Tag: custom bars

Mini bar cabinet ideas are the topic of today’s blog. A mini bar could be as small or as teeny-tiny as you like; the definition of “mini” is entirely up to the you. No matter the size, custom cabinets cunningly designed will provide a convenient and perfect place for everything. When designed with custom cabinets, mini bars may be small, but they are mighty.

In addition, designing custom cabinets for a mini bar can fit into nearly any space in your home. Have a corner between a living room and dining room not being used? Need something to break up the openness between one room and another? Perhaps a mini bar is the perfect solution.

Custom Mini Bar Cabinet Ideas and Designs

Featured in this blog are three different homes with custom mini bars designed by Stonington Cabinetry and Designs. Each mini bar features cabinets custom configured for each space.

Custom Mini Bar Cabinet Ideas Partial Room Divider with Shelves for Glasses and Fridges
Photography by Chris Veith Interiors

In this home, a mini bar was built out of the wall, continuing the look of the pantry cabinets on the other side of the wall. This bar also serves as a partial room divider between the kitchen and living room. Within this mini bar are special shelves for wine glasses, martini glasses and other glassware. Also included are two beverage fridges. Drawers above the fridges are perfect for storing bottle openers, straws, mixers and more.

Custom Mini Bar Cabinet Ideas Built in Bench with Beverage Fridge Cabinet on One End
Photography by Chris Veith Interiors

A built-in bench features a mini bar on one end. A custom cabinet surrounds the mini fridge. Bottles of liquor, shot glasses and other items have room on the stone countertop to be aesthetically displayed. Drinks can be easily made and accessed from outside, the kitchen or the living room with the smart placement of this mini bar design.

Custom Mini Bar Cabinet Idea Make the Most of an Empty Corner
Photography by Chris Veith Interiors

They made the most of the corner in this home with a clever placed beverage fridge and pantry design. When closed, the fridge looks just like a regular cabinet. A white counter tops the beverage fridge cabinet and provides a space to prepare drinks. Other surrounding cabinetry has storage for glasses and more.

Visit our website, www.kountrykraft.com, to see more mini cabinet bar ideas and designs. Follow @kountrykraftcabinetry on Instagram for company updates, new product information and weekly inspiration.

#KountryKraft #CustomCabinetry #MiniBarCabinetIdeas #BarCabinets

There are many different options you can choose from when building a custom bar for your home. The custom bar you choose should be inviting to guests, should create an easy workflow, and should go with the feel of the rest of the room. The most important thing to remember when choosing the type of bar is that you want everything to be easily accessible to you or the person pouring and mixing the drinks.

When choosing the layout of your custom bar, you want to make sure that everything you would need to create a drink has a space in your bar. A glass rack and wine rack can be added to any cabinetry to give you extra storage for glasses and bottles.

Custom Bar Types

There are two different types of bars you can choose when creating your custom bar:


Custom Bar Cabinets to Entertain Guests

Wet Bar

A wet bar includes a sink with running water and plumbing. Because of the added sink, it is sufficient in increasing the rate you can create drinks. It is ideal for entertaining bigger parties. This bar will give you plenty of counter space to prepare ingredients and it will give you optimum storage for everything you need.
Include the following items for the ultimate bar experience:

  • Beer Tap
  • Blender
  • Refrigerator
  • Ice Machine
  • Dishwasher
  • Integrated Sound System

 Custom Bar Cabinets

Dry Bar

A dry bar does not include a sink. A dry bar is pretty basic – providing a standard beer/ soda serving area. A dry bar can include storage space, glass space, and a mini fridge. However, the space on a dry bar is not as open as a wet bar so your prep area is going to be a bit smaller. You want to put your dry bar somewhere that is easily accessible to where you entertain the most. This bar is extremely convenient for pouring and storing wine, storing glasses, and pouring simple drinks.


