10 Best Kitchen Bar Countertop Ideas To Spruce Up Your Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the most interesting and important rooms that you can renovate in your home. There are so many incredible ways that you can get creative with your design and bring together style with functionality.
Something that many people look to add to their kitchen is a bar.
Some people dream of installing a bar-type countertop in their kitchen but are concerned that they either don’t have the space or that they might not make it look as good as it could do.
In this article, we will look at 10 of the best kitchen bar countertop ideas to help you see that any kitchen, big or small, can have a stunning bar installed.
10 Best Kitchen Bar Countertops
We have picked out 10 of our favorite bar countertop designs to help get your creative juices flowing. There is something for every type of kitchen on this list.
1. Reclaimed Floorboard Bar Countertop
If you are trying to give your kitchen a cozy, homely feel, you might want to avoid covering every surface with smooth granite with clean, crisp lines. Reclaimed floorboards can be an easy and cost-effective way to bring a little rustic vibe to your kitchen.
One of the best things about using reclaimed floorboards is that you can pretty much make this countertop yourself.
Simply source some floorboards from a building site, or your own home if your renovations are big enough. Sand off any rough edges and give them a few coats of varnish.
2. Simple White Granite Bar Countertop
If you want to create a more sophisticated, clean bar countertop in your kitchen, a simple white granite countertop could be just what you need.
The best thing about using white granite is that it doesn’t really matter what the rest of your kitchen looks like.
Because of the color and the classic appearance of white granite, it is a timeless countertop choice that will never go out of style.
You can have almost any color on your walls, cabinets, or floor and the countertop will still fit right in.
3. Black Concrete Bar Countertop
For those of you who want to make a bit more of a statement with your bar countertop, black, poured concrete is a solid idea.
Using this material for your countertop will give your bar seating area a more industrial look. This can work really well in modern kitchens.
Having a concrete countertop is going to make your bar incredibly hard-wearing and it will last for a long time. You may want to invest in some placemats and coasters to reduce the noise when you put crockery on the surface.
4. Finished Wood Bar Countertop
If you want to give your kitchen bar a sophisticated but welcoming feel, a finished wood countertop is a good idea.
There are so many different types of wood that you can choose from for this countertop, and each shade of wood will bring a different warmth to your bar.
Using finished wood rather than reclaimed or vintage gives a sleek and modern look to the countertop.
The varnished top protects the wood from daily wear and tear and the smooth, crisp edges give a neat and professional appearance to the counter.
5. Raised Black Granite Bar Countertop
If you are decorating your kitchen with a lot of white on the walls and the cabinets, it can be a good idea to introduce some contrast to break up the bright color. Using black granite for your countertop can help you do this.
Raising the bar countertop above the regular kitchen countertop can also help to separate the sitting and eating area from the food preparation area.
Not only does this help assuage contamination concerns, but it also helps to break up the space in a smaller kitchen.
6. Solid Concrete Bar Countertop Unit
We mentioned solid concrete bar countertops above, but this is a whole other way to create a similar look. The idea above simply involved making a countertop out of poured concrete. However, with this one, an entire unit is made from poured concrete.
This is a great way to add a bar countertop to your kitchen while also adding some additional storage.
Best of all, this can be installed in a non-invasive way as it is created off-site and then delivered to your home to be placed in your kitchen.
7. Contrast Wood Bar Countertop
If you are lucky enough to have a kitchen that features plenty of exposed natural materials such as stone, adding a contrast wood bar countertop can really highlight this feature.
Using a wood countertop on exposed stone can really draw the eye to the area and make it the center of your kitchen.
This is a really simple way to change where your eye is drawn when you enter the kitchen. It can also be a great way to make the most of the space that is available to you in a limited area such as the kitchen.
8. Continuous Kitchen Bar Countertop
If you are tight on space and only have room for a small bar seating area in your kitchen, the easiest way to create this is to have a continuation of your current kitchen countertop.
While it is nice to have a countertop in your bar area that contrasts with the rest of your countertops, it doesn’t always work in a small kitchen.
If you choose a contrast or statement countertop, you will have to have such a small piece that it is likely to look silly rather than stylish. Simply continuing with your countertop material helps it to blend into the smaller space.
9. Reclaimed Wood Bar Countertop
If you have a larger bar seating area in your kitchen, having a statement countertop can be a great way to make it the focal point of your kitchen.
There are so many options for creating a statement bar countertop but one that looks good in almost any kitchen is reclaimed wood.
This is different from the reclaimed floorboards we looked at above because the wood for this countertop is made from a larger piece of wood.
The wood will be finished to highlight the natural grain and the edges will be left as natural as possible to provide some movement to your kitchen.
10. Vintage Wood Bar Countertop
This is another great option for kitchens that don’t have a lot of space but feature a more open-plan design. Using vintage wood to add a bar seating area to your half-walled kitchen is the perfect way to add character and seating without overwhelming the space.
Vintage wood is often darker in color than more modern wooden countertops. This can create a brilliant contrast between lighter kitchen areas.
Supporting the vintage wood with some intricate framework adds to the charm and the character of this bar countertop idea.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A Bar Countertop?
A bar countertop is essentially a small area of countertop that is added to a kitchen to provide additional seating for your family.
A bar countertop is often elevated above the height of the countertops in the kitchen so that bar stool-type seating can be used, although this isn’t necessary.
A bar countertop can be made from the same materials as the rest of the countertops in your kitchen, or you can give it a completely different countertop to help distinguish it as a different area from the food preparation area.
Why Do I Need A Bar Countertop?
Technically, nobody needs a bar countertop. However, they can be incredibly useful in smaller living spaces where there isn’t enough space to have a full dining area.
Installing a bar countertop in your kitchen space provides your family with somewhere that they can sit to eat their meals or do homework without having to find space for a full table.
This is a particularly common design choice in small areas such as apartments where space can be extremely limited.
Large homes and large kitchens can also have bar countertops to provide a convenient and more informal area to eat breakfast or have a snack.
It can also be a great place to spend time with friends and family when they come over, especially if you are having a dinner party and don’t want to be shut away from your guests when cooking in the kitchen.
Final Thoughts
There are almost endless ways in which you can design your kitchen bar countertop. Whether you want it to be raised up or flush with your other counters.
Whether you want it to blend in with the rest of your kitchen or stand out as a feature of your home. There are plenty of designs that you can choose from using this list as inspiration.