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COMPLETED HOME BAR · DESIGN DIRECTION BY LISA M. ALBAN, CLOUD 9 FENG SHUI

The Bar That Began as a Sketch

Home bar along one wall with walnut-tone base cabinets, a black granite countertop with white veining, a stainless beverage refrigerator, a blue-lit wine refrigerator and a lattice wine cubby, beneath two sets of lit pipe-and-wood shelves on either side of a painting of a figure in a cowboy hat.

The finished home bar, with Robin’s painting framed by illuminated shelving.

A charcoal accent wall once dominated the main living area. The opportunity was to give that wall a purpose: a home bar that brought storage, serving space and artwork together within the room.

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The starting point came from the homeowner Robin’s own sketch. My role was to translate that personal vision into a coordinated design, considering proportions, cabinetry details, materials and lighting together.

A large wall painted dark charcoal with white crown molding and baseboard and outlets near the floor.
Home bar along one wall with walnut-tone base cabinets, a black granite countertop with white veining, a stainless beverage refrigerator, a blue-lit wine refrigerator and a lattice wine cubby, beneath two sets of lit pipe-and-wood shelves on either side of a painting of a figure in a cowboy hat.

The original charcoal wall and the completed home bar.

Where it started

The sketch placed artwork at the center, with shelves on either side and refrigeration and wine storage below. It gave us a clear starting point for developing the relationship between the practical elements and the piece of art they would surround.

Pencil sketch of a bar wall with base cabinets, two refrigerators and a wine rack below, and open shelves on both sides of a central framed artwork, with handwritten notes.

Robin’s original concept sketch.

Three decisions that shaped the space

A continuous composition. The plan called for fillers, finished end panels, a continuous toe kick and aligned appliance tops to give the cabinetry a cohesive appearance. In the finished space, walnut-tone cabinets, two refrigerators and a lattice wine cubby form one run beneath a continuous stone countertop.

 

Room for the artwork. The shelving was planned to frame the central artwork, Robin’s own painting, and leave space around it, with a soft wash of light rather than spotlights. Today, warm light beneath the shelves falls across the textured wall, and the painting stays at the center of the composition.

 

Balance between the surfaces. Robin applied the shimmering microcement herself. Its softer appearance is a backdrop for the black granite and its sweeping white veining. The two surfaces contrast in texture without competing for attention.

A wall partly covered in a pale troweled microcement finish above remaining charcoal paint, with blue tape at the ceiling, a step ladder and drop cloths.

The microcement partway through application.

A full slab of black granite with sweeping white and gold veining standing upright in a stone warehouse.
Wood cabinets and a wine refrigerator topped by yellow templating strips.
Close view of a black granite countertop with white and gray veining below a softly shimmering microcement wall.

The selected granite slab.

Countertop templating in progress.

The installed countertop against the microcement wall.

Angled view of a long built-in bar with wood cabinets, two refrigerators and a black veined stone top, open shelves on a textured wall, a round mirror and a window.

The installed bar before styling.

From concept to completed
Design concept rendering of the home bar wall: walnut-tone base cabinets with two refrigerators and a lattice wine cubby, open pipe-and-wood shelves with soft lighting on either side, and a central painting of a figure in a cowboy hat.
Home bar along one wall with walnut-tone base cabinets, a black granite countertop with white veining, a stainless beverage refrigerator, a blue-lit wine refrigerator and a lattice wine cubby, beneath two sets of lit pipe-and-wood shelves on either side of a painting of a figure in a cowboy hat.

Design concept rendering. Final details evolved during implementation.

The completed home bar.

Project credits

Design direction: Lisa M. Alban, Cloud 9 Feng Shui Inc.

Original concept sketch and microcement application: Robin

Artwork: Robin Wilson Studios

Construction and installation: Home Project Pro

Stone fabrication and installation: The Granite Girl

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