Bar carts have been around for a while, but if you want to get serious about style and storage, bar cabinets are the way to go. Unlike a bar chart, a bar cabinet allows you to store bottles of wine and liquor (as well as glassware and bar tools!) behind closed doors, so they’re not always on display—and with so many statement bar cabinets to choose from, you can hide your home bar necessities in a piece that stands out on its own.
Tall bar cabinets make the most of vertical space, while low-profile options double as a place to learn the art and show knickknacks. They aren’t on wheels like bar carts, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful! What’s the best part? Every time you make a new cocktail, you’ll feel like a Mad Men character. Your budding bartending hobby has just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
Cabinet for Mariya Bar
Table of Contents
- Cabinet for Mariya Bar
- Drinks Cart for All Hours of the Day and Night
- Crate & Barrel is a furniture retailer based in the United States. Cabinet for West Cane Bar
- Delphine Bar by Jonathan Adler
- V Bar Article
- Magus Designs’ Etsy Home Mini Bar Cabinet
- Mid-Century Bar Cabinet from West Elm
- Biaggi Bar Cabinet by Ballard Designs
- Leonie Luxe Bar Cabinet by Anthropologie
- Munich Bar Cabinet by Williston Forge
- Buyer’s Guide
This budget-friendly option is available in five colours, including the soft Kale green shown here. It has a hanging stemware rack, a drawer for bar equipment, and an X-shaped shelf that can hold up to a dozen bottles of wine on the inside.
Drinks Cart for All Hours of the Day and Night
With this dual-purpose cart, you can keep the drinks — caffeinated or not — flowing from morning tonight. It’s large enough to hold all the ingredients and accessories for morning brews and nightcaps.
Crate & Barrel is a furniture retailer based in the United States. Cabinet for West Cane Bar
The West Charcoal Cane Cabinet, designed by HGTV star Leanne Ford for Crate & Barrel, is more eclectic than it appears: the round silhouette recalls the form of classic circular Chinese shelving while the woven cane has a mid-century modern flair. The cabinet’s charcoal colour complements Eastern-style black lacquer furniture, while its natural colour would be at home in a Bohemian-style environment. When you open the drum’s doors, you’ll see two fixed shelves for liquor bottles and wine bottle storage. A bonus shelf is included with the frame, which is ideal for vases or faux greenery.
Delphine Bar by Jonathan Adler
It’s all about glitz and glitter for Jonathan Adler. The antiqued mirror finish and brass details on the standing bar add a touch of glitz and glam to any room, while the interior is painted an unexpected robin’s egg blue.
Though the bar is an investment item, it has plenty of storage, making it as functional as it is beautiful. There are four adjustable glass shelves, six drinking glass shelves, and two drawers on the inside, along with brass pulls. When you open it, the interior is also finished with a mirror, making it appear even more spacious and full.
V Bar Article
Although the horizontal profile of this mid-century-style cabinet resembles that of a sideboard, it is unmistakably intended for the storage of alcoholic beverages. Take, for example, open wine storage. (Don’t worry if you don’t drink wine; the storage is removable.) There is an enclosed cabinet with two adjustable shelves behind the two sliding doors that could be removed entirely if desired. The V Bar can also be used for non-bar purposes, as it has two cable holes in the back and can be used as a media console.
Magus Designs’ Etsy Home Mini Bar Cabinet
When it comes to bar cabinets, bigger doesn’t always mean better. While larger cabinets can hold more bottles, we value quality over quantity. Enter Magus Designs’ Home Mini Bar Cabinet. This high-quality cabinet has a lot of hiding places, like a tiny treasure chest of liquid wonders. On top, there’s a prep chest, a drawer for miscellaneous bar knickknacks, and the main cabinet with a glassware shelf and a shelf beneath it that can fit standard-size liquor bottles. For added storage, there’s even an extra set of shelves built into the doors. If you don’t like the black crocodile design, the cabinet’s leather exterior and suede can be modified. Choose from a variety of colours to complement your living space.
Mid-Century Bar Cabinet from West Elm
Some claim the mid-century furniture trend is over, but based on this list, we believe it is still going strong. The minimalist furniture of the period has a timeless quality to it that works well with modern decor, and West Elm’s Mid-Century Bar Cabinet is no exception. This Acacia veneered square cabinet is made of kiln-dried eucalyptus. There are stemware holders in the ceiling panel, as well as four shelves on the interiors of the doors, so storage isn’t confined to the two shelves and wine rack. It’s a tiny cabinet, but it holds a lot more than you’d think.
Biaggi Bar Cabinet by Ballard Designs
Ballard Designs’ grey-lacquer secretary desk is a nod to old-school secretary desks. When the hinged drop-front door on the Biaggi Bar Cabinet is opened, it doubles as a work surface for mixing drinks or pouring spirits. Behind the door is a mirrored interior with stemware shelves, as well as enough space for bottles, cups, and even cocktail books. It can also be locked for added protection, giving you peace of mind that your liquor is secure.
Below the main cabinet is a second cabinet with an adjustable shelf and an open-air wine rack that can accommodate eight bottles. Overall, everything has its place within the Biaggi Bar Cabinet.
Leonie Luxe Bar Cabinet by Anthropologie
If you live in a small apartment or a small room, you’ve already persuaded yourself that you don’t have enough space for a stylish bar cabinet. The Leonie Luxe Bar Cabinet comes to the rescue. Despite the fact that this piece is smaller than traditional bar cabinets, it will add a soft but luxurious aspect to your home. Its curved cylinder shape, mirrored top, and gold highlights help elevate the piece’s design, while the warm neutral cream color makes it simple to blend with any style.
