Mary & Rob Angelo
Inspiration for a mid-sized 1950s u-shaped dark wood floor wet bar remodel in Other with open cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, quartzite countertops, yellow backsplash and glass tile backsplash

Midcentury Remix

Brooke Kelly Design Studio

Seated home bar - small mid-century modern single-wall dark wood floor and brown floor seated home bar idea in Other with open cabinets, white cabinets and glass countertops

Collector's 3 Bay Wall Hanging Unit with Mesh Surround

Amuneal Manufacturing Corp.

Amuneal’s Collectors’ Shelving System is infinitely flexible and can be customized to fit the look and style of your space. This configuration features solid machined brass fittings and posts with a wire mesh surround in a warm brass finish. The unit mounts to the wall, supporting silvered walnut hanging and hook shelves with carved sections for a small wine bottle collection.

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San Mateo, full home remodel

JPM Construction

Inspiration for a small 1950s medium tone wood floor and brown floor home bar remodel in San Francisco with no sink, open cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops, brown countertops and multicolored backsplash

Blossom Atelier - Flower Shop Display

Happy Organizing Co.

Commercial Flower Boutique Shop - Set up Display Counters We organized their entire displays within the store, as well as put in place organizational system in their backroom to manage their inventory.

South Denver | Home Renovation

Precision Home Builders & Precision Renovations

Wet bar with blue tile
Large 1960s single-wall wet bar photo in Denver with open cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

Bar Globes

Waypoint Geographic

Inspiration for a mid-sized mid-century modern bar cart remodel in Indianapolis with open cabinets

Bar Globes

Waypoint Geographic

Bar cart - large mid-century modern galley bar cart idea in Indianapolis with open cabinets

Charred Pine Bar + 3 Bay Collector's Back Bar Shelving

Amuneal Manufacturing Corp.

Amuneal’s kitchens and bars bring unexpected materials and finishes to create truly special installations. This bar uses the old-world technique of hand-burning wood to create a dynamic finish that highlights the organic nature of the raw materials. The charred pine door and drawer faces are juxtaposed with crisp machined hardware and a hand-patinated watery brass top to create a look that feels both contemporary and timeless. Amuenal’s signature Contour Pulls span the full length of each door and drawer. The 3-Bay Collector’s Shelving Backbar unit in gunmetal and bronze is the perfect match to the humble complexity of this unit and featuring a Knife Edge lower shelf in Ebonized Oak and glass upper shelves.

Bar Globes

Waypoint Geographic

Example of a small 1950s bar cart design in Indianapolis with open cabinets and dark wood cabinets

Eliza and Mike

AHG Interiors

Nick Glimenakis
Example of a mid-sized mid-century modern u-shaped light wood floor and brown floor seated home bar design in New York with an undermount sink, open cabinets, light wood cabinets, wood countertops, mirror backsplash and brown countertops

The LOFT 3 Post Back Bar Unit

Amuneal Manufacturing Corp.

This beautiful bar cabinet with burnt oak adjustable shelves is part of our Loft Shelving System. Our Loft posts in blackened gunmetal and fully machined brass fittings in our buffed brass finish mount from the top of our cabinet and tie back to the wall to support 8 shelves. Amuneal’s proprietary machined hardware clamps onto the posts so that the shelves can be easily adjusted at any time. The burnt oak shelves are milled in house from solid white oak to a thickness of 1.5” before being hand-finished using the traditional Shou Sugi Ban process of burning the wood. Once completed, the shelves are sealed with a protective coating that keeps that burnt finish from rubbing off. The combination of blackened steel posts, machined and patinated brass hardware and the charred oak shelves make this a stunning and sculptural shelving option for any space. Integrated bronze bottle stops and wine glass holders add detail and purpose. The lower portion of this bar system is a tall credenza in one of Amuneal’s new finishes, cerused chestnut. The credenza storage highlights the system’s flexibility with drawers, cabinets and glass fronted doors, all with Amuneal fully machined and full width drawer pulls. Behind the glass doors, are a series of pull-out wine trays, carved from solid oak, allowing both display and storage in this unit. This unit is fabricated in our Philadelphia-based furniture studio and can be customized with different metal and wood finishes as well as different shelf widths, sizes and configurations.

