Forget The Bar Cart – Create a Full-On Drinks Station

I was working with a client recently who wanted to give her hall/first reception room a proper purpose. I say first reception room, because it was the size of a small room off which the kitchen, living room, and bedroom corridor led. The house had been converted from a series of small barns so the layout was a bit unconventional and this first room was a bit of a thoroughfare. What it did have though, was a flagstone floor, some exposed brickwork, a double height ceiling and some seriously impressive beams. The previous owner had also left a large refectory table along one wall.

What it didn’t have was a reason to linger.

So, what would a gregarious and sociable owner need to greet her guests? A drinks station of course. Forget the cocktail bar cart. Lovely and sophisticated as they look as part of a room scheme, this hall needed something much more large scale. We could both imagine how popular it would be when family or friends arrived, to be given a drink before wandering into other rooms. And it would be equally lovely if they could help themselves too. But there was a risk that it would look like a bar. So, the plan was to dress the room in such a way that it would look like a normal hall – just with all the essentials for serving drinks. After all, the bar cart isn’t in use all the time and is part decorative. And that was the plan for the refectory table in this room.

Shopping List

1. Boxes and baskets to hold wine bottles and mixers under the table.
2. Trays to hold spirits and glasses on the tabletop.
3. A champagne bucket.
4. A lamp and/or a couple of candelabras.
5. A wall mirror/artwork for the wall behind the table.
6. Plants to soften the space.
7. Decorative accessories/bar-ware.
8. Seating that would sit unobtrusively along the wall.

This post does contain affiliate links. If you decide to buy anything featured you won’t pay any more, but Dear Designer’s will receive a small commission to help keep this blog up and running.

Sources

1. Faux Swiss Cheese Plant, Sweetpea and Willow.
2. Champagne and Wine Cooler, Amara.
3. Metal Industrial Mirror, Maisons Du Monde.
4. Brass Gecko Bottle Opener, Oka.
5. Brass Bamboo Tray, Oka.
6. Verdigris Wine Rack, Oka.
7. Faux Shagreen Serving Tray, Oka.
8. Rattan Basket, Oka.
9. Blackened Pine Dining Table, Oka.

 

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