The next party location is your new bar at home
Learning what you can legally install in your basement and kitchen bar
You lean over the counter to tell the bartender your drink order. She responds with a price, and you swear the music is too loud and you heard her wrong. She repeats that price, and you stare at her in shock. It takes everything in you to not sound like your parents when you asked for fast food on the way home: “We have [food/liquor] at home!”
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a percentage from each purchase with my referral links.
You don’t want to be the person who spoils the girls’ night out (or guys’ night out), but you’re not really interested in partying with strangers and would much rather your crew enjoy the same great music, food and drinks at your home — for half the price. But how do you make your own home into a bar hangout?
Here are five tips to consider when organizing your new home bar.
1. Basement or kitchen: Which is best for a bar?
The good news for both locations is that there’s already a sink, so you don’t have to call a plumber, shut off the water supply and investigate existing plumbing connections for compatibility. (This may be the case for someone who is considering installing a washer-dryer in an apartment or condominium — unless you choose a portable washer-dryer in your kitchen sink.)
Recommended Read: “Laundry On the Go ~ Is a Portable Washer/Dryer Worth the Money?” (alternate link here)
You can easily use your own sink for a basement bar or a kitchen bar at home. And if your basement has a refrigerator and freezer, you can have an ice maker connection installed or buy a bunch of ice cube trays to crack as needed.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
However, if your plan is to have a considerable number of houseguests coming over to your new bar hangout, it’s up to you to decide whether you want this much traffic in your home — specifically if your basement has a bathroom too. While having a bar in your kitchen means guests can use a bathroom on your main floor, this can be a sizable amount of foot traffic — and nosey people lingering in other rooms while “trying to find” the bathroom.
For safety reasons, if you plan to have plenty of “plus-ones” in your home, a basement bar is better. If you live in a condo or apartment, lock the other doors to make sure no one accidentally roams in the wrong room. (This is especially important if you have a dog.)
Recommended Read: “Before you have that holiday party, prep your dog ~ How not preparing your dog for strangers can ruin the Christmas and New Year’s festivities”
2. Be careful with fragile items if you have children or pets.
Like having a playful pet, kids have a creative way of getting into things — and breaking them. If you plan to have lots of wine glasses, glass plates, spray hoses, wine bottles and other items that seem like big fun to fling on the floor or have a water fight, childproof your bar. If your child is already used to breakable items on coffee tables and shelves, and she knows how to dodge fragile items, you may be OK. But there’s always that chance that she’ll try to play the “Kitchen” game when she was supposed to be on the other end of the basement. Consider installing overhead shelves or a cabinet lock to avoid the risk of an emergency room visit.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a percentage for every purchase with my referral links.
Now comes the fun part: furnishing your bar!