Inside, there’s a cabinet for all of your bar supplies, as well as two wide open-spaced shelves for holding everything from your favorite bottle of red to your special occasion champagne glasses. This cute but polished piece will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to your home.
Munich Bar Cabinet by Williston Forge
Williston Forge’s Munich Bar Cabinet is a great choice if you want a piece with a touch of the industrial theme. A fabricated wood bar sits atop a metal cabinet frame with mesh doors and walls in this cabinet. Consider an uber-chic storage locker where booze replaces miscellaneous appliances. Two stemware racks hold three glasses each on one side of the cabinet’s interior, with an open space underneath for taller bottles and other objects. A single fixed shelf on the opposite side of the unit is ideal for stemless glasses or smaller bottles. The entire cabinet is on casters, making it mobile in the same way as a bar cart is, but it is a much larger piece of furniture.
Buyer’s Guide
Although there isn’t much of a difference between traditional drip coffee makers, when it comes to the coffee machine, there is a wide variety of choices and quality.
Type of Coffee Machine – If you’re a traditionalist, you’ll probably want to go with something like the Bunn BT, which will simply brew an excellent cup of coffee time after time without a lot of bells and whistles. Consider a multi-function coffee machine if you want to give your guests a range of coffee-based beverages.
Although there are many coffee machines on the market that can produce vast quantities of excellent coffee, you may be the only coffee drinker in the building, making a large coffee machine impractical. If that’s the case, a single-brew coffee machine like the Keurig K55 is a good option.
Brew Speed – One of the major disadvantages of many coffee machines, drip or otherwise, is the length of time it takes for the brew cycle to complete. This isn’t a problem if you’re the sort who’s never in a rush. If you have better things to do than wait 20 minutes for your morning coffee, get a coffee machine with a programmable timer so you can brew while you’re in the shower, or get a coffee machine like the Moccamaster profiled above that will deliver excellent brew at lightning speed.
For many of us, the daily grind can’t begin until we’ve had our first cup of steaming coffee, so choosing the right brewer is crucial. A coffee maker with interactive screens and the kind of stainless steel detailing seen on pro-style ranges will cost $200 or more. But, according to our most recent tests, a reliably good cup can be had for half that price.
You can, however, require more features than a simple on/off switch. Programmability, a thermal carafe to keep coffee hot longer, settings to change brew strength, and other parts are available for a little more money.
What’s Your Favorite Way to Drink Coffee?
Is it hot or cold?
During the summer months, some people prefer iced coffee or cold brew too-hot coffee. Brew over ice and cold-brew modes are available on some drip and pod versions. If you want a more concentrated mixture, you may want to try a cold-brew coffee maker.
How many cups are there?
Choose a one- or two-cup drip model or a single-serve machine if one cup is all you need to get your day started. Do you need any additional information? Choose a self-serve reservoir or a larger automated drip pump with a carafe. The majority of large models brew 10 to 12 cups, but a “cup” is usually just 5 to 6 ounces, not 8.
How Much Do You Need a Fix?
Consider buying a model with an insulated mug or carafe if you plan on drinking coffee during the day. For hours, these keep coffee hot and fresh-tasting. However, thermal carafes are not without flaws. They dribble a lot and can be challenging to control, according to our testers.
Do you have trouble seeing straight in the morning?
Filling the coffee machine and turning it on in the morning can be too much for certain people. If that’s the case, look for a device that can be programmed to brew every morning. (You set it up the night before.) An automatic shutoff feature is also helpful for forgetful people who rush out of the house in the morning.
Considerations about Size and Height
When choosing a model, keep counter space in mind. While all of the devices in Consumer Reports’ tests work underneath upper cabinets, you’ll still have to take out the majority of them when it’s time to fill the reservoir.
How Do We Evaluate Coffee Makers?
We calculate the brew temperature and contact time (how long water stays inside the sweet spot of 195° F to 205° F for brewing) for drip coffee makers in a brew-performance test.
“We also monitor the concentration of the brewed coffee to ensure it isn’t too weak or too strong,” says Ginny Lui, CR’s coffee maker test engineer. Our engineers test the temperature and size quality of individual cups of coffee in single-serve pod coffee makers, as well as the brewing speed. After that, our professional coffee taster weighs in.
Our engineers evaluate the ease of cleaning cold-brew coffee makers, and our professional taste-tester considers the flavor of each brew. All three types of coffee makers are put through a convenience test to see how simple it is to set timers, fill reservoirs, and use the machine in general.
The Overall Score for the drip and pod models also includes brand-level data from our annual survey of CR members on expected reliability and owner satisfaction. All of this can be found in our coffee maker reviews, which cover over 150 styles.
Shopping Advice
It’s time to start shopping for the kind of coffee maker and features you want. But don’t rush out to the supermarket or start browsing the internet for bargains just yet. There are hundreds of coffee makers on the market, making it difficult to sort through all models.
A better approach is to start by looking at manufacturer websites, such as those for Cuisinart and Mr. Coffee, to see if any specific models suit your needs. If you’re unsure which brands to consider, check out our guide to the most and least reliable coffee maker brands, which uses data from thousands of CR members to show you the brands that last and are well-liked. Another alternative is to use our in-depth coffee maker reviews of over 150 models to narrow down your options to the models that have the best efficiency and reliability.
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