Wet Bar Remodel design

What the room has to do

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.

Layout rules

• A functioning wet bar needs 6ft of run; below 4ft it is a sink in a cupboard.
• Counter at 36in, or 42in if it doubles as a standing bar with stools.
• Allow 24in of width per stool and 12in of knee overhang.
• Leave 15in of landing counter on at least one side of the sink.
• Give an under-counter fridge 1in of clearance and a door swing that clears the stools.

Lighting 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.

What usually goes wrong

• A run too short to hold both a sink and any usable counter.
• Stools that block the fridge door.
• Open shelving deep enough to hide the back row of glassware.
• Bright downlights on the counter, which kills the atmosphere the bar exists for.

In a small one

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.