Entertaining friends and family at home is one of life’s great pleasures. However, some people may not entertain at home because they don’t have a space that lends itself to socializing, and limited space for remodeling or modification. We say: Don’t worry! Where there’s an open space, Custom Home Elements will find a way to create a great design and final product.

Just look at this recent custom built-in wet bar we designed and installed for a Fairfax, Virginia client. The wet bar had to fit into a small space on the fourth level of the townhouse, which is dedicated to fun and entertainment and includes a home theater, fireplace and rooftop deck. Our first order of business was creating the infrastructure for installing cabinetry and plumbing while creating an appearance of separation for the bar area from the entry to the rooftop deck and the stairwell leading to the third level.

The resulting space was large enough to allow a nice run of cabinets, sink and bar refrigeration, with one major caveat: The depth of the space was less than the 24 inches that is standard for those components. A bit of research by our design team found solutions to meet the 22-inch maximum depth for the wet bar area. Here’s what we used in the build:

• Cabinetry by Diamond: 21”-deep base cabinets in high gloss white. The style is Wixom, a minimalist design that fits the contemporary feel the client was seeking for the wet bar space. We used a 21”-wide cabinet for the sink base; the other cabinet and drawer units are 15”-wide cabinets.
• Carrara white marble for the countertop, backsplash and bar top that keeps the sleek, modern look and adds visual interest.
• Elkay Dayton collection undermount bar sink in stainless steel. Perfectly sized for the 21”-wide sink base cabinet, it also is eight inches deep, which minimizes countertop splashing.
• Kraus brand Modern Mateo single-lever kitchen bar faucet in stainless steel. Kraus designs and manufactures plumbing fixtures in the USA that have the quality and feel of fine European brands. We’ve been using more and more of their products in our kitchen and bath remodels.
• The most difficult item to source for the remodel was the wine refrigerator. But we persisted and found the only sub-21”-deep wine refrigerator available, from Summit Appliances. Made to commercial standards, the model SCR312LBICSSWC2 wine refrigerator holds up to 22 Bordeaux-style bottles or up to 18 larger Burgundy-style bottles plus three Bordeaux-style bottles. The fridge measures approximately 26¼” high by 20¼” deep by 17¾” wide.

We’ve recently spoken with the clients, who love the added element to their entertaining space and the convenience of the wet bar addition!