Before and After: An Underutilized, Underwhelming Hallway Gets a New Life as a Luxe Home Bar

Whether you have ample outdoor space at your home or not, it’s always nice to bring a bit of the outdoors in. That can be done by decorating with plants, incorporating wood textures, displaying framed nature photography, or even installing wallpapers with sweeping scenery.

Designer Rushika Patel of Holos Design has a newly-created home bar setup that employs those nature-inspired elements: “Untamed greenery, lush banks of the gushing river, chirping birds with colored plume and beak, ethereal butterflies fluttering away dreamily, such is the beauty discovered in the depths of a magnificent rainforest that inspired the design of this home bar,” Rushika says. “I tried to create a multi-sensory experience that takes inspiration from the deep dark rainforest and applies it to the design of the bar space.”

Before, her bar space was coming up blank (literally). “It is a tall space with a skylight above that acts as a transition space and was previously used for a piano,” she says. It was mostly empty, save for the 1990s-era lotus sconces, and it had light pink walls that Rushika didn’t jibe with — but she knew the room had good potential.

The room’s tall ceilings created a big, beautiful canvas on one wall for a “a beautiful tropical landscape wallpaper,” she says. The wallpaper is from Burke Decor and is based on the British artist Deirdre Hyde’s landscape work from 1953, Rushika adds.

Rushika and her husband installed the wallpaper, which comes in panels, themselves, and they also replaced the lotus light fixtures (which might make a cool find for a vintage collector someday) with something more their style: brown liquid glass sconces.

Rushika says she likes how the amber-colored glass sconces makes the room feel moody and dramatic when the lights are turned on, and their shapes almost look like flowers in part of the landscape. Centered beneath the lights, Rushika added a mesh credenza with a shiny gold finish (a CB2 find) that echoes their coloring. The sort-of see-through nature of the doors lets her collection of pretty glassware and bottles shine, too, without feeling like they’re completely on display.

With a few final touches on top — live greenery, plus trays for barware — the entire assembly feels like a work of art. If you’re looking to make a big impact in your own home in just a few steps, Rushika’s bold wallpaper plus unique lighting plus a statement furniture piece is a winning formula to try. See some of AT’s other favorite redos that double drama levels here.

Inspired? Submit your own project here.