bar cabinets - a toast to our favorites

Bar Cabinets – A Toast To Our Favorites

Bar cabinets are a big trend in 2022 – people are spending more time at home than ever before, and adults are longing for a space where they can entertain small groups of friends. If you don’t have the space for a dry bar, wet bar, or basement bar, then a bar cabinet is your best option!  These bar cabinets do a much better job of hiding the wine and alcohol than a standard bar cart, and many of the big furniture brands have created stylish and functional bar cabinets for us adults to swoon over.

 

In our home, The Arched Manor, we created a dry bar in a space between our kitchen and dining room. Had we not had that space, a bar cabinet would be at the top of our list for wine storage and cocktail making supplies. These wine chests often have storage space for wine bottles, glasses, decanters, and other wine-related supplies.  A natural place for a bar cabinet would be in a living room, home office, basement, or even in a dining room. We’ve rounded up our five favorite bar cabinets and present them to you below. Cheers! 

Things to Consider When Shopping

Size & Scale

Some cabinets are full height while others are table height. Determine what size fits your space best!

Layout

Some bar cabinets have glass doors that allow you to see the contents inside, while others are hidden behind doors. How many bottles do you need to store?

Storage

Do you need specific storage for wine bottles, cocktail glasses, drawer storage options, etc?

Lead Time

How quickly do you need your bar cabinet? Many can be delivered in a week while others may take 5+ months!

Returnable

Being able to return the item if you don't like it is a huge benefit, but usually not an option for custom made units.

We love the clean lines and size of The Everest Bar Cabinet. The doors and legs are made with dark metal, which contrasts nicely with the lighter shade of wood used on the three drawers and shelves.  The reviews are great (4.7/5 at the time of this blog) and they indicate that this piece is solid and very heavy.  Thankfully, no assembly is required for this bar cabinet, and the three drawers below with storage up top give amble space for all your alcohol-related trinkets. 

Since this is offered on Wayfair, there is a 30-day return policy, and shipping is free of charge. While this bar cabinet would be stunning in any home, it would be a perfect addition to any house that is light-and-bright and/or coastal.

We love the functionality of The Sutter Bar Cabinet – the sides fully open and the top folds outwards to create an open bar setup!  The wood is finished with a distressed look and the hardware is antique iron.  strips of solid fir wood create a modern, yet relaxed design.  Don’t let it’s smaller size fool you – this bar cabinet features a drawer, a wine rack, bottle storage on the doors, and storage for glasses and cocktail glasses.  

The bottom left has space for 12 wine bottles, and the bottom left storage area is tall enough to store bottles upright.  The doors also contain storage – this unit is perfect for hosting parties!   

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The detail on the outside of The Rafael Bar Cabinet is unbelievably beautiful. A carved honeycomb pattern on rich mango wood, the cabinet could be mistaken for a sculpture! But opening the doors proves that this is indeed a bar cabinet, and the shelves and racks will store a substantial amount of wine bottles, glasses, cocktail supplies, and alcohol.

The bottom is made of gunmetal iron, and the wood is available in two different stains – black and an antique brown. We love both finishes, and the uniqueness of this piece will spark conversation in a heartbeat.

What we love about The Picard Bar Cabinet is that it has four beautifully fluted front doors that open independently a full 180° for easy serving. Deep storage galleries inside the doors hold extra large bottles and mixers. Mirrored upper cabinet lights automatically when you open the doors. Eight racks hold a party’s worth of stemware with two drawers (one with adjustable compartments) beneath for serving supplies. Four pullout wine shelves store 16 bottles. Other features include:

  • Crafted of hardwood & fine veneers
  • Rich black Anthracite finish
  • Antique brass hardware
  • Smoothly operating piano door hinges
  • Easy Touch Light allows you to adjust your light to 3 levels
  • Upper cabinet has one adjustable clear glass shelf
  • Lower cabinet includes storage cubby & one adjustable shelf
  • Full extension metal glides
  • Molded crown & bracket feet
  • Fully assembled

We can’t take our eyes off The Ludlow Bar Cabinet – it brings us back to a time when trunks were thrown into the back of carriages or on the back of steam-powered locomotives. Owning this unique bar cabinet is like having a piece of history in your home. If you buy this piece, make up a cool backstory about how this trunk was passed down from your great-great-great-great grandfather. 

But besides looking cool, this bar cabinet is also very functional. Wine cubbies are in the bottom right, which sit next to a storage drawer.  The wine rack holds 12 stemware glasses, and the doors have shelves for additional bottle storage.  One thing we also like is that this vintage bar cabinet features key locks on both doors, so you can lock this up to prevent kids or pesky teenagers from getting inside.

The construction of this bar cabinet is remarkable – kiln dry gmelina wood throughout, English dovetailed drawers, and forged aluminum sheet metal on the outer edging. Adjustable levelers are also included on this one to ensure stability. All these features make this our top pick for a bar cabinet and if we did not have a dry bar, we would buy this immediately!

Side-by-Side Comparison

Seeing the bar cabinets side-by-side really helps to compare them, see what options are available, and what will fit your requirements the best. 

#1 Ludlow Bar Cabinet

Pottery Barn

$ 1799
00
  • 1 Color
  • 45" W X 23'" D X 37" H
  • Delivery: 28 Weeks
  • Cost: $$$$
  • No. of Drawers: 1
  • Levelers on Feet: Yes
  • Lockable: Yes
  • Returnable: Yes
  • Customer Reviews: No
Our Top Pick

#2 Picard Bar Cabinet

Ballard

$ 4229
10
 
  • 1 Color
  • 43" W X 26" D X 77" H
  • Delivery: 1 Weeks
  • Cost: $$$$$
  • No. of Drawers: 6
  • Levelers on Feet: Yes
  • Lockable: No
  • Returnable: Yes
  • Customer Reviews: Yes, 13, avg 3.5/5
Runner Up

#3 Rafael Bar Cabinet

Arched Manor

$ 1499
00
to 1914.84
  • 2 Color Options
  • 39" W X 20" D X 43" H
  • Delivery: 7 Weeks
  • Cost: $$
  • No. of Drawers: 0
  • Levelers on Feet: No
  • Lockable: No
  • Returnable: Yes
  • Customer Reviews: Yes, 26 avg. 4.9/5

#4 Sutter Bar Cabinet

Arhaus

$ 2099
00
 
  • 1 Color
  • 36" W X 22" D X 42" H
  • Delivery: 9 Weeks
  • Cost: $$$
  • No. of Drawers: 1
  • Levelers on Feet: No
  • Lockable: No
  • Returnable: Yes
  • Customer Reviews: No

#5 Everest Bar Cabinet

Wayfair

$ 2199
99
 
  • 1 Color
  • 54" W X 18'" D X 67" H
  • Delivery: 1 Week
  • Cost: $$$
  • No. of Drawers: 3
  • Levelers on Feet: No
  • Lockable: No
  • Returnable: Yes
  • Customer Reviews: Yes, 30, avg 4.7/5

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Let's Get Personal

Our Dry Bar

We designed and built our dry bar in a small space next to the dining room. Wine is our go-to, but we do enjoy a good cocktail once in a while!

See how we built it

It took us longer than we wanted, but we finished it! See how in this blog revealing the final product and how we built it!
About The Authors

About The Authors

John and Megan are the founders of Arched Manor, which is a passion-project turned business featuring home design, renovations, DIY tutorials, décor, e-Design, and 3-D rendering services. This married couple lives in Leesburg, Virginia, and is currently renovating The Arched Manor, a brick colonial house built in 2000.

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