Q: I'm moving into a place that's perfect for my husband and I. Most of it is in great condition (hardwood floors, nicely painted walls), but there's this weird and very ugly "bar" room in the back that doesn't match at all with the rest of the place (or our style).
The plus side: it's a complete bonus in terms of space we need. We could shut the door that leads to it, never use it, and not miss the space. But it's a ton of square footage and has huge possibilities in terms of being a comfy lounge/bar area. We've signed a two year lease, and so I'm willing to put some work into this room, although not a ton of money since it's a rental.
The problems with the room are the huge mix of different materials: dark brown slatted wood, white painted concrete, linoleum tile that reminds me of a classroom, yellowish carpet on a ramp into the room, and horrendous plastic tiles covering the ceiling. The landlord seems pretty open to us painting things. But I don't even know where to start. We are big beer and football fans, so I think we would definitely use this for its intended "bar" purpose, but I want it to look a little more modern. The photos show the entrance to the room, which is a carpeted ramp leading out of our kitchen with the brown slats on either side. The second photo shows the view of the room from the bottom of the ramp. The third photo is more zoomed in of the bar (I forgot to mention — the bar has a built in aquarium, currently with paper mache fish in it.). Help! I need ideas!
Sent by Sarah
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Tiki lounge! Bamboo on the windows, tikis on the bar. That picks up all that dark wood without having to alter it, just wall color.
Find a piece of wall art you can name a new tiki drink after, i.e. "Home of Pineapple Punch" and go with the theme.
With a shelf full of games and cards and chips and a table with enough chairs for games with your family and friends.
In other words, don't spend a bunch of money, that wood is so overpowering that you might as well lie back and enjoy it, so to speak.
Everything that is paintable: paint it white. Put bamboo or cloth roman shades on all the windows, not just a few, if you need them for privacy/light control. Otherwise replace with simple white curtains -- sheer cotton or linen, or cotton duck. (Hello, Ikea or Target). Put down some area rugs that are not too far off the floor color. Recarpet the ramp if it is that horrible.
Furnish and decorate with the idea "beach house" in mind. When done, throw a party!
Forgot to say, those ceiling tiles and the grid they are in can be painted. If you go with the "all white" think about making the ceiling a color. Light aqua?
Totally go with the bar theme. Maybe you can make a guest room/lounge area with a sofa bed out if the back space or something. Just make sure your guests are over 21!
Hah! I love Therese Z's idea! Definitely, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. It even makes the aquarium work. Plus, it's kitchy fun.
What about: painting all the brown stuff in an anthracite/coal gray, the ceilings in white, putting benches with cushions all along the windowed walls, an LCD against the small wall facing the windows (for sports nights), removing the aquarium and filling that space with liquor bottles (is there light in the aquarium? that could add a nice effect to the display of bottles). If you have some remaining floor boards you could cover the ugly bottom of the bar, and maybe even make a new countertop?
Might be worth it to get the aquarium up and running-- it doesn't have to be expensive, just some gravel, plastic plants, a few gold fish and some fish food. You could also potentially use it as a display case, depending on the size and shape of the things you wanted to display.
DANCE PARTY. Obviously.
My gut was tiki bar/lounge, too. Run with the kitsch. Keep the wood dark and paint the walls a less contrasty color.
But what is that wall with the peg board in the second photo? Where does that face?
My first thought was tiki lounge as well! Since this is extra space where you don't need to spend time every day, why not make it a little more themey than you might want for the rest of the house? You could probably find some kitschy stuff to fit the theme at thrift stores, maybe rattan furniture on craigslist to fill the space without spending a ton of money. I would paint the walls and ceiling white but leave the wood. Also, some rugs on those floors would help a TON. Can you take the glass off the front of the aquarium and use it as a shelf for bottles?
What kind of modern? Vintage modern or minimalist modern or zen wabi sabi modern??
If you are looking for vintage modern leave the dark wood and paint out the walls to an off white (see Atomic Ranch for paint ideas) . If you like minimalist modern go with white and light grays on the walls and brick and basically every surface. You can even paint out counter tops and floors now with paint made for linoleum surfaces. And aquariums are actually quite in now so think of keeping.
You mention you are into beer. This space may make a great area for making your own brews.
I think you should definitely use the aquarium for its intended purpose, if you can handle the upkeep of feeding fish regularly, checking for illness, and cleaning the tank if it needs it. And I agree with everyone else - tiki bar! Or, if that's a little extreme for you, think "boardwalk by the beach" and serve beers in galvanized steel buckets and have a seafood bake!
Not sure if it's defeatist but I'd go for transforming it into office and storage space, making more room elsewhere in your home. If you don't "feel" the place from the off, are you really going to use it for pleasure. I agree on one big party to say goodbye to it just as it is and then turn it over to earning its living.
You could turn the aquarium into a terrarium if you're not over that trend already.
It looks like there is a lot of light in this room. If you have a green thumb (and no yard space), I would personally turn it into an in-home greenhouse! The bar could be where you do all of the potting.
I love this space. I like the brick and wood slats. I love the lounge idea. This place could be amazing!!!
First, I personally detest theme rooms, so you will never get me to say that a tiki room or a sports-theme is a good idea. If that is what you want, don't bother reading further.
I would replace the ceiling fan/light fixture in the brick section of the room with a gorgeous and really trick light fixture. I'm thinking a large George Nelson saucer lamp (that way you can take it with you or sell on craigslist when you move).
