Ever wanted a home gin bar? Us too, so we were delighted when Jacqui Passant of Instagram account @homeandginteriors explained how she created hers for this month’s Been There Done That feature.

The original space before the home gin bar

“Before the renovation, the home gin bar was originally a pretty useless alcove in a very run down house. I initially constructed a ‘quick’ gin bar against a purple painted wall with black shelves that looked pretty awful. At the time I probably thought it was great but looking back, my style matured as my love for gin grew!”

How the home gin bar came about

“In 2019, we decided to extend our minuscule galley kitchen that you couldn’t even open a dishwasher in! For years we saved and saved until we could finally carry out our dream kitchen extension. I was a kitchen designer in Ayr, Glasgow and Edinburgh for over eight years. So I had designed everyone’s dream kitchen and now it was my turn. The useless alcove was located in the previous dining room. This was joined to the kitchen via a door so it opened up into a large open plan kitchen, dining and snug. The home gin bar formed part of the snug, creating the bridge between our kitchen and the relaxing social space.”

Sourcing inspiration for the renovation

Where the inspiration for the home gin bar came from

“Pinterest has always been my favourite go-to for inspiration. I saw a coffee bar on there and loved it but thought ‘wouldn’t gin be better?!’  I already had the cabinets from my old workplace at Harvey Jones and purchased a wine fridge which fitted neatly between them. The worktop supplier for the kitchen kindly included the home gin bar into our kitchen order. Then I sourced the floating shelves after trying to find some bespoke fitted shelves online. The gallery rails are from Hafele and I had used them in some kitchen designs over the years and loved them. So I knew they would add some class to the shelves and keep the bottles in place.”

How the process of creating the home gin bar went

“The whole process was pretty simple. I installed everything myself, but the effect is huge! Everyone loves the home gin bar feature in our home. The only difficulty was trying to source floating shelves that could take the weight of multiple gin bottles. And also trying to source gallery rails to stop any bottles from falling. I came across a company called ‘Shelfbar’ online and sent them an enquiry to see they could supply my sizes. I explained that I had a huge difficulty in finding shelves with concealed fixings. Within hours, Philip the owner emailed back with an incredibly detailed email with choices and suggestions. Fitting them was so easy and I’ve bought several more from them since!”

The final home gin bar and its contents

What is in the home gin bar space now

“When I first built the gin bar, I only had around five bottles in my collection. But there are now currently around 30 bottles and a backlog from pregnancy that I need to work through! It also features a selection of glasses to break up the amount of bottles. We also have the odd dinosaur details to add to a theme of dinos that runs through our house, thanks to my seven-year-old!’

Advice for readers wanting to create a similar home gin bar

“Creating a gin bar or even a coffee bar in an otherwise useless alcove adds a fabulous feature without wasting space or using up much valuable floor space. It’s as simple as cabinets and shelves but the outcome can add such a great selling point to your home. It also gives you a little talking point for visitors.”

Jacqui’s top tips when it comes to renovations

“My number one top tip is to take your time. Don’t rush into decorating. Source inspiration from Pinterest or Instagram, collect samples and collate a style board or ideas board. Look at things you have in your cupboard and how you could display or feature them in your home rather than hide them away.”

Want to read more Been There Done That features? Then you’ll love reading about how this Instagrammer created her own exquisite kitchen pantry.

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