The Best Outdoor Bar Ideas

The outdoor bar is a coveted past time, it means socialising with good friends and having a great time in that sweet spot of summer. And if you live in a city location, it can be a welcome escape from the summer heat, especially if you don’t have a garden at home. But what if you’re a little further from the city or enjoy entertaining at home more than going out? Well, build your own bar of course!

In this blog post, we look at three types of home bars (that are reasonably realistic for the average homeowner!) and how to recreate them in your own garden ahead of those sultry summer nights.

It might seem a little extreme, but a good bar should fit into your garden renovation plans both in style and size and this can really determine the type of bar to create. Create an outdoor bar plan drawing incorporating the rest of your garden to scale. These plans will help determine the best angle in the garden, both for entertaining and making the most of the sunshine.

Once you’ve got an idea of scale, hop on to Pinterest and Instagram and have a look at different styles others have done. If you’re hiring help, it’s worth asking them to provide advice and take advantage of their experience. If you’re making it a DIY project, get yourself on YouTube for that all-important how to guide.

How you’re going to build it really depends on the level of complication you want to go to; however, you will always need a solid foundation. If you haven’t got an existing space, then we’d recommend starting with laying a concrete base that’s the right size for your creation, level, and silky smooth. For more information on what this entails, read our dedicated outdoor guide on our Knowledge Base.

Next, you want to tile your space, this will create easy maintenance and will also last longer with lots of footfall, and of course the British weather! Once your foundation is complete, you want to start building your structure. Always remember to treat your wood structure accordingly to make sure it lasts for years to come. Regular upkeep will be necessary so maybe think about simplifying the overall design if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands.

As we are in the UK and the weather can be somewhat unpredictable, we’d recommend choosing a structure with a full roof rather than an open pergola, if this is the case you could make a feature of it and choose corrugated metal but if you want something to blend in then perhaps felt it, like you would a shed. The next step is the fun part, styling!

Folding Shelf

If you don’t want to fully commit to a structure all year round, why not try incorporating a folding outdoor bar into a wall design. The fold down shelf can act as a bar counter in your entertaining patio area and then folded back up when your guests have gone home. Create a wooden structure so it’s easy to use and you can keep updating it as your garden theme evolves with a simple lick of paint.

With something this simple, you want to create a streamlined entertaining space. Start with a solid foundation like Everscape Homestone Sand, the neutral tone will work with a variety of wood tones and paint colours, standing the test of time.

Teak style furniture would pair well with the design, and we’d advise creating a parasol style sheet using pergola posts above your seating area. If you get the mechanism right, it means you can pull it up when the sun is at its strongest providing shade, but also have it down if you want to bathe in the sunshine.

Etsy Garden Bar

Much like buying a shed, you can buy a prefabricated design and simply assemble and style it yourself. We love this one from Etsy, it’s a simple design but is compact with lots of potential.

Jazz up the floor with a patterned floor tile and create a fun Art Deco theme. Gatzby on the floor, a honed marble on the counter and lot of gold accessories. Continue the theme by painting the bar black and white, but if you want something a little quirkier, try a blush pink to contrast with the tiles. Add a few stools and a couple of planted pots and you’re ready for your guests.

Outdoor Kitchen

For the ultimate chef and entertainers out there, combine an outdoor bar with, you guessed it, an outdoor kitchen! A simple work bench with some cupboards or shelving underneath can form the kitchen part, butt this up to an exterior wall and create a decorative splashback with tiles to finish the look. You can then opt for a kitchen island that transforms into a bar or carry the work bench around the side to create a bar counter.

For the wall tiles, go for something that is texturally fun, like Flute, the reeded design will add a touch of elegance to the space. We really love black and green together with your garden’s natural greenery so try a sage toned tile and paint your units black. On the floor, go for a simple tile so the kitchen can do all the talking, Quarry comes in a great black shade, or if you want to go all out country, opt for the traditional terracotta red to contrast with your sage wall tiles.

Complete each look with some comfy furniture, an effective patio heater and of course some festoon lighting and you’re good to go. So, now you’re an expert in how to build an outdoor bar we know what you’ll be up to this weekend. Happy DIYing, save us a cocktail!