7 Spaciously Space-saving Ideas For Small Bars
There’s always room for more. More customers, more sales, more drinks and more fun! Bars are very versatile, there are slow nights and then there are nights when you’re afraid to announce the last call because of how big the crowd is. New Year’s Eve, St. Patricks’ Day, and other game nights would automatically mean the floor would be busy.
When the latter situation happens, bar owners and their patriots would often wish there was more of one thing, space. You can easily hire more staff to balance the situation but you can’t just rent the adjacent store to sit your customers.
This means that you have no choice but to work with what you have. Nevertheless, limited space does not limit the possibilities.
Why Interior Design is Important for Small Space Business Establishments
The usual situation for entrepreneurs is that they have big dreams for small spaces. Interior designers, on the other hand, see big potentials in tiny spaces! That’s a perfect duo right there!
The biggest concern for business owners who do not have much space is that they’re afraid to put decorations and furniture since this will make the area look and feel smaller. Their priority is to make more customers fit inside. There’s actually no problem with that but being too stiff will result in a boring place no one wants to go to. Minimalist interior design doesn’t mean no design at all!
Especially for bar owners, the visuals, feel, and the overall atmosphere you give your customers are important. They can easily drink alcohol at home but they choose to go out because of those very reasons.
And so the interior design you do with your bar or any other establishment will more likely contribute to people going in instead of staying away from it. Plus, who says interior design is only about adding more decorations and unnecessary items in your bar? It’s totally the other way around!
Interior design is about choosing the right format, conceptualizing (with the goal you have in mind for your establishment), and picking up the perfect items to actually save space while not compromising functionality and visual appearance.
Space Saving Ideas That WIll Transform Your Bar
Everyone wants to drink and have fun, it's your responsibility to provide it to them (at least not for minors!). To get your bar to fit more patriots, look through these space saving tips and be sure to get those shot glasses ready.
Using Multipurpose Items
Multipurpose items are not only needed in the kitchen and by your bartenders. The floor could use some multifunctional items as well! We’re not talking about using disposable items a few more times (that calls for a lawsuit) but for looking for the perfect space saving furniture to help you when the crowd’s too big.
A good example would be a convertible/ expandable table you can adjust to your liking. How awesome would it be to turn a perfect four-seater table into a beer pong ready one? Or install wall mounted tables you can set up in three seconds? Modern interior design
If you’re creative enough, and with the help of awesome professional interior designers, you can create your own multifunctional furniture and fixtures you cannot find elsewhere.
Plan Your Walkways Carefully
One thing that you should take into consideration when coming up with your interior design is your walkway. Without planning it, chaos will come to your bar every night. Bars can be crowded but this does not mean that it would take people five minutes to return to their booth after getting their drinks. Plus, you do not want to cause a fight because of spilled alcohol!
Give Room to the Bar
The bar itself, the metal or wooden counter where customers line up to get their drink, is the holy grail of your bar. Give it its rightful place! You have more than a few tables with all the seats taken but only have one bar. Make sure to design your bar large enough so enough people can enjoy it.
Place Your Large Furniture and Fixtures on the Bar’s Perimeter
Imagine a crowded bar with its snooker pool in the middle. How would you think the players would feel when they swing their cue stick? What would the adjacent table feel when a billiard ball drops into their glass of beer?
Placing large items would give way for more seatings in the middle of the bar, which means the traffic is smoother, accidents are unlikely to take place and peace and order can be easier to maintain.
Maximize Vertical Space
Vertical space is not only meant for decors and paintings. You can use your walls as shelvings and use them to add character to your bar as well!
If you have a theme going on, then your walls are the perfect canvas to play around with. Maybe you have a card collection you’re proud of, pictures of your favorite customers, trivia posters, really anything you can stick into a wall.
You can even use your ceiling to improve the ambiance of your bar. A local artist you like will do magic for that.
Conceptualization is Key
Have you had those “I should have thought of that” moments? In business where money is involved in every step, you want to have everything done right in the first place. In setting up a place, you should have all the possible outcomes in mind.
And so if you have a limited space and aim to fit a number of people, conceptualizing the format of your bar and not just putting items here and there will save you space, time, and money.
Stay Away From Unnecessary Things
You have a 70 year-old fridge that is still working, but do you really have to bring it in your bar? Flowers are nice, but does it match the theme?
Unnecessary and bulky things will only take space so be careful and smart in choosing the items you use, and items that either highlight other aspects of the space, or are a statement piece of their own.