Basement Wet Bar – Navy Cabinets
We are counting down the days til spring break over here, so what better way to get spring break ready then inviting you all to hang out at our basement bar? ;) While my spring breaks now mostly revolve around: “watch this mom, are you watching? ARE YOU WATCHING?” rather than kicking back at a bar with a margarita, our basement wet bar does get occasional use after a long day with my kiddos!
We really wanted a bar area in the basement (see more of the basement here) since the lake is right off this space. It’s nice to have an area nearby to put out snacks and drinks rather than having to run up and down to the kitchen all the time. It’s also convenient for family movie night to have snacks right at hand down here. Our little mini fridge is stocked with juice boxes and cans of sparkling water and popcorn is tucked in the cabinet.
The cabinets do double duty holding craft supplies and toy overflow as well. My favorite thing down here is the two large pull out drawers. One has a trash can and one has recycling, so my kids have no excuse not to pick up after themselves. It also makes clean up easy when we entertain in the summer.
The wet bar creates a natural hallway feeling in the basement with the way we ran the wood floors down here. Also, the ceiling is 8 ft in the hall section to accommodate the duct work and then opens up into 9 ft. I took a shot from both sides because I know people are always wanting to see how our floor plan works.
One side of the hall leads to my son’s bedroom and bath, mechanical room and storage.
This side goes to my daughter’s room, her bathroom, and our workout room. I put a gallery wall of family photos outside of each of their rooms that they love to look at.
If you remember when we were building, I wanted to put butcher block down here and we couldn’t find something that I liked the way it worked with the flooring. Then I was kind of scrambling to pick something and just ended up with this black soapstone looking laminate. I will admit it’s not my fave and I look forward to changing it out someday. It just feels a bit dark and I think a lighter grey tone would be a fun contrast.
That leads me to a big tip, which I will probably do a blog post about soon, and that’s where to cut costs when you are over budget. Countertops in a non essential space like this that you can easily swap out later can save a ton on a budget. I spent the money for quartz in our master bath and kitchen and we put laminate in the laundry, pantry, kids bathrooms and this basement wet bar. That cut my counter top budget by 2/3’s, which really helped when we went over in a lot of other unexpected areas. Counter tops are easily swapped out someday down the road with minimal damage.
Again, in deference to the budget, I went with simple white square tile from Lowe’s set in an brick pattern with a dark grout to tie in the counter top.
The pop of blue is fun down here and it didn’t feel like as big of a commitment as painting our kitchen cabinets a color.
You can see more of our basement here.
SOURCE LIST:
Paint Color – Newburyport Blue by Benjamin Moore
Wall Color – Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams
Tile – Lowes
Flooring – Build Direct
Hardware – Local store in Grand Rapids I don’t have any info sorry!
Counter top – I don’t know the name of this either
Blue and wood vases – Michaels
Blue glasses – HomeGoods
Popcorn Bowls – Crate and Barrel
Blue Glassware – we picked these up on trips to Mexico
Just wondering if you remember where the cabinet handle and drawer pulls are from?
They were from a local store here in Grand Rapids and I don’t have a brand for you – sorry!
Thanks Kelly … love reading your posts!! Enjoy Florida, your parents and your Birthday! ?
Thanks so much Sue!!
Oh yes… I do Remember seeing the name then. Thanks!! You must really love it. ?
Hey … while I have your ear and attention. I also love your flooring in your Master. I read the reviews on the Build Direct site and someone said it is sand paper rough and “eats” socks. What is your opinion? I did send for a sample and it is a little rough, maybe could scuff? But doooo like it!
Hi Sue, it definitely doesn’t have a smooth texture but I don’t find it to be that rough. And it definitely hasn’t eaten any of my socks lol :) We don’t wear our shoes inside so it hasn’t scuffed at all for us, I guess I haven’t noticed the texture that much.
Hello … have loved your posts and fresh ideas.
I see that your flooring for the basement came from Builder Direct.. I don’t believe it is the same as your upstairs flooring. Would you mind telling me if it’s a laminate and would you happen to know the name? I Thank you for your great decorating ideas!!
Hi Sue it’s actually the same flooring as upstairs. Sorry I meant to link it but every time I do the link breaks and doesn’t work. Not sure what is going on with BuildDirect’s site. If you go to my FAQ page on the blog I actually list out the name of the floor. I think it’s Vanier European White Oak Engineered Hardwood in the color Robin or something very similar to that.
LOVE THE BAR AREA! can you give me source info on your white couches and do you freak out with white right off the lake with kids??
It’s all Ikea furniture that’s slipcovered so I just throw it in the wash! I figure they will completely destroy them in a few years and I will either buy new slipcovers or get new furniture at that point. So no I don’t stress about them down there, upstairs is another matter lol :)
hahaha! AGREED! Do you happen to know the ikea name for the sofas? Do they hold up pretty good in the wash?
The sectional is the Ektorp the chair is the new version they just came out with starts with and F I think! Oh man those names are so hard. I’ve only washed it all one. I air dry it then put it on the couch when it’s barely damp and steam it out with a hand steamer if need be. Usually I just wash a specific cushion cover that has been spilled on.
Maybe if we were swedish the names would be easier! HAHA! thanks Kelly!
So pretty! You have a fabulous home! When you told us your age last week, I thought…this house! that young! (Then I remembered I was 33 when we built our house.) The blue and white is perfect for your lakehouse! One bit of advice…when your kids are saying, “Watch me, watch me!”…..watch them!!! There will be a time when they are gone and you can sip that margarita on your own spring break. My mom used to say if she had known how fast kids grew up, she would have sat and watched us. Now…I get it. Sharing ideas of how to save money when building is a great post idea.(Your taste in counter tops might change in a few years anyway and you won’t mind changing out the ones you haven’t spent so much on.) I also enjoy seeing what you have done with your parent’s Florida home. Thanks for sharing!
Oh I’m definitely watching them :) I’m already trying to squish my kindergarten little guy back down to baby size so I totally get that it’s going too fast!
Love it! I love the whole color scheme of your house. I think it’s fun how the books on the big bookcase bring in lots of colors. :)
Thanks Jenny, yes I love to bring in color with accessories and books!
Source for the round white table and chairs by chance?
Forget that, I found it on the basement post.
Ha thanks glad you found it!
i love the layered rug completes the look and I bet the view of the lake is amazing here. What a fun home to be in and continue to create in, many blessings coming your way!!!
Thanks Sandi! We do love hanging in this room, blessings to you as well :)
Cute room! What color and size are the frames for your black and white photos at the end of the hall?
Hi Lisa, they are 8×10 photos and I think 11 x 14 frames? They are actually just from Walmart :)
The room looks great! I just am curious, is your hardware black or rubbed oil bronze?
Hi Kim, it’s just straight up black :)
Where do you keep the microwave for your pop corn?
Hey Marsha we don’t really eat microwave popcorn we typically do those bags of skinny pop down here. Or we make it on the stove top upstairs if we are feeling fancy :)
I can’t think of a more perfect color combo for a lakeside room than blue and white and the wet bar area is a real bonus in that space. Great room!
Thanks Dori, it has been a super practical addition for us down here!