The classic bar counter is a narrow and rather high bar table located in the pub. It is convenient to rely on standing people or those who are sitting on special chairs. Due to the convenience and practicality, these designs imperceptibly and gradually entered the life of many people, often finding their place in the kitchens.
Designers use a large number of different techniques and techniques to design bar counters for the kitchen. Do-it-yourselfers do not have the power to do such designs for every home master. However, inspired by the ideas of professionals and armed with instructions, you can create a simple and functional stand made of wood, chipboard or other available material.
What are bar counters and what do they serve
If there is enough space in the room, this design will serve its intended purpose: next to it will be people with drinks and snacks. Many say that the bar counter for the kitchen (do it yourself with your own hands according to a previously prepared project) is indispensable for breakfasts and snacks with coffee.
The specificity of such racks in their equipment: you can not do without holders for glasses, wine glasses and various glasses, shelves for juices, bottle holders and other similar elements.
The classic bar counter for the kitchen (with your own hands it can only be done with special tools) to have several options for supports:
- Wall.
- Side edge of the kitchen furniture.
- Separate element (island).
Bar counters for small rooms
Based on the size of the kitchen and the location of the headset, designers offer racks that differ in appearance, size and type of mount.
For small kitchens, bar counters rarely design. This is due to limited space and the lack of need for such an element. However, at the request of the customer, the kitchen can still be equipped with a counter that is turned into a dining table or used as a zone divider. The latter option is especially relevant for studio apartments and small living rooms. In those cases when a bar is made for the kitchen with your own hands, it is often attached along the wall. This option is not standard, but practical.
How to install racks in large and medium kitchens
To equip a medium-sized kitchen, resort to the installation of a bar counter, "peninsula." That is, the end face of this element is adjacent to another piece of furniture, most often, to the table top. Since the height of the rack differs from the size of the workplace, reliable fasteners are required.
For these purposes, straight or inclined pipes are used, and a bar for the kitchen is supported on them (the dimensions of furniture and the principles of ergonomics are shown in the figure).
Basic standards are developed based on the proportions of the human body. Any option is suitable for placing bar counters in spacious kitchens. Even the installation of a separate island will not “steal” a much-needed workspace. There is also no need to reduce decorative elements: racks can have various protrusions, cornices, volumetric stands and drawers.
Sometimes masters resort to installing a special partition made of drywall, to which a bar for the kitchen is then attached. The modeling options are endless, because there is the possibility of combining this material with metal, wood, plastic or even glass.
Functionality and practicality - the main principle
Still, most often, a bar counter is used to separate the kitchen area from the living area or from the corridor (whichever is combined).
Since studios and living rooms are small apartments, their owners usually strive to make the most of available space. Masters collect information on how to make a bar counter in the kitchen with your own hands, design it and make it yourself.
The raw materials are materials bought in a hardware store or what was found in the workshop (wood, plywood, brick, drywall or chipboard).
In order to make the rack practical and convenient, there are several tricks:
- Installation of shelves, stands, cabinets under it.
- Placement of various mounts above the stand: on pipe-holders or under the ceiling.
- The rise of the countertops. That is, the installation of a two-level rack.
Standard bar sizes
Norms for the construction of bar counters do not exist. There are approximate sizes, which are more of a recommendatory nature. Thus, the height of the bar can range from 1.1 to 1.2 meters. It will be very convenient for a standing person to use it, but in order to sit down you will have to use a special bar stool.
The width of the rack should not be less than 30 cm. This is due to common sense: if the countertop is already narrow, it will be difficult to put plates on it, and it will be problematic to lean.
It is believed that a width of 50-60 cm is optimal and convenient. In this case, it turns out a really practical bar at home in the kitchen (assembled or ordered in the salon with your own hands).
For convenience, cabinets under the countertop can be equipped with lights. Usually it is mounted using LED lamps or tapes. This option is extremely economical: LEDs consume little energy, practically do not heat up and last a very long time.
