24 Simple and Stylish Home Bar Ideas on a Budget

How do you set up a small bar in your house?

A home bar set-up can be as simple as a tray filled with a few choice bottles displayed on a living room credenza or dining room buffet, or something more elaborate involving floating shelves and seating for a crowd. Depending on your home and lifestyle, you might set up a small bar in a corner of the kitchen, the living room, family room, basement kitchenette, dining room, game room, or even your home office. You can set up a mini bar using something as simple as a bar cart or a vintage or modern bar cabinet. Or you can install a small freestanding bar in the corner of a room, or transform an unused niche or shallow closet into a small bar that suits your needs. If you’re looking to set up a wet bar, be sure to consider access to plumbing and electrical when choosing where to place it to keep costs affordable.

What do you need for a DIY bar?

A DIY bar can be as minimalist or as fully loaded as you need or desire. If your tastes are confined to wine or beer, a small stocked fridge or a wine rack and some glassware might do the trick. A Don Draper-style home office might include a midcentury modern bar cart with a choice bottle of something strong and a crystal glass. If your tastes veer toward complicated cocktails and frozen drinks, a DIY wet bar can be set up if you have the plumbing for it with a small sink and a freezer for ice and a socket to plug in your blender. Some people might set up a bar corner with comfortable seating for two in a corner of the basement. Or build a DIY bar complete with space for game nights and entertaining. Or commandeer some of the built-in kitchen cabinets and counter space to devote to an adult beverage station that's always at the ready.