Small kitchen with a bar
Interior functionality
Judging by the Hollywood films, the bar counter is almost an indispensable element of every American cuisine. However, it is not surprising - from Dixieland saloons she came into modern life, of course, having undergone some changes. In Russia, such an interior solution is also becoming very popular.
Many believe that the bar counter certainly requires a large area, and do not risk changing their home. And in vain! With the right design, even in a small kitchen, saving square meters, it will increase the functionality of the room, while creating an original relaxed atmosphere. In a small, isolated kitchen, it can be used instead of a table; in the case of a studio apartment, the bar counter will effectively zone the space.
Interior design options
There are no unconditional requirements for the bar, it is only a tabletop on a support, most often 110-115 cm high.It can be mounted on consoles or lay on the drawer; can be combined with a table or with a working surface; have a rectangular or streamlined shape - all this gives a lot of opportunities to make your kitchen unique.
In the classic view, the bar table separates the cooking area from the dining area. It doesn’t matter if the worktop is mounted perpendicular to the working surface of the kitchen unit, parallel or standing separately by an island - the visual effect is the same.
Such an arrangement is ideal for a studio: a conventional line expands the space, at the same time creating clear boundaries of the kitchen and living room. The main task here is to preserve the unity of style throughout the apartment.
It is unlikely that a high bar will be comfortable for small children and people of advanced age. Therefore, if the area allows, you can connect it to the table. It is logical in such cases to place the table surface inside the kitchen, and the bar area outside.
For the "Khrushchev", where every centimeter is expensive, and the kitchen is mostly "corner", the bar counter can be at the same time a dining and work surface.
Unfortunately, there are apartments with such a small kitchen that it can barely fit the most modest headset. In this case, it would be a great idea to combine a bar counter and a window sill. You will see how pleasant it is to watch other people's moments of life through the window and at the same time be separated from what is happening with glass. Not for nothing, almost all coffee shops in the world use this trick.
In a long rectangular kitchen, narrow wooden countertops along the wall look elegant. Organically choosing the lighting and accessories, you can create the atmosphere of your own cozy cafe.
Another way to save space is folding or retractable design. It is not necessary to collect and clean them every time, but it's nice to know that there is such an opportunity.
Your bar counter will be an independent element or a monumental part of the headset, it is very important to correctly integrate it into the overall solution of the kitchen ensemble. This does not mean that we should abandon the bright colors. Red, light green, orange-black - any rainbow whim can be fulfilled if you carefully think over the details.
Structural elements
Whichever option you choose, your main desire is probably to make the kitchen space as free as possible for the passage, without sacrificing its functionality.
For a two-level bar counter, which is mounted on a metal console, it is reasonable to place special stands for wine glasses, fruit shelves or a mini-bar on the top of the rod. And under the rack high chairs move easily.
Many zealous hostesses choose a tabletop on the pedestal, in which they store kitchen utensils. You can also use a multi-tiered design, if it fits into a common headset.
It is easy to see that the last two examples are convenient in the economy, but do not have to sit down for a long time. To prevent knees from resting on the wall, try a pedestal on wheels. At the right time, you can always roll it out.
There is a counter-transformer, a kind of secret remake. The flip part turns into a dining table, and the inside serves as a cupboard, bar or whatever you like.
Light plays an important role in our life. We love sunny morning because it charges us with a positive and adjusts to the working mood.During the day it is pleasant to take shelter in a small shade to take a breather and look at the bright world as if from afar, before returning to business again. In the evening we want more romance, half-shade, half-tone. Therefore, it is important to think about the lighting of the kitchen. This may be the traditional LED rack lighting, spotlights, romantic sconces or a number of small chandeliers.
Beware of standard mistakes when planning your kitchen interior. Total should be in moderation. Avoid overloading structures, too many bends or excessive filling of space with additional shelves and cabinets. Make sure that the materials are combined in style and color. They may not be combined, only this should be justified.
Daring design option can be a highlight of not only the kitchen, but also your entire apartment. However, remember: for a small kitchen practicality should come first.
Materials and method of making their own hands
The materials here are the same as for the rest of the furniture: glass, chipboard, drywall, wood. For consoles it is better to take chrome-plated brass pipes or polished stainless steel pipes.Do not chase for cheapness: smells and dirt easily enter the plastic or steel pipes with plastic coating, and you cannot easily clean them with active agents, therefore such supports will quickly lose their attractive appearance.
In some catalogs you will find photos where the support frame of the rack is made entirely of brick or natural stone. Most likely, this is a good imitation. The fact is that the weight load on the floor should not exceed 250kg / sq.m. All buildings from above can only be with the permission of certain instances of apartment redevelopment. Light stone rocks (slate, limestone, shell rock) are hardly suitable for construction, as they get dirty. The only option to avoid overloading the floor, if you really want a natural material, is to connect a console bar counter on a brick support in one brick.
In order not to spoil the overall impression of a too obvious fake, do not use base siding and other plastic imitations of the stone. They impersonate themselves and are also picky in cleaning.
It is easy to achieve a graceful look, having fitted a framework with a resistant flexible stone. Terracotta, clinker,porcelain stoneware tiles also perfectly cope with this task.
As a rule, the bar area is designed and ordered along with the rest of the headset. But this does not mean that it can not be done separately and independently.
The option that even a girl can cope with if she knows how to use a screwdriver is a folding bar counter. It is enough to attach the table top to the wall or to an existing bedside table.
Want something more monumental? Install a metal console or wooden beam - and you already have a stand-table.
It is better to entrust more complex structures, including retractable ones, to professionals, so as not to destroy the rest of the kitchen ensemble.
If you are a professional and are used to doing everything yourself, pay attention to the bar on the frame. This design is more often used for round or angular racks.
A thousand and once measuring the kitchen, calculate the parameters of the future product, be sure to make a drawing. And proceed to the construction of the frame. Optimal for home cooking to assemble a frame of wooden bars on steel corners. To make the frame more stable, attach the bars not only along the perimeter, but also along and across the frame.Once again, make sure that the design is stable, try to loosen it. You can start trimming. Suitable chipboard, MDF, drywall or wood veneer, it all depends on your imagination.
It is easy to enrich the plasterboard lining by painting it with textured paint, for example, under a decorative plaster or a wild stone.
If you are an adherent of classical traditions, add to the wood veneer pictorial overhead elements, and get an elegant copy in the style of the best clubs in London. In such an environment is not ashamed to treat whiskey and an English lord.
