Wet Bars - Are they 'out'?
snaupal
12 years ago
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kellyeng
12 years agololauren
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Your opinion on which wet bar layout - pls, must order tomorrow!
Comments (5)Yes - you're probably right, kaseki. In fact, it wasn't originally spec'ed to have the dishwasher and that was an impulse floor model buy. Later on, I've sort of thought that it threw off everything (the ice maker was supposed to go there.) That said, based on your thinking, I have thought about what my priorities were. Well the first is less a priority than a preference - when we entertain, I *dread* the extra batch of dishes than can't fit in the dishwasher. I hate going to bed with dishes not yet attended to b/c they are worse in the morning. SO, that second dishwasher was a big splurge but something I know we'll use. The second thing taking up the space now, the double u-line I guess reflects the priority more? Here we've designated this bonus space to an area where we can keep all the beverages for regular life and entertaining. It didn't sit right to me that we would accomodate all wine (we are sort of light wine drinkers on our own, more when we have folks over,) and NO beer, mixers or non-alcoholic beverages available. They would either need to end up in a bucket of ice on the counter or people would be going into the kitchen fridge. SO, I guess giving up 12 inches of space was a tradeoff I would make - especially since, as you say, you can't really ever fit everything in a room like this. I have nearly 8 feet of cabinets on the top of this area, one bottom cabinet with a drawer, and another cabinet and bank of drawers on the other side. So, I guess that's sort of how I thought it through? My logic is probably flawed - and my worst habit is being indecisive and second-guessing myself, but hopefully I can live with this one! :-) Thanks for the thoughtful comment though - it made me think this through again....See Morelooking for great ideas for using spaces in basement/playroom..
Comments (12)Ncdel--why not go ahead and paint around the closet? You might be in this house for more than two years--you never know. Or you could paint the inside all pink and purple, or whatever your daughter's favorite colors are. Another consideration is that this is a playroom. I suspect, when you start getting this house ready to sell, you are going to have to paint the playroom anyway--kids do tend to make marks on the walls, even when they are trying not to. Balls get bounced, toy trucks are let loose, stuff happens. And by the time you move, your daughter may have outgrown the dress-up stage. So if you really want to give her a special little girly space, I'd say go ahead and do it. If you knew for certain sure that you would be moving in a year, I'd say don't do it. But a "maybe" move in a couple of years? You don't want to spend the next couple of years feeling as if you can't do anything you really want to do in the house because you are moving soon. Two years is a long time to live in a place without changing it to suit you and your family. I know. My dad was in the military and we moved every year or two. The longest we stayed in any one house was two and a half years. My parents were adamantly opposed to doing anything to any house we lived in--or maybe it was that they didn't want to spend a single cent on something that would be left behind when we moved (they were very frugal). We coped with furniture that didn't fit, curtains that didn't cover windows, inadequate storage in many houses, weird wall colors that clashed with our furniture, you name it. And even my parents would complain about the poor lighting in a room, or the lack of storage space in the kitchen, or how echo-y a certain room was--all of which could have been solved with less than $100 spent on lamps, or a microwave cart or some curtains or a small area rug. I think this is why I am so concerned with how my surroundings look today. I'm not saying go hog wild and spend tons of money and time and effort to make the house totally "you." If you are moving in a few years, that would be a lot of investment that you wouldn't get back. But a few little projects, the ones that speak to you the most and that would make you feel more at home in your own home--things that you can do in a day or that cost less than $200--go ahead and do a few of them. There's a happy medium between doing nothing to personalize the space and personalizing every square inch of the house. And if you don't want to paint, do check out the wall decals that are so popular right now--you could decal the closet door and just peel them off when you move....See Moreneed help to change a wet bar to something else
Comments (11)Excellent questions above .... 1)Would you still use it as a bar for entertaining? The cabinets could be repainted and new long modern handles installed on the doors. Then replace the countertop to suit your new decor -- and switch the sink/faucet to chrome or silver. Consider adding a bar fridge inside the cabinets .... OR if there is enough floor space -- add a counter bar and stools in front of the unit. 2)How about as a bookshelf/closed storage unit? Cap off the plumbing, remove the sink/faucet/replace the countertop. Remove the glass shelves and mirror. Add new wood shelves and backboard. Paint the whole unit to match the new decor. Add modern handles to doors. 3)Perhaps you need more closet space? Pull out the entire unit. Cap off the plumbing. Add custom closet inserts for extra hanging space for coats ... and other out-of-season clothes/shoes/boots. Add closet doors. Paint out to match decor. 4)Need more display space for a large artwork? Pull out the entire unit and cap off the plumbing. Remove the shelves and the mirror. Add a large artwork and a console table/cabinet below it. Just some thoughts .......See MoreWet bar near kitchen with pass through stuck in 80's
Comments (2)While my kitchen is not yet remodeled, I had a similar wet bar in my family room. The room had a pass through window and bar top which opened into the family room. I closed off the window completely and have turned the room into a large pantry/storage room. I re-routed the plumbing to make a wet bar on the outside, though we have not yet built the wet bar. (We want to do it with the kitchen to have matching cabinetry.) I am much happier with the function of the room as I found the wet bar room essentially useless. At this time, I have an antique sideboard against the wall where a wet bar will eventually go, and we use it for glass and liquor storage. I look forward to putting in a wine/beverage fridge. Here is an old thread where I received some advice on getting rid of the wet bar room. I realize you are initially thinking just about updating the room, but for me, the whole concept of a wet bar room with a pass through window was outdated and not so useful with contemporary lifestyles. I would recommend at least considering re-doing and repurposing the room to work for you....See MoreHappyladi
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