Home Bar Furniture: A History of the Home Bar

The History of the Home Bar:
Bars may have been around since Roman times, but private drinking establishments became popular during the 1920's prohibition era with those wanting a drink having to find a "speakeasy" or "blind pig" in which to avoid the authorities. These Al Capone era bars usually featured some pretty slick mechanisms to open secret passage ways and for dumping the bar stock to avoid being busted by the feds.

Home Bar Furniture became popular in the 1950's with cocktail sipping homeowners enjoying the company of friends within the security of their own home. The Cold War prompted some folks to build fall out shelters, while others built a home bar. Smart folks built both.
Designs of the era included art deco styling, retro barstools and decor borrowed from the local hot spots or in a particular theme.

The 50's and 60's saw an increase in what was then considered "modern" home design inspired by Hollywood movies and a drinking & smoking lifestyle inspired by famous actors and entertainers like Frank Sinatra and of course Dean Martin and the home bar followed suit. At the time, most of these bars were built by professional carpenters or a handy woodworking father. As a youngster, I remember nights in my bedroom eavesdropping through the heating ducts on my folks and their friends as they listened to music and played cards while drinking pitchers of Manhattans and draft beer, as the smell of cigarette smoke wafted up the vent.

The 70's and 80's saw a rise in public nightclubs and disco music on 45's with fancy dance floors and mirrored disco ball lighting. Thank God that didn't last. The 90's saw dance clubs and the appearance of heavy metal head banging and rave scenes. During that time, the home bar gathered dust as "going out on the town" became much more popular.

Today, things have changed a bit, and while Frank and Dean are long gone, their music is still alive and well on CD. Smoking is for the most part a thing of the past with most people opting for a healthier lifestyle. The home bar has changed little, except that in our post 911 world, it once again makes sense to entertain in your own home, being safer than the "wackiness" that can occur in the general public these days.

The home bar is also making a comeback because advances in materials and tools combined with our easy to follow plans, make it simple for even the weekend or first time woodworker to build a permanent home wet bar installation, all in just a few days time!

Modern Bar Furniture:
Today you can buy a wide range or retro style bar furniture, provided you can afford these items.
The alternative is to build your bar yourself using basic woodworking tools and a good set of bar plans.
On the other hand, if you don't have the time to invest, but you do have the money, there are many different styles of home bar to choose from, including a 1950's retro look (shown at right) or a wide range of hardwood style bars that can be purchased online.

Hands down the most economical way to proceed is to build your bar yourself, but buying your bar is also an option. You can compare building vs. buying for yourself.

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Shown above is a modern home bar set up including a finished basement area, the home bar with bar stools, pool / billiard table, juke box, poker table, sectional couch with big screen TV all in your choice and style of bar furniture. Check out our selection of pre-built furniture.

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