An in-home bar can up the ante on after-dinner conversation.
Joan and Tony Gebhardt have a sleek, U-shaped wet-bar with granite countertop, complete with ice maker, refrigerator drawers and a wine cooler in their Foothills home.
They wanted a spot that would encourage interaction, so the view favors the mountains beyond the back yard, not the television. The couple chose lush barrel chairs, patterned in cranberry and animal print, instead of bar stools. And though the bar sits at table height for those in the chairs, the other side has recessed flooring, so the bartender and guests face one another.
"We wanted something really unique," Joan says, noting that adding the bar, which she designed primarily by herself, was "a given. It's part of entertaining."
The design creates an elegant, inviting atmosphere.
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Brooke Breckenridge, of Norwalk the Furniture Idea, says designs needn't be so elaborate.
Those on a budget can buy a simple cart, perfect for small gatherings, for about $500.
But, she says, "I don't see you making many cocktails with one of those." Drinks will have to stay simple.
A small curio can run about $1,500, a larger armoire about $4,000-$5,000.
"They're essentially a storage area," she says, but they're organized in such a way that the homeowner can use them as a base for serving drinks. The most important consideration is whether there's enough space for bottles, glasses and equipment.
Some people choose to buy a free-standing bar — a sort of oversize table — and stools to go along with a cart or a cabinet.
"That really gives you that bar atmosphere," Breckenridge says.
To save even more money, get creative. Buy a cheap curio at Target, then build or have built inserts that will hold glasses and wine bottles.
Add a serving tray and silver ice bucket, and you've got a spot to make drinks.
Elizabeth Spengler, of Dorado Designs, says built-in wet bars cost $10,000-$20,000 — similar to what many homeowners spend on a kitchen.
But Breckenridge says most people aren't spending nearly that much.
"You can start with something very basic and build up," she says. "There's nothing wrong with that."
● Contact reporter Erin White at ewhite@azstarnet.com or 807-8429.
These hydraulic-lift contemporary swivel chairs are adjustable and come in a variety of colors and finishes, $429-449 at Contents Interiors.
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Dorado Designs, 4640 E. Sunrise Drive, 577-1800; and 12490 N. Rancho Vistoso Blvd., 618-2300.
Norwalk the Furniture Idea, 3602 E. Fort Lowell Road, 319-9000.
Contents Interiors, 3401 E. Fort Lowell Road, 881-6900.