Get The Party Started With A Garden Bar
Here’s how to help those summer gatherings more sociable by creating a garden bar in your back yard.
Garden parties are what the British are well known for. Whether it’s a traditional afternoon gathering with champagne and sandwiches, a children’s party with games, cake and drinks or an evening ‘do’ where the wine can flow freely, we certainly know how to make the best of our outdoor spaces.
Isn’t it a pain though to keep nipping in and out of the house to refresh drinks and top up the snack bowls? Wouldn’t it be easier to have everything you need for your guests’ comfort right there, outside, in the garden? That’s where a garden bar becomes a real asset to your property.
With a fully equipped garden bar, you don’t have to worry about drinks being spilt on your carpets. Dropped food can easily be left for the birds to clear up (if the dog doesn’t get there first!) and by and large, most of the mess stays out of the house.
Sadly not my work, but this simple garden bar would be an asset to any garden.
What Every Garden Bar Needs
A garden bar needn’t be flashy or expensive, but it does need a few basic components.
- A sturdy worktop at a comfortable height.
- Wipeable surfaces.
- Stain resistant flooring such as porcelain paving or sealed natural stone.
- Plenty of storage space.
- A fridge or a cooler to for ice cold drinks.
- A rubbish bin.
- Seating.
- Some kind of shelter will make it feel more comfortable.
- Lighting will help keep your garden bar open later into the evening and help guests to navigate the garden safely in the dark.
- Beautiful plants to reinforce that outside vibe.
- Party decorations are optional but highly recommended.
This timber pergola with inbuilt lighting is the ideal spot for a dining table and chairs, or for a bbq and bar area. The porcelain paving is very good at repelling stains and spillages.
A Garden Bar Is Not Just For Parties
- If you design your garden bar well, it can have multiple uses.
- It could be a space for painting or crafting either by yourself or with the children – again it will protect your inside surfaces from stains and spillages.
- You can rest your laptop on your garden bar while you follow a yoga tutorial outdoors.
- How about installing electricity so that the space can be used as an outdoor office?
- Use your garden bar to display your favourite pot plants or shells and treasures bought back from the beach.
- It can double up as a potting bench too. The washable surfaces mean a little bit of compost won’t hurt it at all.
A built in seating area is a great compliment to any garden bar.
Positioning Your Bar Area
As with most aspects of garden design, it’s important to place your garden bar in exactly the right spot. If it’s not easy to get to, you’ll be put off from using it. But if it’s too ‘in your face’ it will detract from the rest of the garden.
Rather than just plonk the bar where you already have an empty space, design your garden around it. Will you need a bigger patio? A break-out zone? Paths? How far should your bar be from your garden furniture? Will you include a fire pit for chilly evenings? Do you need lighting so that guests don’t tumble into the flower beds in the dark? How will your guests access your party zone? Through the house or via the back gate?
What about styling? Will you go ultra modern? Or rustic? What landscaping materials would enhance the look of your property and be easy for you to manage?
So many things to think about – it’s definitely worth hiring the services of a good garden designer to help you achieve the look and the functionality that best suits your lifestyle.
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South Petherton garden with lots of room for entertaining
