SplendidStorySample – HomeStagingExpert

A magazine feature that shares “designer secrets” from experts, this”Getting It” column showcases advice about using your wet bar well by New York TV personality and interior designer, Cathy Hobbs, ASID.   SplendidlySaid’s SplendidStories program is designed to put the spotlight on your expertise as well.  To see the published version of this feature, click HERE.

   OUT FROM THE SHADOWS

Dust off your wet bar
and put it to use

Mirth, spontaneity and shared smiles abound during casual  home entertaining, but elbow room in the kitchen is often in short supply. When the crowd is convivial and the soiree is smashing, hoe chefs often complain that the predictable clustering in the cook zone interferes with essential, last-minute food preparations. Although the company keeps conversation sparkling, too many people gathered around the island or searching for a refill can prove distracting, and the last thing anybody wants is a seared serving of stuffed mushrooms or a forgotten tray of truffles found in the fridge the next morning.

A secondary drink station or food-prep area equipped to mesh with your entertainment style and geared to draw a crows offers a remedy to the kitchen crush. But, if you have to wipe away dust to allow the gemstone colors of your stemware to shine, your existing refreshment zone probably needs some freshening up.

“Some people just don’t know how to use their wet bars,” says interior designer Cathy Hobbs, ASID, a home staging professional and owner of a boutique interior design firm, apereå, in Brooklyn. Hobbs is also a New York television personality with WPIX-CW11, and because she wears multiple hats, she entertains a lot and says she uses her own wet bar “all the time.”

As a transitional area between a kitchen and a living room, a wet bar usually needs help being integrated into a home’s “entertainment zone.”

“It’s not just for formal affairs,” she explains. “A wet bar can be used for casual entertainment and small parties too. … If you have a Sunday Brunch, for instance, you can serve mimosas and Bellinis there. And I like to host girls’ drink nights where everyone comes over with favorite drink recipes, and we each take turns making and serving them.”

A popular amenity listed by builder, wet bars often have a stuffy reputation, suffering limited usage because they hide behind paneled cabinetry in traditional offices or serve as decorative way stations between living rooms and kitchens. Even a large, showy set-up placed in a basement game room may be underutilized, but designers say a few quick strategies can restyle it as a functional, fashionable hub that puts the finishing touch on your social gatherings.

By nature,, Hobbs says, a wet bar should self-contained with adequate storage, plumbing and refrigeration capabilities. “It should all be right there,” she notes. “This may sound like common sense, but the must-haves for a wet bar include a sink, refrigeration and a wine cooler — preferably one that stores red and white wines at different temperatures.”

As a “transitional area” usually situated between a kitchen and livin room or overlooking a dining area, a wet bar needs help being integrated into the primary entertainment zone. “Otherwise, you just have this neglected space,” Hobbs explains.

Bar seating is an attractive possibility that creates a conversation area, extending a subtle invitation to linger. Hobbs says a few cute bar stools will do the trick. “People can park there while you’re mixing their drinks, but that’s not going to be their seat for the night.”

If you have a bar that’s situated on the outskirts of another room, Hobbs says furnishing the space with glassware selections that coordinate with primary color schemes is a “fun and festive” way to tie the two spaces together, and opaque glasses are another option she favors. Presentation counts, and stocking a bar with glasses of various sizes and shapes adds visual interest, while guests appreciate having their specialty drinks served in appropriate glassware. In a similar move, she avoids placing liquor or wine bottles directly on a bar. “I prefer crystal decanters filled with your favorite wine or spirit placed on a beautiful, decorative tray,” she explains.

For a final touch, Hobbs notes that whimsical drink accessories are meant to be seen. “Decorate with accessories,” she advises. I love incorporating beautiful things when entertaining. Items ranging from square cotton cocktail napkins with a handmade stitch to ornate or delicate glasses make a difference.”
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