A garden room bar sounds great doesn’t it? A space to entertain friends and family, celebrate big moments, or kick back after a long week at work.
If you’re thinking about installing a garden room bar, you’re in the right place. Here, we’ll provide ideas for the interior design and some practical considerations for planning and design to make your bar the only place in town to come.
At The Garden House Company, we build bespoke garden rooms and annexes in Kent & Sussex tailored to your vision.
Why Add a Garden Room Bar?
The Garden House Company and my own family are based in the Kent countryside, with limited access to a thriving nightlife. However, with a garden room, we brought our local pub much closer and saved on the increasingly eye-watering costs for a pint.
Having this dedicated and separate space from the main house makes it feel like a proper retreat from the day-to-day, especially when you get to enjoy a drink surrounded by nature.
Additionally, with your own garden room bar, you control the atmosphere – your music, your drink selection, and most importantly, your entry policy!
Another benefit is the value that this unique feature will add to your home – the possibility of having a garden room bar will appeal to many prospective buyers and potentially add to the price tag if and when you sell your property. Read more about investing in a garden room and how to boost the value of your property by adding a garden room.
Garden Room Bar Ideas
There are so many different possibilities with a garden room bar, it’s difficult to know where to start! Below are some ideas for your garden room bar to get you going:
Garden Gin Bar
A stylish way to enjoy drinks, especially in the summer! Make this an authentic experience by growing your own aromatics and herbs in the garden, like elderflower and thyme, to garnish and infuse your gins!
Garden Room Bar and Games Room
Upgrade your garden room bar to the ultimate home entertainment spot with an arcade bar with some of your favourite classics like Pac-Man or more modern options like shuffleboard. This will soon become the go-to spot for a memorable evening!
Garden Room Bar with a Hot Tub or Sauna
Feel like bringing a touch of Apres Ski or Scandinavia to your garden room bar? Take a dip in the summer months or retreat to the sauna in winter, all whilst enjoying a cold beverage.
Garden Room Pub
In Kent & Sussex, we’re blessed with a fantastic selection of traditional British pubs. Bring some of that inspiration to your own garden room pub, kitting it out with cask ales, leather armchairs and TV screens for the sport!
Garden Room Bar and Cinema
A cinema lounge and bar creates that ultimate comfort experience, providing a great way unwind after the week. Bring your own popcorn, mix a cocktail, and enjoy the film with your friends and family. Read our other blog post on garden room cinemas.
Garden Room Bar Interior Ideas and Considerations
Bar Counters, Worktops & Shelving
How do you want to serve your drinks? You might prefer a country-style wooden worktop or a sleek granite bar counter.
Additionally, you want to consider how to store your drinks – shelving on the walls can display your bottles whilst installing some simple wall-mounted optics can provide a more authentic experience without pushing up the cost too much.
On the other hand, if you want to enjoy beer straight from the barrel, then a cask bar will be your best choice. You’ll need to create a shelving unit that can hold a cask barrel on its side and ‘tap’ the keg with a traditional cask ale beer tap. This will give you a real ale experience without needing to install any pumps or beer lines. However, it’s important to remember that casks should be stored and served at ‘cellar temperature’ which is between 10-13℃.
Creative Lighting
Lighting will also influence the atmosphere you want to create in your garden room bar. For small garden room bars, you may want an intimate and cosy ambience, so dimmer lighting or strip lighting can be cost-effective options.
If you want to open your bar out in the summer, you’ll also want to consider outdoor heaters or solar lighting. Learn more about garden room lighting ideas.
Lighting can also lend itself to your creative vision – if you want to design your bar around a particular theme, like an American-style bar or country pub, you may want to install fluorescent signs or pendant lighting.
Flooring
Where there are drinks, there will be spills – protecting your garden room bar flooring against these mishaps is another consideration when planning.
Normal bars tend to use laminate or vinyl flooring, which are scratch-resistant, durable, and easy to clean. Laminate flooring is easy to install in a garden room, is fairly cheap, and can be made to resemble almost any material, whilst vinyl has the advantage of being completely waterproof. Both options, however, can feel cold underfoot if you don’t have underfloor heating, which can be an issue if you want to use your bar during winter. Learn more about how to heat your garden room and garden room foundation options.
For your garden room bar, think about the potential for spills, easy cleaning, and overall look-and-feel.
Seating Options
Again, seating depends on the vibe you’re going for in your garden room bar. Bar stools are the classic option and are relatively inexpensive, depending on the material, however, you may prefer a more laid back feel with cosy armchairs or sofas.
Consider also the seating arrangement and how you can maximise your lovely garden view for all seating options. Make sure your guests get a good glimpse of the evening sun!
Small Garden Room Bar Ideas for Compact Spaces
For small garden rooms, you need to maximise the space available and ensure your garden room bar doesn’t encroach. Often, this means positioning it against the back wall or corner.
In terms of the bar itself, a great way to save space is to use a double bar, with a worktop against the back wall to make the drinks and a bar countertop opposite for serving drinks to guests. Another option is a pull-out (or pulldown) bar stored up against the wall or within a cabinet, providing a practical and convenient way to serve drinks without taking up space. This can be a great option if your garden room will be multipurpose (e.g. an office and a bar).
Other small decisions can make a big difference in a small space, like having a sliding-door bar fridge instead a normal swing door, and installing wall shelving for additional glass storage.
Planning and Installing a Garden Room Bar
For a garden room bar, you shouldn’t need planning permission in Kent & Sussex, but it depends on the size of your build. Read more about garden rooms and UK planning permission.
At The Garden House Company, our builds generally don’t need planning permission but we also can guide you through the process if they do. We provide a bespoke planning, survey and design service, which will include 3D designs of your garden room bar, to show you what’s possible.
Ready to Build Your Garden Room Bar?
At The Garden House Company, we build bespoke garden rooms in Kent & Sussex to your vision and are always happy to discuss ideas! View our garden room gallery for more inspiration or get in touch today!
