Heading out to a bar is a great way to round off the week. Meeting up with friends, letting off steam and starting the weekend with a spring in your step is a weekly ritual for many people. Now, though, you don’t even need to leave your home to get the same effect, thanks to the rise in popularity of the home bar.

Your dream set-up may be some clever drink bottle storage, dedicated wine drawers, a wine fridge, a drinks cabinet or even a lavish wine cellar in its own room. However it looks, a home bar station is a wonderful place beside which you can kick back after work, entertain at the weekend or host a celebration for loved ones.

Having your own bar area in the kitchen or dining room allows you to socialise without leaving your home. It’s easier, more convenient and will even save money in the long run. Whether you want to host cocktail evenings, create a VIP experience or a five-star hotel vibe, adding a luxury home bar to your kitchen renovation is the perfect way to bring your nights out, in.

From family homes and holiday lets to beach houses and log cabins, home bars suit every size and style of space.

The team at Masterclass Kitchens are home bar design experts, with plenty of ideas and advice to create the ultimate home bar.

(Staying in is the new going out with a Masterclass Kitchen)

Start with the hallway or boot room

When guests arrive, you want them to feel instantly at home. You also want a practical space where they can hang their coats and pop their shoes off. Masterclass Kitchens offer high-end boot room units that transform this typically cluttered and messy space into a calming and organised entrance to your home. Combine yours with a utility cupboard that can be used to store the ironing board as well as all those cleaning products and utensils, leaving the rest of your kitchen free for that all-important home bar.

(Masterclass Kitchens offer high-end boot room units)

As well as the boot room, you also want your kitchen to cope with everyday wear and tear. Masterclass Kitchens’ spill-resistant worktop finishes and vinyl wrapped doors will cope with daily dirt and grime without compromising on sleek and sophisticated style.

Add a drinks cabinet

Preparing and pouring drinks at the worktop or island is perfectly practical, but nothing beats that authentic bar experience like having purpose-built drink storage options and home bar essentials. These can include hanging wine glass racks, wine drawer inserts, drink bottle storage and cocktail-making kits to add that luxury touch.

When planning the perfect set-up, consider a kitchen dresser unit or cocktail cabinet for an authentic home bar experience.

(Create your very own Bar Dresser or tall drinks cabinet with The Connery)

Fortunately, Masterclass Kitchens offer both solutions. You can choose from a worktop addition with a hanging wine glass rack and a countertop space for preparing and serving mouth-watering cocktails. Alternatively, its Bar Dressers cover the entire drink-mixing process. Its flagship home bar unit, The Connery, meanwhile, is a tall drinks cabinet with drinks shelving, a wine bottle rack and linen or oak drawers for a bigger bar set-up.

Display wine drawers and wine racks

Drinks cabinets can be used to create a dedicated home bar area in your kitchen but what if you have a whole wall at your disposal or even a whole room?

(Create your own mini wine cellar with wine drawers or the Hathaway Pantry)

Wine drawers are one option. Classy and characterful, they complement the classic cottage kitchen look but also look great in a modern luxury kitchen.

How about a kitchen wine rack like the purpose-built design within Masterclass Kitchens’ Hathaway Pantry? It holds up to 12 bottles to create your very own mini wine cellar with instant and easy access.

Make creative kitchen lighting choices

Many people want a home bar with warm wood, good friends and a hygge-style décor but if you want something that’s more nightclub chic, combine your kitchen and dining room furniture with spectacular feature lighting that transforms your space after dark.

Blending H Line Sutton and H Line Milano doors, this handleless kitchen is homely during the day and transformed into a spectacular light show at night, perfect for party nights at home.

(This stunning H Line Sutton and Milano kitchen was designed by Lisa Foggan of Sigma 3 Kitchens, Cardiff East)

Call in a home bar expert

Now you know the basics, it’s time to put that party plan into action. You can find your nearest Masterclass Kitchens showroom here, where you can meet the experts and start planning your dream kitchen and luxurious home bar.

You can also become a Masterclass Insider email subscriber, where you’ll receive exclusive design tips as well as plenty of welcome guides and advice for creating your dream space. Click here to subscribe for free.