Designing an Outdoor Bar for the Home

Whether as part of a patio or a pool house, an outdoor bar is the perfect finishing touch to a landscape design built with entertainment in mind. From intimate evenings to small gatherings to extravagant outdoor parties, the outdoor bar can serve as the perfect place to host guests and enjoy a cool beverage on a hot summer night.

Outdoor Bar Ideas

Consider the following when coming up with outdoor bar ideas for your home:

Do you want an outdoor bar designed with the family chef in mind? To create a bar area that’s well suited for cooking and meal preparation as well as serving beverages, we suggest allocating ample space for refrigeration, a grill, dual sinks, and countertops.

Do you have a patio or pool house where you’d like to build your outdoor bar or are you starting from scratch? If you already have a patio or pool house design well suited for an outdoor kitchen with a bar, you’ll want to choose materials that match the existing style and a design that can seamlessly blend in with the rest of the structure. If you’re building an outdoor bar from the very beginning, you have much more flexibility to choose the design and style elements you like best, as well as the placement of your new outdoor bar, for an end result perfectly tailored to your individual tastes.

Do you have other hardscapes in your landscape design? The rest of your landscape design will naturally impact the design of your outdoor bar. Consider the materials and styles found in any existing hardscaping to ensure your new bar can be easily integrated into the overall landscape design and keep in mind the best placement to maximize functionality and complement the aesthetic. If you have a swimming pool, for instance, you’ll likely want to install an outdoor bar nearby for convenience and to ease the flow of traffic during outdoor parties.

You may also want to think about installing new hardscapes as part of your outdoor bar design, like an arbor or pergola, or creating a complete outdoor kitchen with a bar at the forefront of the design. Give us a call for more information!

Amenities for Your Outdoor Bar

The following amenities can create an outdoor bar design that’s practical and beautiful, and that’s perfectly tailored to the surrounding landscape as well as your personal goals:

• Furniture – based on the height of the outdoor bar and the layout, you may want to consider stools by the bar or a seating area for dining and enjoying beverages nearby.
• Lighting – fixtures can be undermounted and used as accent lighting to set the mood for outdoor parties, while task lighting can be installed to make cooking and serving beverages simple.
• Appliances – based on whether you want to serve snacks or meals, and what types of beverages you want to store, you may need refrigeration, an oven, a stove, beer taps, and more.
• Storage – refrigerated storage is ideal for beverages and food, but you’ll likely want cabinetry as well for glasses and plates as well as a utensil drawer.
• Entertainment – weatherproof TVs and radio systems are perfect for hosting outdoor parties.

Outdoor Bar Design & Installation in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Enjoy a cool beverage by the swimming pool or an outdoor party with a stunning bar as the focal point! With riveting lights adding drama and safety and the finest quality material selections available, Botanical Decorators can help you enjoy each warm night with an outdoor bar designed to meet your every need.

For a summer to remember, contact Botanical Decorators today. Our landscape designers are some of the finest in the business and they’re committed to helping you achieve all your dreams for an outdoor bar of resort-style quality in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, D.C.!