We all have our favorite hangout locations. For some of us, it was a restaurant with really great happy hour specials. For others, it was that one bar with the great dance atmosphere. For even more still, it was the pub where everybody knows your name. We may not have paid attention to our surroundings at the time, but the simple sight of that hangout location brings back fond memories. The surroundings may not have meant much to us, but they facilitated a sense of comfort that brought in patrons day after day. That, in a nutshell, is the point of bar interior design.
One may ask, why does bar interior design matter, anyway? People are just going out to have a couple of drinks. However, the interior design of a bar usually indicates the kind of clientle they are going to attract. For example, a bar that has a bright, flashy interior, with modern, sleek furniture, sparse extraneous decor, little seating and a large dance floor is far more likely to attract an upscale group of patrons who are probably going to dress nicely and be interested in dancing and mingling. On the other hand, a dimly lit bar with a row of bar stools and several bar tables, relying on a jukebox for tunes and pool tables for entertainment is probably going to attract groups of friends looking for a place to hang out, talk, and have a few drinks. This interior design sets the clientele, which in turn sets the type of drinks and prices the bar will offer, and ultimately impacts the niche the bar will fill.
So, what should one consider when deciding what kind of bar interior design to use? The first thing to think about is the community you're going to serve. If your bar is going to be located in downtown Manhattan, a Confederate Flag will probably not go over as well as it would in Paducah, Kentucky. If your bar is going to be in the middle of Monmouth, Illinois, a disco ball may not bring in a steady group of regulars. Make sure the bar interior design you embrace suits the community you will serve. Another thing to contemplate is the budget you are on. Sure, those white leather bar stools look really cute, but at $700 a pop, they may not be in the best interest of your pocketbook.
Bar interior design is not an exact science. It is rare that a local drinking establishment becomes known simply because of the interior design strategy they use. However, that is kind of the point. You want the bar interior design to serve as appropriate background noise for the purpose of the bar as a whole, and that is to become the favorite hangout location of many people to come.