Remember home bars?

R

Rose65

Well-known Member
Location
United Kingdom
It seemed a trend back in the 1980s to have a fully fitted bar in your home. I remember being invited to friends who had a marvellous gleaming one. We had a great time sitting on bar stools like it was a cosy pub.
I wanted to do something similar as I love the idea, but we never got round to it.
 

People I know who have home bars have them in an outhouse or cabin..like this

0_Couple-turn-garden-shed-into-pub-for-just-%C2%A3500.jpg
 
When I bought this home, it had a small wet bar in the one corner of the room. I had it removed, along with the plumbing. I didn't want anyone coming into my home think I would be throwing any parties. I only invite my close friend, like our Wednesday night poker club, into my house. I keep the wine downstairs in the family room where it is cooler, along with a refrigerator for the "other stuff."
 
The first home that I bought had a small bar in the basement. My parents both drank, my mother to excess which forever turned me against that lifestyle. I used my basement bar to stack up storage boxes on…
 
On a slightly different tangent....The Head Quarters of the Toronto Police Service has had a PRIVATE room for SENIOR officers, for a number of years now. A past Anti Police Mayor of Toronto, named John Sewell has TRIED to stir up a controversy about this seldom used room. In order for the room to be used as a place for Senior officers to have a drink ( above the rank of Superintendant ) the room needs to have a special event liquor permit issued by the Ontario Lottery and Alcohol licensing agency, EACH TIME it is used. Talk about a whirling dervish in a beer glass? The current Police Chief has pointed out that....During the tenure of past Mayor John Sewell, JOHN hosted city functions at City Hall that included ALCOHOL being served . AS is often the case......Straight up John refuses to see the obvious thing. JimB.
 
Some people my stepfather knew actually put a small addition on their house to make it into a bar room. My guess is it was the wife's idea as she was a bitch and seemed to run the show. Her husband was a sweet man. My stepfather had known him and his brother since high school.
 
In junior high my best friend's parents had one in their basement. This was 1968. Most of my neighbors had one in that location too, but my house didn't and my parents didn't put one in. I have never had a bar in any home I've lived in but they can be nice if you entertain a lot, I think.
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Nathan said:
I see home bars in TV shows from the 50s~60s, never saw one in person.
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Really? That's unusual. I have been to some of my friend's homes out on the west coast and a few had some type of bar in their home that did not have a basement. Maybe they are limited out there because basements are few and far between, or so I have been told. When I moved into this home, it had a small wet bar in the corner where the den/TV room is. I had to get that out, so I cut a deal with the seller. He would have it and the plumbing removed and I would overlook the fact that he wasn't leaving his washer & dryer.
 
Been There said:
Really? That's unusual. I have been to some of my friend's homes out on the west coast and a few had some type of bar in their home that did not have a basement. Maybe they are limited out there because basements are few and far between, or so I have been told. When I moved into this home, it had a small wet bar in the corner where the den/TV room is. I had to get that out, so I cut a deal with the seller. He would have it and the plumbing removed and I would overlook the fact that he wasn't leaving his washer & dryer.
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Basements are few and far between, I've personally not seen basements , except in a few hillside homes. I think basements are an east-of-the-rockies thing.

It's ironic though, here in arid /semi arid SoCalif. where the water table is typically low, a basement would be a nice feature. Back east, where many areas have a high water table the basements are typically musty and moldy.
 
My parents didn't have a bar but my college boyfriend's parents had a wet bar in their rec room. There was a beach scene mural painted on the wall behind it complete with Tikki huts and ocean. It was cool. :cool:
 
katlupe said:
I didn't have an actual home bar but had a liquor cabinet that had a door that dropped open and could be used as a table to make drinks on.
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I have that, it was part of my husband’s furniture. I never thought of making a drink on the door. It’s a rare day that I serve a hard drink. Many of the things are used for cooking. I was thinking of making a rum cake. Makes me hungry thinking of it.

Nathan said:
Basements are few and far between, I've personally not seen basements , except in a few hillside homes. I think basements are an east-of-the-rockies thing.
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I’ve noticed that on the HGTV shows. We are west of the Rockies; a basement is the norm. In Vancouver it’s more rare to see a basement. Probably cheaper to build too.

I wouldn’t want a bar in the basement. It’s finished but we don’t entertain down there.
 
My grandparents had a fully stocked bar built into the basement. It was very nice with beautiful wood that shined. Grandpa had decorative bottles of booze. I recall one that was a matador with a cape. He taught me how to serve a shot at a young age.


He had old fashioned bottles of pop too. I'd have a root beer or coke. This was back in the early 1960s.
 
Nathan said:
Basements are few and far between, I've personally not seen basements , except in a few hillside homes. I think basements are an east-of-the-rockies thing.

It's ironic though, here in arid /semi arid SoCalif. where the water table is typically low, a basement would be a nice feature. Back east, where many areas have a high water table the basements are typically musty and moldy.
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I have 2 dehumidifiers I run all the time, except for winter. Once the ground freezes, I turn them off.
 
Living in our litigious society of today, I'd be afraid to have one ... and actually use it.

One friend has a wreck on the way home [even not at fault] ..... and the other guy could own everything you own ... including the bar.
 
I see them in basements every once in a while when I go to estate sales. Some people must very committed in getting themselves and friends drunk.
 
Rose65 said:
It seemed a trend back in the 1980s to have a fully fitted bar in your home. I remember being invited to friends who had a marvellous gleaming one. We had a great time sitting on bar stools like it was a cosy pub.
I wanted to do something similar as I love the idea, but we never got round to it.
Click to expand...
Yes! But, the sad thing is, now those bar stool/chairs are so uncomfortable. I still like them though.
 
I know of 3 people that had built in bars in their homes. One is right next door. The other 2 were in my neighborhood.
They were sometimes referred to as 'game rooms', since some had pool tables in them.

One of owners of these bars had all these one of a kind decanters?, not sure what to call them. But, they were full of booze in diff shaped containers. They would collect them and keep them on display.

I imagine they would be quite costly today..
 

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