Decorating & Design
The Best Backyard Bars For An Alfresco Cocktail Hour
Updated on April 22, 2022
If your social circles have shrunk in the past year, you don’t need to miss out on all the fun of an alfresco cocktail session. Searches for “garden bars” have skyrocketed by 122 per cent over the last 12 months, and we’re not surprised, as homeowners make the most of their yards as a social refuge. Over the years, we’ve seen some inspiring backyard bars that don’t require a license and pack plenty of patio ambience. Scroll down if you want a watering hole that’s super close to home and full of your favorite people!
In the backyard of landscape designer Meredyth Hilton, this streamlined bar area is a cool spot to wet your whistle after a day of planting.
Magela Bruno and Marcelo Palacios created a kitchen window on their back deck in Toronto. Magela’s playful spin on the takeout window features a rustic DIY bar, fashioned out of a simple plank of wood and inexpensive brackets, and fun stools made out of beer kegs topped with custom cushions.
This dreamy garden has all of the essentials for alfresco entertaining with a spacious pool, firepit and bar. After a dip, swimmers can quench their thirst with a summer-y cocktail at the bar (set in a shipping container), which is almost like being at a private hotel.
A trio of poolside stools are pulled up to a rustic bar in Tanya Linton’s resort-style cottage backyard. “The kids want to be in the pool at 9 a.m., so I’m usually having my coffee out here,” she says.
On California designer Emily Henderson’s patio, an antique French table is the perfect finishing touch to set up an impromptu bar and serving station.
In this Guelph, Ontario, home, designer Sarah Keenleyside of HGTV’s Backyard Builds created a bar area that’s not just for grown-ups by adding a swing to the pergola.
A waterside bar (which doubles as storage) and classic striped changing tent make a chic poolside addition.
A former garage was turned into a dramatic backyard lounge. The dark paint and tropical capiz shell chandelier add to the moody atmosphere for a private, clubby retreat that feels miles away from the busy city streets.
A circular bar in this California home has a dreamy coastal view as well as two large screens, so it also doubles as a media room and an ideal spot to catch a big game.