I would replace the carpet on the ramp with something really dramatic too - good quality charcoal gray? Fuschia? Depends on your taste, but make sure it works with the wood. You can probably pick up a carpet remnant and DIY such a small section.
The only wood I would consider painting is the grid over the bar. I would go bright and cheerful up there - Navajo Red (Benjamin Moore) is a classic orange-red that works well with wood, and would work with the golden linoleum. Another option would be a bright greenish yellow. Some matching brightly painted bar stools would bring it together.
A good carpet should go over the linoleum. If it was me I'd probably go with a plain jute. No color on the rug, they need to be neutral due to all the textures and angles going on with the walls. Get a larger one for the main area and a smaller one for the brick room.
Put a table and chairs in the brick room. I would set that up as a crafting space since it has good light, but it could double as a desk for work, or a game/card table when you entertain. Some comfortable seats and a TV in the bar section of the room.
The aquarium - I would put plants in it. That reminds me, that trailing plant by the ramp? Must move, it is making the space look more dated than it already is.
Weirdest space I have ever seen; the pictures boggle my mind. others said Tiki Lounge but hate that idea to be honest. Paint is cheap and I'd get rid of all the 70's brown in there. I'd say a bright white for everything and then choose a bright colour you love for the wall space under the bar (maybe even wallpaper??). Maybe you can buy one of those rustoleum kits to redo the countertop? Throw down rugs and if recarpeting the entrance isn't an option, get a long hallway rug for it. Use the colour for underneath the bar as an accent for pillows/art/rugs/etc. it can be a great football bar area without being tacky tiki bar.
Just commit to making it absolutely tacky. I mean horribly, deliciously tacky. Get a fake mermaid to put in the tank. Find some hideous football kitsch at a small town craft sale. Get a disco ball. Do it.
Almost forgot: MULTICOLORED CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.
Turn it into a sports bar. Big screen TV and I agree go overboard with the cheese factor. You could go tiki bar like other suggestions above, or you could go with German beer garden complete with oompahpah music. And if you and your friends don't drink alcohol then turn it into a juice bar.
Art studio with a slop sink.
For the floor - we're considering Trafficmaster Allure for our attic master bedroom. It's a floating floor that's supposed to look and sound more like hardwood than laminate floors do, and runs under $2/sf. Plus since the tiles stick to each other and not the underlay you can pull it up when you leave.
If this was my house, I would embrace the kitch and go for a 70's lounge feel. Furnish and decorate with stuff you find on CL and in thrift shops. Add a few modern touches to make it feel fresh. Then throw a key party!
Well... maybe not that last one.
The empty corner with all the windows reminds me of a room in my old 2nd-floor apartment; the previous tenant used to REPAIR MOTORCYCLES in there! I have no idea how he got them up the stairs. HA!
If it were my home, I'd wait and see what the rest of the home was lacking (storage? a flat surface to work on projects? place to grow plants?) before doing anything. If you've got a good space for gathering already, then it may not make sense to have a second one.
I would go with a clean white on everything and introduce some color and pattern through carpet tiles, furniture and art that you can take with you when you leave. I think the best design happens when you identify the feeling you want when you spend time in the room and use that as a guide. Do you want to feel relaxed with a cup of tea or relaxed with a martini? Should it feel like football and sweater weather? Choose a mood and color story and find items that evoke those feelings.
it's like a retro lounge...I would keep that theme.
- get old school bar stools
- some mid century chairs and a low round table (i can picture having drinks and playing board games which would eventually lead to a dance party)
- dim the lights and have black out shades
- display something interesting in the fish tank (collection of beer bottles, bottles of wine, wine corks?)
- get rid of all the tacky decorations (fake plants)
- beer pong table in the back? haha
- i don't like the idea of being cheesy - i think if you did a MCM look it would look like it fit
- if you redid the floors, maybe just those sticky tiles?although i think w dim lights you wouldn't even notice the floors.
i actually think its a great space! Would love to see the after pics.
I don't know. I think I fall in the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" camp here. Dated or not, I would never tackle painting all those wood slats and that thing on the ceiling. It will take forever and isn't worth the effort in a rental.
I think you should just embrace it. Fill it with sports and beer memorabilia and make it look like a bar. It looks like it's completely separate from the rest of the house, so I think you could get a little crazy in there with the decor. I have no color recommendations, but I think you could pick just about any color you love. I'd go darker, because it will lessen the contrast with the wood and give it a cozy, bar feel.
Just have fun with it. By the time you're done decorating, I bet you won't even notice the flaws. It could end up being the coolest room in the house.
If you do decide to paint anything other than the walls, double check first with your landlord, and get it in writing. When you say paint, he might be thinking only of surfaces that can be returned to their original state when your lease is up.
embrace the kitch. tiki bars are making a comeback in nyc, or you could go parrothead. just do it so that everyone knows that you know it is in fun. the floor already is sand-coloured. skip the neon beer signs & go w/ low-slung mcm furniture, smaller so it is movable for game night v. football night v. dick clark night, and wear hawai'ian shirts.
Totaly agree with kbees. That way you will harmonize the place and spend money on stuff you will use in your next house.
You can additionally add light to the fish tank to emphasize more its context, add a big midcentury poster (on the right wall in the first picture) and hang some handblown glass balls from the grids.