6 home bar ideas that deserve a toast

From open shelves to a liquor cabinet hidden behind a garage-style door, these smart storage ideas transform your kitchen (or closet!) into your favorite neighborhood bar.

Katie and Elliot's kitchen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

When friends come over, the first thing you do is offer them a glass of wine. That means locating the bottle of wine before heading to where the glasses are usually stored. Finally, you root through the silverware and odds-and-ends drawers until you triumphantly unearth the corkscrew. Sound familiar? Rather than storing bar essentials around the kitchen, these Sweeten homeowners opted for home bar solutions to store everything from glasses to bottles of wine, liquor, cocktail shakers, and more. Plus, homeowners Yi Tyng and Maxime even transformed a closet located directly across from their kitchen into a wine bar (and it was featured in The New York Times). We'll drink to that!

Holly and Christian's kitchen in Greenwich Village, Manhattan

This clever use of niche shelf space is an excellent way to store wine, cocktail, and champagne glasses so that they can dry quickly and always be within reach for a celebratory toast.

Dan and Mike's kitchen in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan

Balancing a run of lower cabinets, a few open shelves act as a home bar dedicated to glassware and bar favorites make it easy to whip up drinks for company. And why not make it a home for cookbooks and cocktail recipes, too?

Lisa's kitchen in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn

If you have wine, one popular way to store the bottles is on their side so that the corks don't dry out and let air in. A custom nook with grooved edges is the perfect solution.

Frans and Dalal's studio kitchen in Gramercy Park, Manhattan

Every inch in a studio apartment should be utilized to its full potential. By using the placement of the wine fridge as the base for a custom bar, these homeowners were able to add a countertop and shelving to store their home bar essentials and glassware in one easy-to-locate spot.

Yi Tyng and Maxime's wine bar closet on the Upper West Side, Manhattan

This closet, located under the stairs and directly across from the homeowners' galley kitchen, was transformed into a wine (and espresso) bar complete with open shelving, a wine fridge, and a counter with bar stools. The space also doubles as a breakfast nook.

Katie and Elliot's kitchen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

If you have a larger collection, a custom bar cabinet with shelving for glassware and bottles can keep everything neatly organized. This one also boasts a sliding garage-style door so you can choose whether or not to display the goods based on your mood.

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If you're looking for a bigger storage solution, perhaps a complete home bar or wine cabinet, check out our budget basics guide on custom built-ins to get started on planning.

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