summer bar

It's summer- time to party! During the summer, Nick and I tend to have more guests over, host more parties, and partake in happy hour a bit more often than the rest of the year. I decided to create a little home bar area so that we would be ready for an impromptu gathering during these warm months. The perfect place for our makeshift bar is the built-in shelves in our breakfast nook. The shelves have looked more or less like this for the last five months:

Yesterday, I cleared off the shelves and found new homes for all my tchotchkes and made room for our new summer bar. 

The first step was to pull out all the alcohol from the lower cabinet that we drink most frequently. I corralled the bottles on a wooden tray and added a pretty bowl of lemons. I also added our alcohol shaker and ice bucket to this shelf. (I'm on the lookout for a more interesting ice bucket, but this one works for now!)

On the bottom shelf, I used a low, square basket to hold glassware. I put a couple wine glasses, champagne flutes, pilsner glasses, and cocktail glasses. We have complete sets of glasses in the cabinet below the shelves, but this basket provides quick access to our most used barware.

Right next to the glassware, I added a pretty little wooden bowl to keep bar tools handy. 

After I added the essentials to our home bar, I stylized it a little with mirrors and greenery. The turquoise lantern on the lower shelf is a cheap find from last summer. I like how the touches of turquoise, green and white give the bar area a tropical feel, perfect for summer. 

Let the drinking begin!