Home Bars & Media Walls

All three. These spaces often work particularly well when they are considered alongside a kitchen, dining area or wider open-plan layout.  

We also design them as individual projects in lounges, snugs, dining spaces and other areas of the home.  

It depends on how the spaces relate to one another. Where a bar if fitted in an open-plan kitchen and dining area, a related material palette, finish or cabinetry proportion often produces a more coherent result. 

A bar or media wall in a separate living room or snug might benefit from a different character, perhaps something richer, more furniture-like or more specific to the room it’s in. Kitchen cabinetry is designed to be hardworking and consistent. Living-space cabinetry can carry more personality. We will help you decide where the right balance lies for your home. 

That depends on how you plan to use it. Common features include bottle storage, glassware storage, glazed cabinetry, open shelving, drawers for accessories, serving space, integrated lighting and, where appropriate, a wine chiller or other refrigeration and a sink. 

The important thing is that the design reflects how you entertain. 

A media wall may include a television, a gaming console and/or a home PC, concealed storage, open shelving, display areas, low cabinetry, integrated lighting and carefully planned routes for cables and equipment. The details depend on the room and the technology involved. 

We look at both the visual balance and the practical requirements before shaping the design. 

Of course. Cable routes, power access, ventilation and access to media equipment all affect how the cabinetry should be designed. 

The aim is to make the room feel cleaner without making the technology difficult to use or maintain. 

Integrated lighting is one of the details that most changes how these spaces feel. In a bar, it might mean under-shelf lighting that illuminates glassware or bottles, or internal lighting in glazed cabinetry that makes display feel deliberate. In a media wall, lighting can soften the contrast between the screen and the surrounding cabinetry, and create a sense of depth around shelving and display niches. 

These decisions need to be made early, because the cabinetry construction has to accommodate power and access points from the outset. We will talk through lighting as part of the design process. 

Yes, provided it is carefully proportioned. In a smaller room, the design often needs to work harder: less depth, more considered storage, and a balance between open and closed cabinetry so the wall doesn’t feel too heavy.

Yes. Outdoor bars and entertaining spaces are increasingly part of the brief for garden rooms, covered terraces and outdoor kitchens. The design questions will be similar to an indoor bar: what needs to be stored, how will the layout work and which materials will be needed for an outdoor setting. 

Photos of the room are useful, along with rough dimensions if you have them. For a media wall, it also helps to know the television size and what equipment needs to be accommodated. For a home bar, think about what you want it to hold and how you expect to use it. 

The range is wide because the scope can vary significantly. A compact drinks cabinet or simple media wall sits at a different investment level from a full-height feature wall with extensive cabinetry, integrated lighting, refrigeration or more technically involved details. 

The best way to understand what is realistic for your space and budget is a design consultation.