Fitted bar units

A fitted home bar is bespoke joinery built into a room to store, display and serve drinks — typically combining bottle storage, glassware racking, a worktop for preparation, display shelving with lighting, and often integrated refrigeration. It ranges from a discreet drinks cabinet in an alcove to a full L-shaped bar with a sink and wine fridge, built to your room's dimensions.

A compact alcove drinks cabinet starts from around £3,000, with most fitted bar commissions running £3,000 to £6,000. Units with integrated refrigeration, plumbing for a sink, stone worktops or temperature-controlled wine storage sit at the upper end. Every bar is priced after a home visit, since services and worktop material affect cost more than size does.

An alcove beside a chimney breast is the most common location, because the recess gives natural depth and the bar reads as built-in rather than added. Under-stair voids, dining room returns, and the dead corner of a reception room also work well. The practical constraints are access to a socket, and — if you want a sink or plumbed fridge — reasonable proximity to existing pipework.

Yes, and integrated refrigeration is one of the most requested features. Undercounter wine coolers and drinks fridges are built into the carcass with the correct ventilation clearances, which matters because a fridge enclosed too tightly runs hot and fails early. The unit needs a dedicated socket, so we coordinate the electrical position with your electrician at the design stage.

Granite and quartz are the most practical, because both resist the acids in citrus and wine that mark softer surfaces, and both wipe clean without sealing. Marble looks superb and is the most commonly requested, but it etches from lemon juice and spirits — worth knowing before you choose it. Timber and marble-effect laminates are warmer and cheaper, and suit lower-traffic bars.

Ten years on the furniture we design, make and install: cabinets, doors, drawers, hinges, runners and the integrated lighting. Wine coolers and drinks fridges carry their own manufacturer warranties, and stone worktops are covered by the fabricator's terms.

Yes, though it changes the scope from joinery to a small plumbing project. A bar sink needs a supply and a waste run, and the practicality depends on how far the bar sits from existing pipework — an alcove backing onto a kitchen or bathroom wall is straightforward, a bar on an external wall across the house is not. We design the cabinetry around a plumbing spec agreed with your plumber.

Stemware is best hung inverted in an overhead rack, which protects the rim and keeps glasses dust-free. Bottles are stored upright for spirits and on their side for cork-sealed wine, so the cork stays wet. We specify the split during the design visit based on what you actually drink, and add lit display shelving for the bottles worth looking at.

Yes — under-stair voids suit bars particularly well, because the tall end takes bottle storage and display while the low end takes a drinks fridge or crate storage. The stepped ceiling that makes under-stair space awkward for wardrobes is much less of a constraint here. You'll need power run to the space, which we coordinate before the joinery goes in.

A well-built fitted bar is permanent joinery and forms part of the property rather than furniture you remove on sale. Whether it adds measurable value depends heavily on the buyer, since a home bar is a taste-driven feature in a way that storage is not. It reliably adds appeal in entertaining spaces and basement conversions; it's a weaker investment case than fitted wardrobes.

The full library applies — painted finishes in over 100 colours, wood veneers including walnut, and speciality matt and gloss surfaces. Bars are where clients most often choose darker, richer finishes: charcoal, deep walnut, and matt black with brass hardware are the most requested combinations. Smoked glass display cabinets and integrated LED shelf lighting are specified during the design visit.