Raise a glass! The home bar is back . . .
Popular in the Fifties and still an acquired taste — these British icons are having a heady revival
HOTEL bars are made for lingering. Sit back, enjoy the view, watch the world go by, have another …
Ernest Hemingway was famously fond of the cosy bar at the Ritz in Paris. At the end of World War II, as a young war correspondent, he liberated the hotel from German soldiers, took control of the bar and, legend has it, downed 51 dry martinis in celebration.
‘When I dream of an afterlife in heaven,’ he once wrote, ‘ the action always takes place in the Paris Ritz.’
We can’t all afford that bar bill, but we can bring a little of the Ritz magic into our own sitting rooms.
What’s more the home bar — and the drinks trolley — are making a dramatic comeback. The drinks writer and broadcaster Henry Jeffreys has even devoted a whole book to the subject in The Home Bar, due for publication next month.
‘Home bars were once thought a bit naff but their revival goes hand in hand with the rediscovery of classic cocktails,’ says Jeffreys. ‘ We are revisiting the drinks of our parents and grandparents and for that you need the right equipment and somewhere to store it.’
And home bars have come a long way from the days of TV’s Only Fools and Horses.
‘ Relaxed luxury is my favourite interior style,’ says Lucy St George, co- founder of homeware brand Rockett St George.
‘Our sitting and living rooms are where we go to relax, but it’s also where you want to feel indulged. Choose rich deep colours, velvets, tassels, animal print, and match with dark woods, brass and warm soft lighting.’ The vintage style velvet cocktail chair in Loriano orange or burnt orange sofa with gold trimming would set the tone, provided it doesn’t clash with your walls, £995 and £1,700 respectively, rockettstgeorge.com. For a more forgiving palette look to Bethan Gray’s elegant collection with Anthropologie. Gray’s feathered occasional chairs have an Art Deco feel and come in pale pink, light grey and a rich teal, £798, anthropologie.com. MBDS, the designers behind the interiors at the new University Arms hotel in Cambridge, know all about creating atmosphere. In Parker’s Tavern, the restaurant and bar, you can perch on oversized green leather stools or gaze at Parker’s Piece common from low seats by the windows.
TH
E studio believes the secret to a successful scheme comes from ‘combining the finest materials like leather and mohair to create the perfect setting in which to enjoy a drink’. You don’t need a complete overhaul to achieve this look, simply focus on a corner.
Designer Rita Konig refers to ‘hedonistic little areas’ where you can rustle up a drink, while designer Anouska Tamony made the bookcase in her own home multi-task as a mini-bar.
‘We wanted to create a grown up space where we could unwind with a drink and a good book in the evening. The key for us was for it to resemble a sophisticated boutique hotel with an intimate feel. To add a little Asian flair I picked a black and gold lacquered tray and accessorised it with a tortoiseshell martini glass and a brass shaker.’
Tom Dixon’s curvy plum cocktail shaker would catch the light, £100, heals.com. And West Elm’s slender tiered bar console would sit neatly against a wall. It’s £349, westelm.co.uk.
But if you’d rather tidy away your favourite spirits, then choose a bar cabinet. Bethan Gray has a beautifully decorative one in the same collection for Anthropologie. It comes in mint and cream, £2,598.
John Lewis has the more masculine Puccini
cocktail cabinet, £ 1,999, johnlewis.com.
Interior designer Nina Campbell, who has long campaigned for drinks tables beside every chair and ample seating for party guests, has the Fitzgerald Drinks Cabinet in grey sycamore and with an inbuilt fridge. Price on request, shop.ninacampbell.com.
Was she inspired by the example of F. Scott Fitzgerald? He spent nearly as many hours at the Ritz bar as Hemingway and, naturally, had his favourite seat. Chin, chin.
■ The home Bar by henry Jeffreys, £25, published by Jacqui Small.