Locked cabinet for liquor. Wine storage, maybe not in the bar itself, but close by; many people have wine cellars. Enough space for 3 or 4 stools. Plumbing, sink, perhaps filtered water.

As for resale, does every finished basement in the area have a bar? Do you plan on selling in the near future? If not, you are overdeveloping and wasting your money.

It depends on the size of the basement.

It should not dominate the space.

It should have good storage.

You could walk behind it.

It should go with the idea of the house. A farmhouse style house should not have a tuscan bar.

If you have access, you could add water and a drain.

A fridge is nice with an icemaker.

Seating at the bar with a brass foot rest. Comfortable seating around.

You need to search pictures of bars you like and dislike. This will help you.

Consider hiring a decorator. They will help you save money in the long run.

Do you have photos of the space you're working with? We put a wet bar in our basement - also not big drinkers. We started calling it the "snack kitchen" haha. We did lower cabs only with custom shelving above the back cabinets. An L-shaped bar with bar stools. We have a fridge and a sink. I think a sink is the biggest item that is most helpful - definitely include a sink.

I made sure mine had a lot of counter space for food and snacks and outlets for crockpots etc. I kept it pretty simple though. I didn’t put in a sink as I knew I would rarely use it there and wanted counter space more. It all depends on the space and how you plan on using it.

We have a bar with a beverage fridge, wine fridge, dishwasher (half size), bar sink, locking cabinet (the fridges lock as well), and space for a microwave (although I don’t have one down there). Only other thing I wish I had was an ice maker.

If you don't think you'll use a bar that often, I would not put in expensive appliances like ice maker or wine fridge, etc. Maybe just a small dorm-room fridge, but you can get carried away on features that you won't be using and may very well break down or be dated if you aren't selling soon.

Save your money.

Thanks for the comments. To give you more perspective, our basement finish is around 1200 square feet. It is an open concept. We will have a pool table, dart area, foosball table, media area with big screen TV and the bar area. We also have a fairly large bathroom with walk-in shower. The bar area has tray ceiling over it. We will have peninsula granite slab counter with sink built in with seating around. On the wall behind the peninsula, we are bricking the wall. In the middle of the wall is a six foot wide, three feet deep area that we are putting in an arch with stone accent. The plan is to have an undercounter beverage center with glass front and a stainless steel panel front undercounter refrigerator next to it. My dillema is deciding which brand to purchase. I am considering Sub-Zero and Perlick. I cannot believe how expensive they are but I want quality. Any thoughts on which way I should go? Should I only go with the refrigerator or should I have beverage center as well?

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/treeshouse/a/43b4c1a6-fce4-4847-855c-018e5622ddad

Above link shows pix of our basement including the Kitchen/Bar. The Bar is 9’ x 3’ which provides ample space for food and beverages. Full size refrigerator.

Hmm. What will your ice situation be? Can you do a traditional fridge freezer plus a dedicated under counter wine fridge? Your photos are helpful but hard to see the space constraints and floor plan. People use basements in a variety of ways. For some it’s an in law suite. For others its for kids. For others it does parties. I wouldnt put all your eggs in one basket with spendy appliances. Does your house and market support putting SZ in your basement? I don’t think it’s something you will see back in resale.

What more does a bar need than a decent bottle of single-malt and a few glasses? And comfortable chairs. <lol>

People’s lifestyles are so varied that it’s impossible to predict what a potential buyer might want in the future. I’d say design it to fit your lifestyle, within reason, and just enjoy it. You probably won’t see a return on your investment...

A counter bar with refrigeration, mirrors and lights can just as easily be a gathering place for non-alcoholic refreshments.

Since we're non-drinkers, non-smokers, non-druggies (I know, soooo borrrinnnng!) that's the furthest we'd take it. In fact, our new 5,800 sf build will not even go that far. Just having the rough-ins for plumbing and hydro (electricity) is as far as I've ever gone on spec builds too.