Home Remodel

How to Light a Wet Bar

The layer people skip, and the one that makes the rest of the work visible. Six feet of joinery that changes how a room gets used.

BeforeAfter
  1. 1

    The plan

    This is display lighting, not task lighting. Light the back wall and the shelving — glass and bottles are the point — and keep the counter itself lit low. A bar lit like a kitchen stops looking like a bar.

  2. 2

    What it has to light

    The elements the work touches — base cabinets and counter, sink and tap, open shelving or glass display, backsplash — are what the lighting has to make legible. Finishes chosen under a showroom's light and lit badly at home look like different materials.

  3. 3

    Where lighting goes wrong here

    Bright downlights on the counter, which kills the atmosphere the bar exists for.

Questions

What should I decide first in a wet bar remodel?
A wet bar remodel is a small run of cabinetry with plumbing, usually built into a basement, a den or the end of an open-plan room. It is one of the few remodels where the entire project is visible from a single viewpoint, so the detailing carries it.
What goes wrong most often?
A run too short to hold both a sink and any usable counter. Stools that block the fridge door.
Will it work in a small wet bar?
Under 4ft, skip the sink and build a dry bar instead — a counter, a fridge and lit shelving. The plumbing is what forces the run longer, and without it the whole thing fits in an alcove.
Can I see it on my own wet bar before starting?
Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.
More on wet bar remodel
How to Remodel a Wet BarThe order the work happens in, and what to settle before anything is ordered.How to Remodel a Small Wet BarWhat changes when the space will not take the standard answer.How to Lay Out a Wet BarThe dimensions that decide whether the room works, whatever it ends up looking like.Wet Bar Remodel Mistakes to AvoidThe failures that show up again and again, and what causes each one.Wet Bar Before and AfterWhat actually changes visually, and how to see it on your own photo first.