In a day and age where most entertaining takes place around a cramped kitchen island, it’s a nice change of pace and so exceptionally refreshing to settle back into a padded bar stool and sit and chat with friends in an area that is designated solely as a bar space. For most of us, this is a fantasy that’s simply going to have to live on in our dreams, but one lucky family of five—six, if you count the beloved dog—gets to experience this daily in their cozy Westlake home. “If nobody ever left the bar they’d be happy,” quips the homeowner.
Upon entering the home, the bar is one of the first things that can be seen. “When you walk in the front door and there’s a bar and it’s very open, it kind of says ‘welcome’ and ‘friendship’ and nobody has to feel like ‘I’m going to this house and I can’t touch anything,’” says the owner. “I’ve had people come in here and say that they totally feel at home like they can kick off their shoes, sit around and have a drink.”
Four stools are scattered around the angled bar but don’t think this means that that is the max occupancy. These owners love to entertain and often host everything from casual get-togethers to lively Christmas parties. “I have a lot of business meetings here, too,” she says. “A lot of fundraising parties here…it’s kind of great for everything.”
The distressed wood countertop—boasting a gorgeous black stain—offers plenty of room to rest a couple of drinks and maybe an hors-d’oeuvres or two. The inside of the bar mixes it up with marble counters, stretching from the far side of the space, jumping over the brass sink before continuing to the other end and coming to a halt near the wine storage area.
Two open shelves offer storage for a collection of red wine, and just underneath that, a small refrigerator houses wines that need to be chilled. The cabinets, the owner says, are stocked with bar essentials, “Wine, liquor, napkins, glasses, barware…there’s plenty of storage.”
In a way, this steady bar area is always changing. The homeowners—self-described art fanatics—often mix up the artwork on display. “We like to find local artists, go to art shows. Whatever hits our taste that day,” she says of their displays.
The wall currently hosts a small, colorful piece, but the owners say there is no real rhyme or reason to it, they simply rotate the art based on their mood that day. And that mood is often a joyous one. “I love when my friends sit around the bar and we stand behind there and just talk and laugh,” says the owner. In fact, she loves it so much that she’s putting a similar design in her new home, in hopes that there’s that same feeling of welcome and friendship.
RESOURCES Real estate professionals Gloria Hardington, Meredith Hardington, The SALEMaker Team, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services; Flooring Classic Floors