Kitchen design ideas with a bar counter and design rules
Bar counters have become fashionable and have earned their place in small and spacious kitchens. A cabinet of pubs and bars has changed the interior of the places, making them more elegant. In the design of a kitchen with a bar counter, the compatibility of materials must be taken into account, depending on the concept. It is important to place the furniture correctly so as not to disturb the ergonomics of the kitchen space.
Advantages and disadvantages of using a bar counter
The bar counter in the apartment and house has become a practical and necessary element. The bar counter device solves several problems:
- Zoning of premises in a studio apartment.
- Additional work space and storage space.
- Replacement of the dining table in a small kitchen.
- Stylish kitchen design element.
The disadvantages of the design arise when it is improperly installed in the kitchen, the size does not correspond to the area of the room, the dimensions are inconvenient for sitting.
If you place the stand next to a stove, sink or refrigerator, it will get in the way of moving around the kitchen.
In a small kitchen, a large additional surface will make the room more cramped. It will be uncomfortable to sit behind a narrow table.
Varieties
The types of bar counters depend on the style and size of the kitchen.
Wall
With this design, the table top rests against the wall with one end and rests on the leg/pipe/panel with the other. The model is suitable for kitchens of all sizes and styles.
Combined
The plans of the kitchen unit and the cabinet are at the same level. The bar top looks like a natural extension of the work area.
Combined
The combo option is a combination of the bar top and the dining table. In the studios, this design makes it possible to zone the room: the lower level serves as a table and is directed towards the kitchen, the uppermost serves as a bar and is directed towards the room.
Islander
In spacious kitchens, island elements look stylish if they fit into the design of the room.
on the leg
One of the popular options for a bar counter - one end rests on a nickel-plated pipe leg, the other on the wall. This design fits into the interior of small kitchens, increasing their functionality.
Classic
Traditionally, the bar counter looks like part of a kitchen set, in the form of a peninsula.
Berth
Kitchens with high ceilings are equipped with shelves with parallel worktops. The second upper part of the structure has a decorative role and is also used to store bar accessories.
Mini
In Khrushchev apartments, living rooms, where kitchens have an area of less than 6 square meters, it is rational to use small bar units. The design, equipped with storage space for utensils, will replace the kitchen set.
The materials used
The material of the bar frame should be combined with the material of the kitchen set or match the design concept.
chipboard
Popular worktops in laminated particleboard with aluminum closed corner or plastic edges. At an affordable price, you can install an additional element of any size, shape, color in the kitchen.
A natural stone
Natural stone countertops are beautiful, durable and add special charm to the kitchen interior.
Acrylic
Plastic bar surfaces will look organic in a minimalist, high-tech kitchen.
Concrete
You can make a concrete counter and stand with your own hands, having determined the shape and size of the product. In terms of decorative properties and durability, it is not inferior to natural and artificial stone products.
Solid wood
The warm wood texture is suitable for all styles except high-tech. The material makes it possible to make a custom bar.
Tile
The variety of ceramic tiles on the market is able to satisfy the most demanding tastes.
The coating of the worktop makes it possible to create an exclusive kitchen interior.
Heat-tempered glass
The kitchen's tempered glass countertop is a fashion-forward design cue, especially for high-tech loft styles.
Design options and ideas
The placement of the rack should harmoniously fit into the kitchen space, without interfering with movement and creating comfort.
Near the window
In rooms with a square configuration and a sufficient area, the bar counter is installed perpendicular to the window sill. For a family of 2-3 people it will be a dining table.
U-shaped
The U-shaped rack is installed in a spacious kitchen in the center. A sink, a stove and a storage space for dishes are mounted in the structure. The bar has the same shape, in which two parallel panels are located one above the other and are connected by a lintel near the wall.
Kitchen-dining room
The use of two-tier worktops and round island supports in the design expands the functionality of the room: it is not only convenient to cook here, but also to comfortably spend time while eating.
Corner
The angular shape of the object makes it possible to visually mark the border between the kitchen and the living room in a studio room.
Complex shape
The rectangle-semi-circle bar configuration combines a worktop and a bar counter. In a large room, a style element can have a polygonal shape.
Glass top
Transparent or translucent glass makes it possible to install an aquarium with real or artificial fish under the tabletop, to make lighting with LED strips.
Modern technologies make it possible to use photo printing, spraying, engraving.
Integrated in the kitchen
The bar counter, as an element of kitchen furniture, transforms the whole into a model with a peninsula.
bar table
A bar table is a freestanding piece of furniture in various shapes: round on one leg, rectangular on one / two / four legs. A design element that can be placed in a convenient place.
Instead of a windowsill
In small kitchens, the bracket is made by expanding and lengthening the window sill along the wall. The worktop can be used as a worktop, dining table and bar.
