Considering a wet bar for your basement? It’s a fantastic way to keep guests refreshed without having to constantly trudge up and down stairs. There are a lot of ways to approach a wet bar design and there’s no “right” or “wrong” solution – just what works for your home.
We’ve helped many families create a wet bar as part of a basement remodel, and we’ve noticed a few trends to help inspire any wet bar design. Warning: these ideas may inspire a little envy.
Ample lighting for basement wet bars is key – both because of a lack of natural light and because most basement entertaining happens in the evening into the night.
Lights under cabinetry make it easier to see what you’re doing while prepping food and also help illuminate the area. Backlighting behind open shelves creates a cool effect when bottles are placed in front. Chandelier lights add some visual interest while also providing more light for guests.
Attention-grabbing backsplashes are a huge trend in kitchens, and we’re seeing this bleed into kitchenette and wet bars as well. A big backsplash immediately draws in the eye. If your seating faces your backsplash, this creates a compelling, cozy scene for guests.
For those who love to entertain, a wet bar with a compact dishwasher is the way to go. While a small sink can handle a few cups, a dishwasher makes it easier to accommodate a large group of guests and make clean-up faster. It also clears up valuable counter space by removing the need for a drying rack.
A wet bar can be used to carve out a separate area, away from the rest of the basement. Guests can watch something on a larger TV and lounge on a couch, while others can gather near the wet bar to watch a game or program on a smaller TV.
This is also an opportunity to create a pub-away-from-pub experience with games like darts, pool or ping pong.
If you don’t have a huge area for your basement wet bar or don’t have a comfortable space for many guests to congregate in that area, a smaller bar with limited seating is a great option. You can still provide some room for only a few guests to sit down while allowing for chairs to be stowed away as needed. Instead of having a walk-up island, seating can be found elsewhere in the basement. This also creates more of an open floor plan and helps the space to feel less cramped.
No matter what design you create for your basement wet bar, the important thing is to have a space that’s functional for your home. If you’re looking for even more basement ideas, check out our gallery to see how we transformed some real homes.
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