A garden bar is a fantastic way to make the most of your garden and bring the pub to your home in style. As we’ve all had to learn to live with less social interaction in traditional public spaces, many engaged homeowners have suddenly warmed to the idea of creating an outdoor garden bar.
If you’re wondering, how do I make my own garden bar? Well, we decided to take a deep dive into the latest garden bar ideas. From sophisticated garden bar decor ideas to more straightforward DIY garden bar ideas, our list has something for everyone.
Let’s crack on with it!
Table of contents
- Garden bar ideas that will make you smile
- Stay on top of the latest scores in a garden sports bar
- Lose yourself in a garden book bar
- Live your dreams in a movie-themed garden bar
- Holiday at home in a Caribbean beach bar
- Go for the full gastropub experience
- Indulge in a garden bar with a hot tub
- Use it year-round with outdoor heating & insulation
- Don’t forget the lighting
- What can I use as a garden bar?
- Can I build a pub in my garden?
- Embracing the latest outdoor bar ideas
Garden bar ideas that will make you smile
Whether you’re looking to create a large DIY garden bar to entertain all your friends or a small garden door where you can enjoy the proverbial ‘one drink after work’ in peace, we’ve got you covered!
You’ll be pleased to know we have an exciting list of outdoor bar ideas that will put the smile back on your face. So, let’s move on to the first of our modern outdoor bar ideas.
1. Stay on top of the latest scores in a garden sports bar
If you’re serious about your sports, you can’t go wrong with a garden sports bar! This separate space is where you and your mates can follow all the latest match action over a few beverages and a bit of banter.
Keep in mind that building a sports bar requires a considerable initial outlay, making this one of the most expensive garden room bar ideas. Especially when you’ll need to do the following:
- Buy (if you don’t already have one) a large shed or bespoke garden bar to begin with.
- Insulate the shed.
- Buy (you don’t already have one) a large TV screen with an appropriate sound system.
- Buy the necessary streaming subscriptions. (if applicable).
All of this on top of everything else that goes with a bar, such as drinks, beer dispensers, gadgets, garden bar signs and so on. It’s a hefty sum upfront.
However, and this is important, you’ll save a lot in the long run. The best way to think of a garden sports bar is as a shrewd long-term investment that will provide countless hours of entertainment and relaxation for you and your friends.
2. Lose yourself in a garden book bar
If you’re an avid reader or bibliophile, why not go for a garden book bar?
If you adore comfortable old sofas, simple wooden tables and chairs, old bookcases piled high with wonderful books, you can easily replicate this in your own garden.
As with a garden sports bar, you’ll need a larger, insulated garden building. On the bright side, you can choose your own bar design and take inspiration from one of the many pallet garden bar ideas to make DIY pallet bookshelves.
Then, once you’ve spent the evening unpacking books from boxes and everything is in place, you can take things to the next level by inviting your friends to a book club bar!
Pairing booze and book discussions in a communal setting is not a new concept. Book clubs have been a thing for centuries! So why not bring it into the modern era in your own garden and enjoy chatting about the latest chapters with friends and family?
3. Live your dreams in a movie-themed garden bar
If you’re a movie buff, there are a couple of home bar ideas you can choose from!
The first one is to create a DIY garden bar dedicated to your favourite film or franchise – think of it as a shrine for movie memorabilia. Here, getting the right atmosphere and garden bar accessories is key. You’ll need:
- movie posters
- film signs
- appropriate paraphernalia
- bespoke glassware.
Oh, and don’t forget signature drinks, such as a medium-dry vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) for your Bond-themed pub or a pink cocktail like a strawberry mint margarita for your Barbie-themed pub.
The second of our movie-themed UK garden bar ideas is to recreate the bar from a film or series as realistically as possible. If you’re a Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fan, for example, this is probably going to be JD’s Bar, complete with a flashing neon sign above the entrance.
If the long-running American sitcom Cheers is more to your liking, then you’ll naturally aim for a mini-replica of the eponymous Boston bar.
4. Holiday at home in a Caribbean beach bar
If you want to bring that elusive holiday vibe to your home, a Caribbean bar is the right choice for you. This may seem expensive at first. However, having looked into it, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s actually one of those unlikely garden bar ideas on a budget.
You can build a small garden bar mostly out of pallets and give it a tiki finish for an authentic look without breaking the bank. We recommend surrounding it with decking and adding a few wicker chairs and stools, as well as a couple of brightly coloured bar umbrellas to complete your tropical setup.
Then, put on a white linen shirt and a straw hat, jump behind the bar and start mixing those fancy cocktails! Your friends and family will no doubt be impressed.
While it goes without saying that such a tropical garden bar is a seasonal solution that you’ll be able to enjoy only during the warmer months, it’s one of the biggest small garden bar ideas right now.
