A home bar top could be utterly dull or a projection of your creative prowess. A space for drinking and socializing is surely one of life’s little luxuries, so it deserves to be a design feature that defines the space.
We’ve gathered together some of the most exciting bar top ideas that you can easily adapt to your DIY project. If you have a bar in your mancave or one that sits in the corner of the living room, surely you want one that worthy of note.
We’ve searched the internet for some of the best home bar top ideas, spanning concepts from some of the world’s funkiest bars to the bespoke abstractions of those who dare to be different.
The Beer Keg
This might be small, but it’s perfectly formed, and what mancave would be complete without its very own battered beer keg? This piece has clearly seen the world, bearing the idiosyncratic scars of a life of servitude; so why not give it its natural resting place, to be enjoyed for its aesthetic, rather than just for its capacity. You can pick up an old keg from eBay for less than $50, so this is quite the project of choice for the keen DIY enthusiast. The circular glass makes a durable bar top, while the underlighting lifts this old keg into a piece that’s inspired and cool. If you have little space but thirst for a statement, then give these battered old beer kegs a new lease of life. Bottoms up!
Infinity Bling
Well, this is one for the fearless! This superb infinity bar top is one that is sure to attract a party – it’s difficult to imagine this funky idea being anything other than the center of the celebration. For a bar top that seems to defy the laws of physics, this infinity illusion is one that will have your friends debating over time, the galaxy, and anything that may lay beyond. The glass top makes this a durable piece of furniture, while the LED lighting requires little power, so this really is a bar top with all the gifts. This has to be one of the most satisfying DIY projects of them all – check out this video to discover how to make your own.
Reclaim It!
Wood is an eternally fascinating material. With endless variety in its grain created through a life of symbiosis – imbibing carbon and cleaning the air –
wood, in its many forms, is a beautiful and fascinating wonder of nature. So, to breathe life back into planks that were once carthorses for commercial enterprise is a noble thing; and one that’s sure to spark up conversations. This chevron design created with palette planks provides tactility and tonal variation. Flaming wood panels is a traditional method for preserving timber that’s intended for exposure to the elements, and it produces an array of amazing colors that are unique, bringing the beauty of the wood to life without overworking the grain. This chevron bar top idea uses the erratic conjoint of tone and texture to build a bar top that will last forever. The rusticity extends into the exposed screw-heads, which is surely an aesthetic touch that the unfussy are guaranteed to adore.
The Mirror Glaze
Epoxy looks amazing in the home, and this is the first of our explorations into the astonishing applications for this most versatile of resins. These planks are beautiful on their own, but with the addition of the epoxy mirror glaze, this simple idea is lifted into something simply spectacular. The resin protects the wood while delivering a hard-wearing plane that makes it perfect for card games, drinking, and conversation. Like all of the bar tops featured this is a brilliant DIY topic, or you could scour eBay for ready-made items – but surely the bespoke and the unique is the cherry on the top of all bars for the mancave or living room. Fantastic.
The Memorabilia
This is a great idea and is super-simple to create. The finish could be achieved with either an epoxy glaze or a sheet of toughened glass. Collect the labels from your favorite beers and spirits and arrange them either in an orderly fashion as above, or in an interesting scatter, eternalized under glass or in resin. This particular example uses a haphazard arrangement of color and design, but if you were looking for something a little more imaginative, you could arrange your labels in an evolving blend of color from end to end. Of course, another idea could be to place family snaps, newspaper clippings, or even memorable items such as first paychecks, copies of marriage certificates, college graduation certificates -basically anything of sentimental value that might make this brilliant bar top idea an element of you, embedded for posterity.
Copper Mosaic
This brilliant coin mosaic idea is simple but eye-catching and unique. The coins provide a stretch of fascination as individual pieces hit the light, reflecting an ever-changing texture of tonal metals. Imagine how this surface would literally come to life under disco lighting, so if you’re looking for unique and malleable, this could be the idea that wins you round. The mirror surface is achieved with an application of epoxy resin, and the chamfered bar edge can be readily found in hardware stores. This simple wooden bar of pine wainscoting and black foot-treads is brought to life with a surprising surface that literally breathes when illuminated. Brilliant.
Bottle Tops
Bottle tops are forever immortalized in this excellent idea that is sure to inspire a thirst at any party. This multi-tonal array of colorful caps is as impressive as it is distinctive, adding a random dimensional texture to this perfectly smooth surface. Another masterpiece of the epoxy resin-kind, this would certainly be fun to create – not just from the arrangement of the bottle tops, but in their collection. You could go for a single brand, creating a stylish uniformity, or a collection of tops from your travels. Any which way, this fun idea could tell a story and be the inspiration of many new tales to come.
Fired Copper
This amazing copper surface is the product of flame oxidization from ferocious gas torches, bringing the impression of 3-dimensional depth and tactility under the fingers, but is, in actual fact, a perfectly flat, single piece of metal. Metal makes for a fabulous bar top because it’s easy to clean, is cooling in hot climes, and bears the marks of the knocks and scrapes accumulated from unabashed, boisterous, good times. Metal surfaces change with time – some become tarnished and tainted, most become dented and worn – but these signs of ages are surely a blueprint of jollification. If you’re looking for a surface with the beauty of this colorful copper but want to preserve its natural brilliance, you could protect it with a sheet of glass, or by embalming it in resin. Either way, this surprisingly beautiful copper bar top is sure to be the envy of anyone who has the pleasure of its use.
River Of Dreams
We’ve somewhat steered clear of the natural structure of tree growth so far, so this example demonstrates not only the endless possibilities of a trunk’s shapely intersection but also the beautiful contrast to be achieved with a disparity between the natural and the chemical. The wood has been allowed to remain as nature intended (albeit in sliced form) while its natural hollow has been filled with a resin pigmented with the purest of crystalline blues, introducing the inconsistent tint of running water. This naturo-chemical partnership brings together the distinct, the random, and the practical in a show-stopping bar top that celebrates the union of life and industry. For guaranteed admiration, this fantastic, bespoke piece will stimulate conversation, accommodate card games, and contribute aesthetic allure to your drinking establishment. Amazing.
Have we whetted your appetite for a little liquid laudation? We love how these bespoke bar top ideas marry a DIY aesthetic and the quest for individuality, in an accrual of ideas that are sure to get that grey matter churning. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below. And let your friends know all about us, so that they can, too, get in on the action.