Once a firm favourite with homeowners all over the UK, the home bar has somewhat waned in popularity over the last few decades. There are signs though that this once popular trend is back with a bang – in fact, several larger family homes and estates have recently commissioned Dawnvale to create stylish, entertaining and engaging bar areas ideal for family get-togethers, parties and events.
One such home was The Mere, an impressive family home with owners that love to entertain. Following an initial enquiry from the family’s designer, Lisa Keates, we got a real feel for the family’s needs and wants when it came to a home bar.
With a love of parties and a convention for hiring professional bartenders on a regular basis, the client and designer Lisa were invited to Dawnvale HQ to discuss their individual design requirements. We sat down with them to get a real feel for the type of home bar that would best suit their needs in terms of style, size and aesthetic.
Designer Lisa had already prepared a visual of the look and style the family preferred, so it was up to the Dawnvale team to bring this vision to life. We started by researching materials and finishes which would allow us to create the professional feel the family desired.
After introducing our client to the various materials available, the decision was made to opt for a stainless steel finish. With Lisa heading up the outer appearance of the bar, it was the responsibility of Dawnvale to think about the functionality and features needed in the bar itself - this is something that many people overlook when designing a home bar.
By presenting a number of options for appliances and features essential for a smooth bar service, we consulted with Lisa and the client before choosing a discreet bin for bar waste, a double door bottle cooler, dive in bottle cooler, self-contained glass wash section and ice maker. With the essentials in place, we were confident the house would soon be hosting epic parties and real nights to remember.
The next step was to create a CAD drawing working from the space available. From there, changes were made to accommodate non-standard depth fridges, illuminated bottle steps, an antique mirror and studded leather LED panels to the front. The panels would incorporate warm LED lights to fit the aesthetic outlined in the design brief.
The final design started to come together, finished with a high-quality Carrera marble countertop with detailed profile edge to suit the style of the room. Plans were made to begin the installation process.
Armed with a programme of work, our site manager who had been hard at work sourcing and fabricating the materials chosen by the client to the exact measurements required, was on hand to provide a schedule and completion deadlines to the client. This ensured a smooth final phase, with all parties involved well aware of the process and when they could start sending invites out for their official home bar opening party.
Once the installation date arrived, both Lisa and the Dawnvale team met at The Mere to oversee work and watch weeks of planning come to fruition. With a team of qualified fitters, electricians and plumbers on site, each individual part of the bar (which had been fabricated off-site at Dawnvale's warehouse) was brought in and constructed within the home to minimise disruption to the family.
In the final few days of the installation, accessories and finishing touches were installed bringing the look together. Dawnvale's site manager then returned to The Mere to carry out final quality checks and to ensure that every element of the new bar was ready for the client to enjoy.
Following a bar briefing, Dawnvale’s client support officer, who had acted as the client point of contact throughout the entire process, demoed the bar equipment and handled a featured demonstration much to the delight of the family. This elegant home bar was then ready to host the next big get together!