Ultimately when designing your custom bar, you want it to be something that you love. You want the bar to work with your lifestyle and be completely accessible to you. Check out some styles of wet and dry bar choices and ideas on our Houzz page.

custom cabinetry founders

The Legacy of Kountry Kraft – The Beginnings of the Custom Cabinet Maker
Kountry Kraft was founded in 1959 – when the cabinetry industry itself was still in its infancy.  Prior to the 1950s, there truly was not a custom cabinetry industry to speak of.  At that time, it was common for homes to come with standard kitchen cabinetry constructed by home builders.  These cabinets were simple and often framed against the kitchen walls without a back.  They were commonly made of metal or wood, and were rarely found in any other room besides the kitchen.  There were no custom options, and rarely did the homeowner have a choice of wood or style.  Cabinets were simply viewed as a part of home construction.

When Elvin and Helen Hurst decided to launch their own custom cabinetry company, there really was no road map to follow.  No large cabinetry companies to model after.  Not only were they selling cabinetry, they were selling the CONCEPT of custom cabinetry to builders and homeowners who had never thought about cabinets as an option or feature to their home.  It was risky – Elvin and Helen were truly pioneers of the cabinetry industry – forging a path not many had traveled before.

But there were more hurdles in their way as they launched the business.  Not only were they new business owners, with all the challenges that new business ventures present, they were also breaking the farming tradition of their Mennonite community, where everyone was expected to farm as their profession.  Their choice to launch a business other than farming truly challenged common thinking – and their choice was questioned by those who knew them.

Regardless of the challenges, Elvin and Helen were committed to launching their business.  Elvin had amazing woodworking skills and there was great demand among their friends and family for his hand-crafted cabinetry.  They had a smart business plan and a philosophy that allowed them to stay true to their Mennonite roots of hard work and impeccable quality.  They were smart and could see that their model would succeed.  And it was with this in mind that Elvin and Helen launched Kountry Kraft in their family garage – the beginning of a legacy.

Stay tuned next week for part 2 in our Legacy of Kountry Kraft series

For more information about our company heritage, visit the Experience Kountry Kraft page on our website. Follow us on Instagram and like our Facebook page for design inspiration!

Dee Hurst-Funk is the Chief Kitchen Designer and CFO of Kountry Kraft – Custom Cabinets -
Dee-Hurst-Funk

Creating entertainment space in your home is a great way to enhance your family’s together time, build memories and cultivate a place to relax and unwind.  Custom bars make a great addition to any home, providing a gathering space, additional storage, and a designated entertainment area your whole family can enjoy.

Redesigning an existing space to incorporate custom bar cabinets is a great idea to enhance the functionality and value of your home.  You can gather around your custom bar with friends and family during holiday celebrations or family parties.  Do you enjoy hosting a group of friends to watch the Superbowl, World Series or a NASCAR Race? Custom bars make an ideal place to serve snacks and beverages while you all watch the latest sporting events.  Do you often entertain a houseful of guests for family holiday celebrations?  You can gather around your custom bar during your next holiday party, freeing up your kitchen space to prepare your family meal.

Custom bars by Kountry Kraft
Designer: Roger Yiengst, Kountry Kraft, Inc

Adding custom bar cabinets to your home will also provide you with space to store bar service ware like beer mugs, wine glasses, extra pitchers, platters and bowls.  This frees up space in your kitchen, and helps keep your cabinets organized.  Custom bars can also be outfitted with a lock and key and used to store liquor away from children, thus enhancing the safety of your home.  Adding a refrigerator or wine cooler to your bar area will keep your adult beverages cold, and will keep your family refrigerator free of clutter.

Design Options for Custom Bars

At Kountry Kraft, we can help you create a custom entertainment area that will suit your needs.  Our custom bar cabinets come in a variety of wood species and finishes, and can be designed to match the style of your home.  We also offer many accessories to keep custom bars organized, including hanging glass racks, bottle storage and sink cutouts – the possibilities are endless!

Custom bars and bar cabinets will create a unique space in your home to entertain your family and friends.  With Kountry Kraft custom cabinetry, every corner of your home can carry your style and express your individuality, while providing functionality and storage.

Visit our Pinterest page for images of bars we have for our customers and view our gallery of home entertainment options for some design inspiration.  When you’re ready to build your own custom bar, click here to find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you!