MADE TO MIX ; Bar Cabinets Creating a Splash in Home Entertaining

Maybe it's part of that whole "nesting" thing, or a logical addition to the home entertainment concept. No doubt stiffer DWI enforcement makes it more attractive.

Whatever the reason, bar cabinets are making a comeback.

We aren't talking here about built-in, stand-behind bars with padded countertop molding, popular in 1970s shag-carpeted recreation rooms. Rather, think of standalone cabinets or hutches with fold- out countertops and swing-out doors, storage for bottles and accessories, shelves for ice buckets and racks from which to hang stemware.

Bar cabinets were among the more fashionable of home furnishings during the Art Deco era of the 1920s and '30s, said Nancy Otto, owner of the Antique Specialty Mall in Albuquerque.

The cabinets gained cachet because of "the glamorous New York and Hollywood lifestyles that appeared in the movies," she said. Prohibition "added to the mystique." Many designs featured "hidden turnstiles and secret drawers, and the cabinets might fold up, like an armoire."

With the end of Prohibition in 1933, Otto said, people no longer needed to hide their liquor or even have a designated place to keep it, and bar cabinets were no longer must-have items.

By the time "boxy-shaped furniture" began to appear in homes in the 1950s, bar cabinets simply "fell out of fashion" and were replaced by large buffets and china cabinets.

Authentic Art Deco pieces, valued from $400 to $750, aren't often seen at the Antique Specialty Mall, Otto said, although bar cabinets made in England or Belgium during the 1940s and 1950s are fairly common and sell from $250 to $375.

But if collectible or antique pieces aren't what you're looking for in a bar cabinet, plenty of local furniture outlets sell the latest designs, including retro styles.

One of the largest selections can be found at Corrales Furniture. The showroom, as large as a football field, has bar cabinets from about $720 to $1,900.

The Exotic Kapok Bar made by Art Frame Direct resembles an armoire. Standing atop carved twisted rope legs, the two large swingout doors are inlaid with a starburst-type pattern of burled pecan and walnut veneers. Inside is a mirrored bar back with a glass- serving surface and beneath it are two drawers. Stem racks are mounted inside at the top of the cabinet and bottle storage slots are arranged vertically on each side. The unit sells for $1,899.

The buffet-style bar cabinet from World Concepts has three drawers across the top. Below them are two cabinets at either end and three pull-out bottle racks between the cabinets. Made from pine wood, the piece sells for $719.

Among several designs by the Mirador company is the Laramie Back Bar, with a double door cabinet base supporting a mirrored back bar with shelves. The cabinet doors feature etched brass in an ornamental pattern. A slideout marble work surface is mounted just above the doors, and two drawers are set just above that and serve as the base for the back bar.

The first shelf provides generous serving space, while the shelves above are a bit narrower, though still ample for storing or displaying bottles or glassware. The piece is made from birch solids and maple veneers with a rustic cherry finish. It sells for about $1,300.

Staying home in style

Most of the purchasers of bar cabinets are baby boomers, said Lea Anne Shellberg, a design consultant at Corrales Furniture. "Young people are just buying their first furniture and a bar cabinet is not a priority to them. They don't entertain as much at home. They prefer to go out."

Baby boomers, on the other hand, "want to relax and entertain in the comfort and privacy of their homes," Shellberg said. They would rather mix a drink from their own bar cabinet than drive to a nightclub and chance an encounter with a police officer.

Most furniture manufacturers, she said, have offered some type of bar cabinet in their catalogs for years. "They weren't flying out the door, but we've always sold them. Now, there definitely seems to be more interest."

At Cost Plus World Market, bar cabinets are wildly popular, said furniture department manager Chris Rader. "We sell a ton of them. I can hardly keep them in stock."

Wine fuels boom

Part of that popularity, he said, is a direct result of the increased interest in wines, and New Mexico wines in particular. "I especially sell a lot after the different wine festivals," he said.

Among those in stock at Cost Plus is the Tao Bar, made in Thailand from rubber-tree wood. Extensions fold out from the top to provide a larger serving area. On the inside of each of the two cabinet doors are two shelves large enough to accommodate bottles and a smaller third shelf. The cabinet itself has two adjustable shelves, brackets to hang stemware and racks to hold 21 bottles of wine or spirits. The cabinet costs $549.

The traditional Oak Portable Bar at American Home is a clever design. At first blush it looks like a high buffet table, but the top splits along a center seam and both sides slide out, revealing a marble cutting board and metal ice tray. Beneath them are cabinets, containing a drawer, two shelves and a wine rack to accommodate nine bottles. The bar retails for $800.

"I spoke to our buyer who said they've been pretty popular," said Deb Paczynski, American Home's senior vice president of merchandising.

"We shop the various furniture markets for different items, and this caught our attention. We sell more of them each year. I think what we're seeing is more of that 'cocooning' trend. When things are uncertain in the economy and in the world, people look inward. They're focused on fixing up their homes and adding things to make them functionally livable."

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.