5. Go for the full gastropub experience
If you’re unfamiliar with a Gastropub, these are pubs that specialise in serving food of exceptional quality. Gastropubs were all the rage in 1991, with the first to earn a Michelin star in 2001. Though many fans of the British pub and restaurant industry consider their popularity to have fallen after 2011. As a result, most pubs nowadays – from free houses to large chains – tend to have at least some food options apart from crisps and pork scratchings. So should your garden pub!
By adding a barbecue, pizza oven or, better still, both, to your outdoor bar area, you can recreate that authentic gastropub experience in the comfort of your back garden.
Better yet, regardless of the theme you choose, outdoor dining options are guaranteed to become a perfect match. The same goes for the dining area.
Want to keep it simple? Dive into the latest rustic outdoor bar ideas and go for a pared-down wooden picnic table and seating directly on your lawn.
Prefer fine al fresco dining? Choose a luxurious full dining set over a spacious decking area and complete the look with a pergola.
6. Indulge in a garden bar with a hot tub
For a truly decadent experience, install a hot tub right next to your garden bar. This way, you and your guests can relax while enjoying a refreshing beverage.
Even by itself, a hot tub is a fantastic space for socialising and making memories. Pair it with even the simplest of outside garden bars, and you’ve easily got the ultimate focal point for social gatherings, whether it’s a small family get-together or a larger party with friends.
Caution, though, once you’ve set up a garden bar with a hot tub, your friends and even your neighbours will come up with pretty much any excuse to come over and spend as much time there as possible.
7. Use it year-round with outdoor heating & insulation
UK weather being what it is, you know it’s going to be quite nippy for much of the year. Having forked out for a garden bar, you want to make the most of it during the colder months as well, right?
We’ve already addressed the issue of insulation in this article. So we won’t dwell on it too much here.
In summary, to be truly feasible, most themed garden pub ideas will require insulation.
Moreover, to make sure you can enjoy the area around the garden bar itself, you’ll need outdoor heating. Depending on your budget, preferred style and overall garden design, you can choose:
- a fire pit
- chiminea
- patio heating
Each option comes with a unique set of benefits. For instance, a traditional Mexican-style chiminea will complement your Caribbean bar perfectly. Patio heating, on the other hand, will complete that classic British pub look and feel we all know and love.
8. Don’t forget the lighting
Our list of outdoor garden bar ideas would be incomplete without mentioning lighting. Whatever theme or design you choose, you must ensure you can enjoy your precious garden bar at all times. You can’t do that after dark without the right outdoor lighting.
Luckily, as with outdoor heating, there’s no shortage of options here. Lanterns, string lights and spotlights can all get the job done with plenty of style. Depending on your overall garden décor, you might even want to use a combination of two or more types.
Also, don’t forget to install the right lighting inside your garden bar – especially if you’ve decided to take one of our themed garden bar ideas on board.
After all, you can’t have a garden book bar unless your reading corner is well-lit. Likewise, a movie-themed bar needs just the right ambient light, possibly with colour-specific lightbulbs.
What can I use as a garden bar?
The easiest thing to do is to buy a tailor-made garden bar. They’re available in a wide range of styles and sizes, making it fairly easy to choose the right one for pretty much any one of our garden bar ideas.
That being said, with a bit of know-how and a can-do attitude, you can easily convert pretty much any garden building you already happen to have into a bespoke garden bar.
For example, if you no longer have much use of your old shed for storage. We have a detailed guide on how to convert it into the ultimate garden bar shed.
Moreover, summer house bars are also gaining in popularity nowadays. This should come as no surprise – a summer house with a bar is a brilliant asset to any garden. If yours happens to be of the larger variety, you can have a designated bar corner alongside whatever else you’re using the summer house for.
If you’re looking for some summer house inspiration, head over to our summer house ideas article.
Can I build a pub in my garden?
Unless you intend to build a commercial pub in your garden, which is an entirely different dilemma, you can build a wooden garden bar without too many complications. Like all outbuildings, garden bars are considered permitted developments.
Quite simply, this means you won’t need planning permission so long as your garden bar isn’t massive. The specific regulations for garden bars are the same as those for summer houses.
To find out more, head over to our dedicated guide.
Embracing the latest outdoor bar ideas
As Britons’ drinking habits continue to evolve, many of us are choosing to drink less – or abstain altogether – while still enjoying the convivial atmosphere the Great British pub is renowned for in a domestic setting. The solution? A bespoke garden bar.
A garden bar provides a captivating outdoor setting where you and your friends can relish the pleasures of socialising, unwinding and creating cherished memories.
The right garden bar can serve as a dynamic focal point, melding relaxation with entertainment and fostering a seamless blend of nature and leisure.
We hope our garden bar ideas have inspired you to let your imagination run wild and create the perfect garden bar that will bring the pub home like no other.
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