You described what we have in our basement. We host a lot of family parties/get togethers and very casual business functions.

We have a walkout basement and pool. This is where everyone ends up.

My first g-child is on the way, and I amd still raising children. We are building again, but will do something similar in the next house. We did not put a dishwasher down here. That was a mistake. I put a big single SS sink in and thought that would suffice. All of the dirty dishes end up coming upstairs and it's a pain. Next house I plan to put a dw in.
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Redlover, your cabinets are beautiful! I have decided to go with dark stained wood as well. I also like your mix of open shelves and cabinets. During the course of building our house I spent all my time planning the upstairs and not enough time planning the lower level. As a result , the area roughed in for the kitchen is at the base of the stairs and doesn't allow for a bar of any kind. It is a less than ideal location but I have to make the most of it.

I have been debating about whether or not a dishwasher should be one of the appliances at the top of my list. I was looking at an 18" DW with a custom panel but I could also have a full size one in ss for a less money. I can't tell from your picture..... do you have an oven or a stove in your current layout? Do you use it much? What other things will you incorporate into your layout in your next house?

Here is a picture of the wall where we intend to install the cabinets. as you can see it sits in a high traffic area.....not good!

Redlover - Beautiful space.

Here's a picture of our LL bar area. We also have a walk out basement with lots of kids and traffic. If we had more space, I'd prefer shelving across the back wall and an island. It would eliminate any traffic bottlenecks behind the bar, but we didn't have the room for that type of set-up. You have a great space for a wet bar/kitchenette.

Could you post a floor plan that shows where the rough-in plumbing is ? Also, is 220 available if you want a cooking appliance ?
Have fun, I think you have the potential to add a great deal of fun to your lower level.

This is a great post - I'm in the beginning stages of planning our lower level space...can I also ask those who have posted pics - what kind of flooring you have? Thanks!!

Cindaintx,I don't have 220 ...it was one of those things that I didn't think I was going to need but in retrospect I wish I had wired in. I can't find a copy of the plan that shows where the plumbing is but the plumbing is roughed in at approx. 65 inches from the left wall.....the side nearest the stairs. The builder originally intended for the kitchen area to extend around the corner in an L shape but I did not want that to be the first thing you see as you come down the stairs nor did I think I would need that much space anyway.

Crazyhouse6, you have a really nice looking bar area. I love your floor, too! Do you have a dishwasher or a microwave tucked behind your bar? If you had the space, what appliances do you think would be most helpful?

I have a plan that my cabinet builder is suggesting. I will scan it in and post it if I can figure how to do that.

Hi Sidney4 - We roughed in plumbing and electric for a kitchen in the future. The space is limited (where the stairs land and under them). We had an area that is recessed and thought a refrigerator column would fit perfect. Even put in the water for an icemaker. No pictures as we are still building.

motherof3sons, how much wall space does your plan require?

RedLover, what is the square footage of your space? It's gorgeous!

Sidney-we have a cheap microwave in a cabinet. No dishwasher. Next house, I will put in one tall dishdrawer. Not the pair. Just the one.

I would not put in a stove or cooktop. You may need one. But I will try to reconfigure space and outlets to better handle entertaining when several people bring crock pots with appetizers over for parties. Does that make sense? Everyone is standing around the bar and therei are 3-4 crock pots plugged in. We are very casual, but it is still unattractive.

Also, I don't know if you can tell but on either side of my sink the cabinets come down to the counter significantly decreasing my cleanup area. Wouldn't do that again. My sink is big, not a bar sink--with regular faucet and soap dispenser.

Deb-my space is about 10x10. Pool table hangout area is to the left of bar out of view of picture. Floor is cork. Would not recommend it. Hasn't held up well for my high traffic bunch. May do fine for others.

Oh good, this is exactly why I have returned to gardenweb -- we are still in the process; we have only about 8 ft of wall (and no opposing bar or peninsula). We chose to put in an 18" dw and an undercounter fridge/freezer (with ice maker). I wanted a single dw drawer at first, but the saleslady scared me off.

I have a toaster oven that I might keep downstairs, and am not planning on buying a microwave for the space unless we absolutely need it instead.

I thought a single induction burner would be great, since it doesn't get hot. Decided to forgo that because of limited counter space, and I will probably get a portable induction unit for times when we need it.

We will have a full-size freezer and small wine refrigerator in a storage room, as well. Oh, and a portable icemaker.

My favorite part (I hope it works) is that directly on the other side of the bar is storage where we plan to install a keg fridge and will tap it through the wall over the bar sink, next to the water faucet.

Location might be a challenge; it will be tucked into the back corner of the room, so I'm a little worried about flow, but all things considered I think it was the best place.

Look forward to seeing what others are doing/have done, and will update as we progress.