A GENTLEMAN’S BAR

As warm summer months wind down and our nights feel cooler; we are naturally drawn to the comfort of our homes and to entertaining in them. Enter the home bar in all its glory.

A few years ago, we started work on a beautiful Victorian in Kensington Market for our clients Mark and Stefan; helping design a two-story addition off the back of their house. In addition to creating a second-floor principal bedroom and ensuite, we were tasked with developing an English-style ‘Great Room’ - a place for music and entertainment that would include a Gentleman’s Bar and powder room.

Steph and Emily got to work on pulling inspiration from British architecture for the Great Room, and of course, pubs and clubs that the Brits know a thing or two about, for the Gentleman’s Bar.

One of the trickiest elements to contend with for the bar was the available footprint. The new addition could only be so big, and to maximize the space in the Great Room; the bar and powder room would have to work hard within a small area.

The bar is placed between the existing kitchen and the new Great Room, making the space somewhat of a pass-through area. And, with the new powder room just opposite it, there were three entrances to contend with.

Despite the small footprint, we wanted this to feel like a warm and inviting room (not a hallway). Steph was set on the idea of paneling all the walls in oak, even though there were three entrances that could have easily disrupted the flow and beauty of the wood. It came together perfectly, through thoughtful design and research, detailed custom paneling and the magic of pivot door hinges.

The wood paneling detail continues seamlessly across all the walls, including the door openings, with a touch latch function that allows them to open without any visible hardware. And just like that, they disappear into beautiful oak panelled walls. Even the countertop is designed to transition smoothly into the panelled walls.

Many other details went into the making of this Gentleman’s Bar - the pillow top floor tiles from France (getting them here is a story of perseverance in and of itself!), the hammered brass sink and unlacquered brass faucet ensure the space will age gracefully, and the mesh wire doors add another layer of personality along with Cremone bolt hardware. Antiqued mirror is placed at the back of the shelves and each oak shelf has inset glass that allows the light to travel down illuminating all the glassware and bottles. Everything chosen feels authentic to the overall British style.

To top it all off, a gorgeous Nero Tunisi leathered marble was installed on the countertop and backsplash, featuring cognac coloured veining that finishes off the whole design.

Not only does the bar look great, it works hard too. The lower cabinets house a sink, a pull-out drawer fridge, and wine storage for 24 bottles, while two flanking upper cabinets house all the glassware and libations you could possibly need to host your friends and family. Now we're ready for a party!

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