This before & after is a little harder to see in terms of how we configured the space, but I’ll try to explain. Before, the bar was set up more like a wall/room divider in the addition space. On one side was the area we turned into the library, and on the other was their breakfast room, that we turned into our playroom. 

Image by Trevor Tondro for House Beautiful

We kept the bar in the same general space, but turned it so it was more of its own room facing a little hallway that connects the playroom to the library. You can access the bar from the library, which you can see in this shot from our House Beautiful story.

Trevor Tondro for House Beautiful

The space for the bar is a perfectly contained little jewel box, and we wanted it to sparkle. Curtis & Windham came up with the honeycomb shelving design based on some furniture pieces by Dorothy Draper- who was a big inspiration for the project as a whole- and we backed the shelves with mirror to reflect the light from the french doors facing it. We wanted the paneling to stand out since it was off of the newly paneled library, but once we got those elements of the design down it took me awhile to decide on the paint and wallpaper.

Overall, the house feels very vibrant and colorful and in particular the bar connects our crayola-bright yellow playroom, to our neutral library, and needed to provide a transition between the two spaces. I had saved this Sandberg wallpaper from another project that had a special meaning for me, and I loved how the beige grounding on the paper tied into the woodbines in the library. I pulled the peacock blue paint color we lacquered the paneling and cabinetry in from the paper, and chose a gorgeous onyx slab for the counter. 

Those who have followed along for awhile know I really get my kicks designing bars, and this one is by far the most functional AND prettiest in the portfolio.