Kitchen bar counters are a reflection of modern style and rhythm of life. If the whole family can gather at the same table only on weekends, and the rest of the time you have to have a snack on the run, it is more convenient to have a bar counter in the kitchen.
Of course, there are other reasons why bar kitchens have become so popular. It is both a tribute to fashion, and the influence of Western fast food culture, and a way to save space in a small kitchen. And on the big one - the ability to distinguish two functionally different zones.
U-shaped kitchen with a combined bar counter
A bit of history
The first bar counters appeared in the early 18th century in North America. They separated the owner of the saloon, along with his goods, from the tipsy visitors. It was convenient to hide money, alcohol, and sometimes weapons in the bar, which could come in handy at any time.
Modern bar counter prototype
Subsequently, to speed up the service and the convenience of visitors, they began to make it wider, and put high stools from the side of the hall. This made the bartender's work more comfortable.
Not surprisingly, over time, bar counters began to appear in the kitchen in private homes. They allowed the host to prepare drinks for the guests and serve them without being distracted from the friendly conversation.
Today the bar counter in the kitchen has become more functional. It can serve as a dining table, as an additional work surface, and, of course, as a convenient place for friendly gatherings.
Features of the placement of bar counters
Depending on the location, the kitchen bar can be:
- Wall-mounted (one of the sides is adjacent to the wall);
- Peninsular (is a protruding continuation of the kitchen unit);
- Ostrovnoy (located in isolation in the center of the room);
- Mobile (for example, a rising and falling bar or a pull-out bar in the kitchen).
Its position is dictated by the shape and size of the premises, functional necessity and the desire of the owners.
Wall-mounted bar counter
This is perhaps the only accommodation option in a small or narrow kitchen, where there is no place for a dining table.
Depending on the shape of the room and the arrangement of the main furniture, the following location options are possible:
- The short side is against the wall bar counter in the kitchen. It can accommodate 4-5 people, which allows you not to assemble an ordinary table for ordinary family dinners.
Such bar counters are often formed from the windowsill when combining the kitchen with the loggia
- The stand is located with its long side along the wall. Option for small kitchens, used for breakfast or quick snacks.
Wall-mounted bar counter
- Bar counter in the kitchen by the window. The most practical option in terms of saving kitchen space, especially if it is a continuation of the window sill.
It takes up very little space, allowing you to abandon the dining table in favor of the necessary equipment and storage places.
Bar counter as a way to use space ergonomically
Council. A kitchen project with a bar counter is best entrusted to professionals. Or create your own using special 3 D programs.
In a small area, it can look cumbersome and inappropriate, so it is advisable to imagine the future interior in advance.
Peninsular (built-in) bar counter
There is a wide variety of modern kitchen furniture. Today, ready-made headsets are rarely bought, more often they are assembled from standard modules or ordering individual production according to their sizes.
The latter option allows you to most conveniently fit bar counters into a kitchen of any size and configuration. They are a continuation of the headset and are made of the same materials, so they look very harmonious.
There are different types of built-in bar counters: straight and curly, with and without a bar pipe, located on the edge or in the middle of the headset.
- The bar pipe for the kitchen supports a special cornice with built-in lamps, serves original decor and can be used as a rack with glass holders and a basket for fruit.
Bar counter with pipe
- Not everyone likes the strict U-shaped kitchens formed by the bar counter located at right angles to the main furniture. Therefore, if there is enough free space, the rack is made curly.
Rounded bar
- Accommodation option the bar counter, presented in the following photo, can hardly be a full replacement for the dining kitchen table.
There is not even room for one bar chair. It is more a tribute to a fashion trend or a place for preparing drinks, but not for drinking them.
Nice but not practical
Island bar
This option is acceptable only for a kitchen with an area of more than 12 meters, otherwise you will have to move sideways, along the walls.
- Kitchen designs with the so-called "island" are often complemented by a bar counter that enhances the convenience and functionality of this room.
The most popular technique is combining a bar counter with a work table. A kitchen sink or hob is installed on one of the long sides, and the other is used for bar needs.
Kitchen countertop in this case, it can be solid or stepped, in the latter case, the working area is located on the lower "step", and the bar area - on the upper one.
Kitchen island with bar and stove
- In studio apartments, a bar counter between the hall and the kitchen helps to visually divide the space into zones. It can be a tabletop on supports, and a high console with shelves, drawers and other storage places inside.
Kitchen with sofa and bar counter separating it from the living room
- Finally, if you like the classics, and you want to create an atmosphere of luxury and aristocracy in your home, the bar counter can become a completely independent element of the interior that performs its main function: preparing drinks and storing bar accessories.
Classic bar counter
Mobile bar counter
The desire to have a bar counter often remains only a dream, since the most compact of them occupy precious space in an already miniature kitchen. This is well known to the owners of apartments in the same "Khrushchev". However, our people are very inventive, which is confirmed by a variety of mobile bar counters that appear "out of nowhere" at the right time.
Here are just a few ideas that, if you wish, can be realized with your own hands or with the hands of a master when ordering a kitchen.
Swivel bar
Pull-out bar
Sliding table top
Mobile bar counter
Note!
If your mobile model is equipped with casters, they should have locks to keep them from rotating when using the bar.
In addition to these options, you can think of many others. For example - folding, like a book-table, or hanging - when the bar counter in the kitchen is a countertop suspended from the ceiling, lowered using special mechanisms.
If you set a goal, on the Web you will find both the necessary instructions and a training video on making the desired structure.
How to make a bar counter
Since we are talking about making a bar counter yourself, we will show you a few ideas. After all, it often happens that kitchen furniture is still quite good and does not require replacement, but I really want to change something.
Installing a bar in your kitchen will help transform it.
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To make a bar counter by the window, it is enough to dismantle the old window sill and install a countertop of the required size instead.
It is best made from the same material as the worktop. The easiest way is to order this part in the workshop, and at home to screw the props to it.
Don't forget to cut a ventilation grid into the countertop
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If you know how to work with wood, a bar in the kitchen can be made from well dried wood. The easiest way is to fix one end of the bar counter to the wall, and the other to lean on a wooden or chrome leg.
These height-adjustable supports can be found at any furniture or hardware store. At the end of the assembly, the entire structure is covered with varnish or wood stain.
Bar counter made of wood
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The base for the bar can also be made of drywall. Installation of such a structure begins with the assembly of the frame from metal profiles.
Then it is sheathed with sheets of gypsum board cut to size, putty and painted, or revetted with tiles or artificial stone. A table top is laid and fixed on top, which can be supplemented with a bar pipe.
Homemade drywall bar
Conclusion
The bar counter can become a real decoration of the kitchen, an exclusive detail of its interior. It will fit into both classic and modern design, emphasizing the active lifestyle and hospitality of the owners.
If the kitchen area allows and the price of a headset with a bar counter does not bother you, do not deny yourself the pleasure and be sure to install it.
