Hi there!

We are doing a whole home remodel, and I am working with our architect on the details for two wet bars (living room/main floor and basement). I’ve done a good amount of surfing and research on TGW and various appliance makers websites. I’d love for feedback on the layout and appliances that we have chosen.

Living Room

This is a small wet bar that we are putting off to the side of our living room. We originally didn’t have this in our plan, but as we were tinkering with the space, it seemed like a nice touch and good use of this space in the living room. The living room is adjacent to our open kitchen (more on that here), and I thought that having a separate functional space for guests to make and serve drinks, for us to store wine, and for our kids (when they are older) to get beverages without interrupting the flow of the kitchen would be nice.

For the living room bar, we have ~78” of counter space, and because we want the bar to not be a primary focal point of the living room, we are sticking with a simple 42” high lower countertops with a quartz countertop + bar sink (i.e. no upper cabinets). n both spaces, we’d be doing custom cabinets/paneling for the appliances. For the appliances, we are choosing to have:

• 24” undercounter wine cabinet
• 24” undercounter refrigerator

Given the dedicated wine cabinet, it doesn’t seem to make sense to go with a beverage center (as opposed to refrigerator). I considered putting in a dedicated ice maker here, but I am worried about the noise given that it’s intended to be a nice living room. I am also considering an undercounter freezer but worried about giving up the limited cabinet space that I would prefer to use for liquor and supply storage. Instead, I think we’d rely on the freezer in our kitchen (which isn’t that far away) and/or set up an ice bucket. I also considered a 24” refrigerator/freezer option (e.g. the SubZero with or without ice maker), but that seems like that would not be functional enough and mainly be an unsatisfactory compromise. Feedback on that welcome though!

For the appliances, I am leaning towards True (24" Undercounter refrigerator, 24" undercounter dual zone wine cabinet), but am considering the SubZero (refrigerator, wine cabinet) and Perlick models as well. From what I can tell, all seem like great options and it’s primarily a matter of cost and aesthetic. I am curious if anyone has strong feelings for or against any of these brands/models. Or has opinions on how to layout this type of space and/or the appliances I have chosen for it.

Basement Bar

Basement: We have a slightly larger built-in bar in the basement. The basement is a large daylight basement which serves as a combination of TV/media/entertainment area and guest bedrooms. This bar is larger, but will likely get less use except for larger parties or if we are hanging out watching TV in the basement.

For the basement bar, we have two counters and more available space. For that, we are going with:

• 24” undercounter refrigerator
• 24” undercounter freezer (for cocktail ice, glassware, and miscellaneous usage)
• 15” ice maker (for parties)
• 24” dishwasher

I considered a beverage center instead of the refrigerator here, but if we’re drinking wine, it would more likely be on the main floor, so I preferred having the refrigerator instead.

For the refrigerator and freezer - we are looking at similar options/brands as for the living room bar - True (24" Undercounter refrigerator, 24" undercounter freezer), SubZero (refrigerator), and Perlick. Probably leaning towards True or Perlick since SubZero doesn't seem to do an undercounter freezer that's not freezer drawers.

For the ice maker, the main use would be having ice for cocktails, so we’d be looking for a nice clear ice machine. The brands I’ve considered are: Hoshizaki AM-50BAE, True, and SubZero. The Hoshizaki seems to get quite good reviews from what I can tell. I have seen less on the True machine (which is newer, and SubZero).

For the dishwasher, we are going with a primarily Miele kitchen, so I am likely to make a similar selection to the dishwasher that we are putting in our main kitchen. Miele G 6885.

For reference, here is the floor plan of the spaces that are in question.

Living Room (note bar will go against the wall that is circled in red)

Basement

Wow, that’s a lot! If you have any questions about our goals or plans, let me know, otherwise I’d love to hear any opinions on layout and bar appliance options! Thanks for any insights you can offer.

Joe