Bourbon is buzzing in the cocktail world. There’s a growing appreciation for this golden-brown, distilled spirit made from fermented grains and aged in wooden barrels. I myself fancy a classic Manhattan from time to time. So, when I found a Tweak client with a passion for bourbon, I had to find a way to give them a Bourbon Bar. The challenge… where to put it?
Oh Where, Oh Where, shall this Bourbon Bar Go?
BEFORE: The downstairs of this two story town home was an open floor plan. There really wasn’t any space to add anything new; much less a bourbon bar. The space to the left of the refrigerator was where all beverages- water, juice, coffee, wine, etc. – originated. Until…
Reminding me of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, my attention was drawn to a 21″W x 9’3″H slab of wall in the middle of everything with no apparent purpose. Strange, right? Questioning the reason for this “monolith,” I thought, how much space do we really need for a bourbon bar? The crude sketch above lead to the creation of this little jewel of a bourbon bar. Keeping the “monolith” wall, the header above, and dry-walling one side created the perfect 21″D x 48″W nook. Thankfully, the “monolith” had a switch on the opposite side making it possible to add a switch and a barn light inside the nook. Pretty simple!
Needless to say, the clients were ecstatic with the results! Finding this little bit of underused space paid off hugely for the amount of enjoyment it will provide. Are you wondering what happened with the other side of the wall?
Now, black, chalk-painted walls greet guests with a sign directing them to this little known bar called “Josh’s Bourbon Tasting Room.” Want other creative ideas for creating your own home bar, check out Raise the Bar. In addition to getting inspired, want to know where we got the essentials to create this bourbon bar?
Click to get the LOOK!
Happy Tweaking!
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