The gorgeous kitchen we shared in our last blog post wasn’t the only area that we worked on in this Betendorf Iowa home. Village Home Stores provided design and materials for this home from our Cabinetry, Countertops, Appliances, Flooring, Wall Tile, Lighting, and Hardware departments. So let us take a trip from that open concept upstairs, and wander down to the lower level of this home to see the bar area. On our way downstairs, take a look at the stairwell flooring selections we installed.
The “Saddle” engineered oak flooring from the upstairs great room is repeated on the stairwell landing. This breaks up the carpeting and adds such a rich look to the space. Our best-selling DreamWeaver Metropolitan Series carpeting has been installed in the bedrooms, closets, and lower level of this home. The “Iron Frost” color is the perfect neutral. It blends beige and gray colors to create a soft, comfortable floor surface. This DreamWeaver carpet is a solution dyed carpet. That means it won’t fade, show wear, stain, or show bleach stains from spot cleaning. The color of this carpeting is the same throughout the entire fiber of the carpet, not just the outside surface. Learn more about this PureColor® Technology here on the DreamWeaver website. But for now… let’s head to the bar!
Wow! What a handsome wet bar in such a small footprint! Proof that just a few cabinets and a great bar design can upgrade the look and function of any entertaining space. This back bar with sink and front bar-height counter is a perfect layout. Wall cabinets with a single lower drawer bookend each side and extend all the way down to the counters. A glass mosaic tile accents the the back wall and is capped off at the top with a crown molding.
This tiled wall can be used in a number of ways. Shelving can be added, wall art, a clock, a wall-mount TV, or just as we have it shown. Designing a home bar doesn’t mean you have to install an entire second kitchen in your home. Many customers include a sink and just a few appliances in their design. In this home we installed a single glass-front beverage cooler and microwave drawer with a bar sink and plenty of cabinet storage.
The “Stone” stain from our Koch Cabinetry line has quickly become a bestseller this year. We have installed this finish as whole kitchen projects as well as accent islands and many bathroom vanities. Here in this wet bar we applied this warm gray stain to Koch’s Prairie door in a Hickory wood. Amerock handles in a “Gunmetal” finish look amazing against the stained wood. This home is located in Bettendorf, Iowa but we must mention that the name of this handle from Amerock is “Davenport” how fun is that!?
The other metal finishes in this bar compliment this Gunmetal finish with the Stainless appliances and Pewter lighting fixtures from Golden Lighting. Three mini pendants hang above the bar height seating area. These mini-pendants are stylish and notice they are on a chain! Have a tricky light location in your current home? Don’t forget you can “swag” anything on a chain or cord! Snap a photo of your space and ask a Village Home Stores lighting expert about your options.
Across the room is a game table area. We installed a larger pendant light from this same Golden Lighting series there. The same lines and style of the mini-pendants in a larger scale. The lighting selected in this home all looks so great as you walk throughout the house. Selecting lighting for your home can be a fun process and the right lights can add so much personality to a finished space.
You don’t have to have every single light fixture in a home match each other. In fact the best lighting plans we work on include lights from varied brands and use varied finishes. Press play below to see a few of the fixtures we installed all under the same roof of this home:
Many of the metal finishes in the rest of the home are a matte black or dark bronze finish. We love the graphic look of a black fixture against a neutral background like a white kitchen or a foyer ceiling. Black is a great accent color to consider. Upstairs in this home we included a painted black island in the kitchen. In the lower level bar we used a black granite countertop.
This is a natural stone top called “Black Pearl” and that soft, leathery look you see in these images comes from the “Brushed” finish applied to the granite. Instead of a high-gloss polished stone, these slabs are roughed up with an entirely different set of tools to give the stone a touchable texture without the dark, high-gloss black granite look. Black Pearl Brushed granite is a great surface to consider if you are looking to accent your design with some matte black finishes and want a durable surface.
The front of the bar design is constructed with two base cabinets set at a bar height. A half-wall was built and and paneling surrounds the finished peninsula. An outlet is located on the end of this bar for crockpots, charging devices, or a blender. A furniture style baseboard molding completes the look where the toespace meets the tiled floors.
Of course a home bar needs cold beverages! And this 24″ undercounter Danby cooler has a glass-front and a 5.3 cu. ft. capacity. It holds up to 112 beverage cans and 11 bottles of wine! Shop our appliances online, anytime at villagehomestores.com. This bar area will be perfect for entertaining groups of any size. It is located on one end of the lower level family room space. Sliding doors to the backyard makes this bar just steps from outdoor gatherings as well.
Our cabinetry is not just for kitchens, bars and bathrooms. We designed matching Hickory “Stone” built-in cabinetry for the lower level fireplace wall. This wall turned out so great! Let’s revisit this carpeting selection (shown below) one more time as we notice the blend of warm neutrals looks perfect with the stone selected for the fireplace. The “Stone” stain is the perfect compliment as it offers a great contrast and blends in with so many of the on-trend grays available in home furnishings and accessories now.
While the layout of a “built-in” cabinet hasn’t changed much over time, how we style one has. Some homes still pack shelves full of layers of books or movies and others keep it minimal or seasonal with decor. Typically a built in area includes doored base cabinets with open shelving above. A modern take on this can be seen when floating shelves are installed with no side or back. Here we installed full-height door bases and bookshelf cabinets trimmed off with crown molding. The Hickory crown molding travels across the fireplace section and connects to the opposite shelf side.
Ready to start designing your own home bar or lower level entertaining space with Village Home Stores? We are here to help! We have access to many brands to suit any budget and can’t wait to hear what you are working on. Get inspired from other home bar projects we have completed by visiting this Pinterest board or this Houzz ideabook. When you are ready to take the first steps for your own project, just reach out. Call us at 309-944-1344 or complete this short online form and a member of our team will be in touch. Cheers!