Ladder
The design of the rack can be transformed: made in the form of two or three shelves, one above the other, reminiscent of a staircase. The two upper parts are used for bar accessories and kitchen utensils.
Not
A bar counter looks like a step if its support/supports are panels (wood, plastic, concrete). This type of rack can be open and closed. The open ones have a worktop, the closed ones have a structured interior space for storing kitchen utensils.
Chrome feet
Shiny chrome legs or feet match any style. The stand can end above the table or lean against the ceiling. In this case, an additional upper part of the bar counter is installed on it. At the support itself, dominating the bar, baskets for bar accessories are hung on the supports.
Two in one
For small-sized kitchens, the best option would be to combine the bar counter with the cooking zone.
Bar chairs
The height of the rack is 90-110/120 centimeters. In addition to the bar, special, higher, round, square-shaped chairs are needed, with or without a backrest. They can be wooden, plastic, metal, with or without padding. The optimal distance between the seat and the table top is 30 centimeters. The bar stools come with 1-2-3-4 legs.
Their difference from ordinary chairs is the obligatory footrest.
L-shaped
The L-shaped rack has two options for placement in the kitchen: as a wall unit or as an island.In the first case, it serves as a visual border of the kitchen space. In the second, it is an elegant solution for a spacious kitchen. It can accommodate a sink, stove, shelves.
With a balcony
The combination of a kitchen with a balcony makes it possible to take the rack out of the room. In place of the window opening to the balcony, a table top is installed that coincides with its length. Another option is the corner one, between the door and the wall.
With sofa
The bar, which serves as a delimiter in the studio apartment, can be adjacent to the sofa, which makes it possible to carry out zoning not only visually. The bar is combined with a sofa if it is removed from the kitchen in the living room.
Style features
To harmonize the interior, depending on the style, a variant of furniture is selected.
Classic
The classic counter is a bar of a restaurant. The furniture set includes a tray on a sturdy wooden stand, covered with plastic, high narrow stools made of wood or metal. Bar accessories, drinks are in cabinets, on the top plane, on a metal pipe. Place a counter between the kitchen and the living room.
Advanced technology
The high-tech kitchen contains modern materials: metal, glass, plastic. The bar counter should match not only in material, but also in shape and color. The combination of a silver tint is beneficial with blue, purple. Integrated kitchen appliances.
There should be no unnecessary objects in sight. Everything is strictly functional.
Modern
The peculiarity of the style is the grace of the form. Kitchen set in natural wood or imitation laminated wood. The worktops are tiled with stone. The predominant color is light and dark brown.
Minimalism
In the small studio kitchens, designers offer a Norwegian style. The minimal set of wooden or plastic furniture, where the bar serves as a cutting surface and a dining table. Maximum brightness (windows without curtains). Pastel tones of the walls, floor and helmet.
Rules for the arrangement and design of a corner kitchen
The kitchen area is installed in small spaces. The bar should not interfere with movement in the "triangle" between the refrigerator, stove and sink. Depending on the location of the refrigerator, place the grill.
Option one. The sink occupies one corner. A stove and refrigerator are placed along the wall. The support closes the opposite side of the corner where the work surface is extended.
Option two. The sink is in the corner. There is a stove on one side and a refrigerator on the other. The bar counter is placed perpendicular to the side of the stove.
Option three. The rack is installed perpendicular to the window sill or, extending it, along the wall.
Use in a private home
In your house, you have the possibility of designing a real bar by taking it out of the kitchen. It can be the space next to the stairs to the second floor, part of the living room, in the billiard room. In a spacious kitchen, you can install a U-shaped island bracket with an integrated sink and stove. With its help, loft-style bedrooms are zoned.
The style of the bar counter and the interiors of all rooms should be consistent with each other.
Additional tips and tricks
The choice of the shelf is made depending on the size, the configuration of the room, the style of kitchen furniture and the interior of the kitchen as a whole. A tabletop on a monolithic base should protrude 40-50 centimeters from the edge so that it is convenient to put your feet on it.Do not use anything intended for the bar in the rack design. Too many extra decorations will leave no room for a glass of cocktail or coffee. In a small kitchen with low ceilings, installing a frame with a supporting metal pipe upwards will visually make the room lower.
The bar counter is not suitable for all interiors. Before installing it, you need to determine whether it matches the style of kitchen furniture.
Examples of out-of-the-box design solutions
Bar counter in a studio. A step-shaped shelf above the work area closes the corner kitchen set, zoning the space from the bedroom-living room. Material - color laminated chipboard with a refrigerator and a tray.
Kitchen set with integrated bar counter. The stand has a complex configuration: a rectangle-semi-circle. The rectangular table top is a continuation of the corner work surface defined in height, material and color. A metal tube supports the lower semicircular top and the upper semicircular rectangle connected to the upper cabinets. Three rows of brackets hang from the pipe.