Base Options for Racks
The base is considered to be classic in the form of a metal pipe that passes through the countertop and rests with one edge on the floor, and the second on the ceiling. Experts recommend choosing pipes from German or Polish manufacturers. Externally, Chinese bases may look exactly like more expensive ones, but very soon their coating will begin to peel off. A hole for the pipe is made in the countertop and the future rack is strung on a support. An emphasis nozzle is installed on the bottom side, which is called the “fixing ring”, and from the front, all this is masked by a decorative overlay.
To fix the pipe on the floor and ceiling, use universal mounts and a “thrust”. Various shelves and holders are placed on the pipe before installation.
In the case when the bar is located along the wall, decorative brackets are used to fix it . So that the design is really strong and reliable, they are placed quite close to each other.
How the stand is attached to the wall
The second side of the bar can rest on a table, a cabinet or attached to the wall. In the latter case, the master will have to take care of buying reliable corners. They are ordinary and reinforced (if the countertop is made of natural wood or a high surface load is planned). You can choose the color, focusing on the rest of the furniture or on the covering of the walls. The do-it-yourself bar counter for a small kitchen is often based on one corner, and the wider and heavier models on several.
Bar counter above the countertop
Sometimes the rack is placed above the working surface of the kitchen. For such fastening, there are special beveled pipes. They are screwed to the countertop and to the back of the rack, and the joints are masked with decorative rings.
This placement allows you to maximize the use of the kitchen space, opening up access to all its corners.
Drywall: to be or not to be?
In modern apartments, quite a few elements are made of drywall. Of course, this material cannot be equated in strength to wood, but its plus is that it is very convenient to work with it.
Plasterboard plates are mounted on pre-prepared frames. This method is indispensable if you need to erect a false wall, a partition to separate one zone from another, to build a curtain rod for lighting on the ceiling, to equip a niche in many other cases.
Of course, drywall will be useful to the master who wants to independently create a bar counter. He will need a base for the frame (metal corners, profile, wooden slats or bars), tools for working with these materials, fasteners, gypsum board itself, as well as putty, paint or other decorative means.
Assembling a plasterboard stand for a bar
Before proceeding with the installation of the curbstone, the future design should be drawn. This stage is necessary, otherwise you may encounter a lack of material, a violation of dimensions and proportions. Thanks to even the simplest sketch, the master will get a symmetrical and durable bar counter for the kitchen. Drawings can be developed using paper, pencil and ruler, or use a special 3D-program.
When assembling the frame, the most important condition is compliance with the vertical and horizontal planes. This helps a good level and plumb. The finished structure is sheathed with drywall, corners and traces of fasteners are putty and decorated. Sometimes a primer is applied before a layer of paint.
At the last stage, the selected countertop is attached.
The second life of wooden pallets
Today, many apartment owners are trying to equip their homes with furniture made from environmentally friendly and natural materials. Of course, not everyone can afford to buy a set of wood, but almost everyone likes the idea of making a bar from recycled materials.
Often, masters accumulate various residues and scraps of bars, unnecessary pallets and boxes. Fantasy, ingenuity and patience will lead to the fact that an original and functional bar counter with their own hands in the kitchen will be installed. How to make? Ideas do not differ in complexity: just fill the prepared bars and boards on a solid frame.
Options for wooden racks
Depending on the master’s project and his ability to handle wood, the bar counter can take the form of an elementary long barrier or become a modern and indispensable element of the kitchen.
In the first case, the main task is to create a solid frame. For this purpose, all the same metal corners, wide bars and parts from chipboard are suitable. A countertop (wood, chipboard, plastic) is laid on top of this design.
In the event that the master wants to experiment with the drawings, he can provide the bar with a cabinet, drawers, shelves, additional fixtures and holders. By the way, LED backlighting is very appropriate on such products. She gives them charm and comfort.
If everything worked out well with the main structure, do not stop there. A self-made bar for the kitchen can be supplemented with chairs and benches in the same style.
In addition, almost any piece of furniture can become a field for creativity: hinged shelves, chests of drawers, chests for things, cabinets for flower pots, and much more.