount of space for your staycation needs with a 6-glass hanging rack, a bottle rack, a cupboard, and drawer space. The velvet lined drawers are the perfect place for storing away all those little bar tools and items that make up the perfect cocktail while the glass top makes the modern drinks cabinet an ideal spot for both storing and serving up your drinks as you can use the space for preparing drinks for your guests. We'll have ours shaken, not stirred...

2. The Sideboard Drinks Cabinet

If you like the idea of a bar-cart curated feel, but don’t want to commit to the full look then go for a sideboard with a vignette or drinks-related items. This would be a perfect choice for a larger home as sideboards have been plenty of extra storage, but they’re not such a commitment to the home bar look.

We’ve pored over the details of the Ellis Dark Oak and Brass Sideboard so you don't have to. The textured detail on this piece adds an extra design element – it’s refined styling to give your home that put together, interior designer feel. With a spacious top, several compartments, soft close doors and adjustable shelves, the Ellis has plenty of storage space. You can hide away and show off whatever you like! The dark oak finish is reminiscent of that traditional wood bar finish and adds to the cosy and homely vibe.

3. The Drinks Console Table

Art-deco styling paired with plenty of shelf space and a secure base for even more storage, the Monroe Drinks Console Table is a durable and sturdy home-bar alternative. It’s a real statement piece, styled with smoked mirror shelving and a polished stainless-steel frame to give it a luxe look. The Monroe is all about displaying your fancy bottles and glassware; the slim and sleek frame is a more practical space-saving option if you want to create a home bar, but don’t really have the space for a cabinet or sideboard.

4. The Cocktail Cupboard

Another good-looking storage solution designed in our studio, the Geo would work perfectly as a drinks cupboard in a fireplace nook or a smaller space if you want to create some bar cart styling. You could pop a tray on the top of the unit and display a couple of your favourite bottles of spirits or statement glassware and even add some other elements like a vase or a quirky ornament.

Within the sideboard’s soft-close doors, you’ll find four spacious compartments for storing everything from cocktail recipe books to glass tumblers.
New for Spring-Summer 2021, the Geo is available to order in a matt white and stainless-steel finish. If you love the glamour of Old Hollywood, fulfil your art deco drinks cabinet vibe by ordering the Geo with brass accents.

 

Date Published: March 2021