Montecito

Tracy Lynn Studio

Photography: Ryan Garvin
Inspiration for a 1960s light wood floor and beige floor wet bar remodel in Phoenix with an undermount sink, open cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and white countertops

Point Loma Casita

Ike Kligerman Barkley

William Waldron
Inspiration for a 1950s single-wall light wood floor and beige floor seated home bar remodel in New York with an undermount sink, open cabinets, solid surface countertops and mirror backsplash

Mid Century Manhattan Beach

Vesta Luxury Home Staging

Inspiration for a mid-century modern beige floor seated home bar remodel in Los Angeles with open cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

wine storage + room divider at open floor plan

Moss Yaw Design studio

A small home bar with wine fridge at the formal dining room brings function and playful accent colors to the minimalist interior space. jimmy cheng photography

Transitional Family Room and Bar

Fran Kerzner- DESIGN SYNTHESIS

The clients also wanted to be able to eat dinner in the room while watching TV but there was no room for a regular dining table so we designed a custom silver leaf bar table to sit behind the sectional with a custom 1 1/2" Thinkglass art glass top. We designed a new coffered ceiling with lighting in each bay. And built out the fireplace with dimensional tile to the ceiling. The color scheme was kept intentionally monochromatic to show off the different textures with the only color being touches of blue in the pillows and accessories to pick up the art glass.

Southampton Residence

fox-nahem associates

Seated home bar - small mid-century modern single-wall slate floor seated home bar idea in New York with an undermount sink, open cabinets and stainless steel countertops

Midcentury Wall Unit

California Closets of Michigan

Along side the focal point of the unit, shelving appears effortlessly incorporated into this project. Using the "Lago - Siena" finish that is included as a back panel, the unit truly functions seamlessly. Slab drawer fronts with sleek handles compliment the entirety of the system.

Mid-Century Modern Home Bar with Open Cabinets Ideas

Everyone has their favorite spot to enjoy a glass of wine or a shot of whiskey. For some people, that spot is right in the comfort of their own mid-century modern home bar. In-home bars can act as a central hub for entertainment, and can easily bring with them the fun atmosphere of a tavern or cocktail lounge. When browsing photos for 1950s home bar ideas, ask yourself the following questions to make sure you create exactly what you want and need:

I want to build a home bar. Where do I start?

First, pick a location. Generally, people will build a basement bar or corner bar in an area near the kitchen or dining room. If you are limited in terms of available indoor space, an outdoor bar is an excellent option, especially during warmer seasons. Once you have secured a location, decide on what functionality you want to include in your space, such as sinks, storage and refrigeration. This will help you with the overall layout of your home bar design, and then you can start picking materials and finishes that will coordinate with the rest of the space.

Do I need a wet bar or portable bar?

Including a sink in the functionality of your new watering hole makes it a wet bar. Sinks are convenient for home bars if you choose a location far from your kitchen. Don’t need running water? You might think about going with one of the many portable home bar design ideas, which will enable you to conveniently turn any space in your house into a 1960s barroom or cantina. For portable options, try a fun bar cart.

What mid-century modern home bar furniture should I get?

Choose furniture that will coordinate well with the rest of your home’s 1950s decor. Seating and storage are essential to home bar designs, so look for bar stools and a liquor cabinet of some sort. If you are creating a freestanding station instead of using existing countertops, you will need a bar table, which are taller and shallower than regular dining tables. Check that your stool and table height work together before you finalize any home bar designs. Once you’ve found all of the right furniture pieces, you can implement your favorite decorative elements based on the home bar ideas that inspire you the most.

How should I decorate my mid-century modern home bar?

Accessorizing is the fun part of finalizing retro home bar designs. Find a theme that you want to incorporate — think about what you might see at your favorite mod pub or alehouse. There are infinite bar decorating ideas to choose from, but don’t stress too much about finding the right barware pieces, as these are easy to change out. Bottle openers, decanters, ice buckets, cocktail shakers and glassware are a few of the functional accessories to remember to pick up. Coasters, neon lights or signage are all great home bar ideas that will help you achieve the mid-century modern look you want, whether it’s a futuristic lounge or a historical saloon. Last, but not least, don’t forget to stock up on your beverage of choice!

Sossego | Residential

User

Example of a mid-sized 1960s single-wall seated home bar design in Chicago with open cabinets and mirror backsplash