A few years ago, we borrowed from the inhabitants of the West an excellent tradition - to equip the bar rack in the kitchen. Bar rack for the kitchen will turn gray everyday life on the holiday, and will also be harmonized with modern life rhythm.

In the Middle Ages in Korchm and Tractors, people rested from the road and could satisfy hunger. For several centuries in a row, the main furniture for the equipment of public catering and their own kitchens was a table and a shop. Several members of a large family were placed on the bench freely.

Already in the eighteenth century in North America, special furniture was used for bars equipment - Bar racks. This functional piece of furniture separated the room into two zones - visitors and attendants (in the Bar - Barmen). People could make an order, then go for a table or stay to drink strong drinks.

Over the years, the bar rack modified and turned into a wide one that the person could have a snack right at the rack, squeezed to high chairs.

Already in the middle of the twentieth century, in many countries, bar racks began to install in residential buildings. Modern designers, organizing the free space of the kitchen, thought out everything to the smallest details to combine the kitchen interior with a bar counter and get the maximum comfort and functionality.

Types of bar racks, their pros and cons

Bar racks installed in the kitchen are separated into two types. Each of them differs significantly from each other. The only thing remains unchanged - application. Design, shape and materials of the bar rack can be different.

Types of bar racks:

1. Classic. It is a big bulky rack. It is installed as a separate piece of furniture, in which there are many lockers, shelves and it is possible to embed kitchen electrical appliances. This type of bar racks often decorates large areas of the room.
2. Mini-rack. It looks like a small size tabletop with chrome-plated legs on holders or stand. Install in small kitchens in the area as replacing an ordinary dining table. Such a bar rack can be used during celebrations, for a buffet or serving table.

Advantages of the bar counter:

1. The ability to install in small kitchens and use instead of the dining table. By the way, according to most owners, the space in the kitchen is significantly saved by the corner bar counter.
2. Depending on the configuration of the rack, you can put a large number of dishes and stored alcoholic beverages in a mini-fridge.
3. Behind the rack you can always quickly "eat", as the obligations are removed to serve the table and arrange protracted meals. The western name of the bar racks in the kitchens - "Coffee table". This is a place where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and relax a few minutes.
4. In the studio apartment, the bar counter can separate two spaces: a living room and a kitchen with a bar counter. Pondering the installation project of such a bar counter, designers recommend the living room and a rack to choose in one color scheme so that the space looks harmonious. A good color solution is a combination of beige color (kitchen) with bright, saturated shades (rack).
5. Bar racks are equipped with a sufficient amount of additional accessories - containers for fruits, rails, retractable and folding shelves.
6. As a rule, the rack is set higher than the lunch table is located, so there is a free space in the room. When the rack is not used, then the chairs can be removed below it.

The shortcomings of the use of bar struts include:

• due to the fact that the furniture is installed at a height of a little more than a meter from the floor to sit comfortably, you need to purchase high chairs with a footrest. Not to all people can be convenient to stay at such an altitude, especially for the elderly people and children up to fifteen years. People of the steps may experience discomfort due to diseases of the joints, and children can fall from the chair;
• at the table of the bar rack, no more than two-three people will freely settle, so for a large family to use this piece of furniture in a small kitchen will be inconvenient, since dinner can delay;

Choosing a bar counter

Furniture manufacturers offer a large selection of kitchen kits. In the first place in the number of orders and shopping there is a bar counter for the kitchen. In order for the furniture to harmonize with the interior of the kitchen, it corresponded to the taste and habits of family members, the design of the bar rack can be chosen using a special computer program: choose material, finishing and accessories.

Bar racks are made of materials:

• tree;
• Chipboard (wood chipboard);
• metal;
• acrylic;
• stone;
• glass.

For the facing of the furniture, the manufacturers are most often used by Corian - solid material, imitating natural stone. It is resistant to stains, bacteria, has increased strength and remains primarily for several decades.

Bar rack made of wood

From the massif of the tree you can make a worktop. Such a bar counter will create comfort and comfort in the kitchen. Suitable wood breeds - pine, needles, birch and oak.

Despite the environmental purity, thorough care is needed for natural wood. So, to ensure the moisture resistance of the coating, the surface should be treated with varnish or oil. The surface is wiped with soft slightly wet cloth without detergents. It is allowed to use only a fastening soap solution.

If you cannot immediately remove pollution from the surface, then the tabletop will remain spots. In addition, small cuts from the knife will be a permanent source of microbes reproduction.

Bar rack from chipboard

Chipboard is a common material for the manufacture of kitchen furniture, including for bar racks. Combines low cost with high performance characteristics. The table top for the bar is made from moisture-proof material, the surface of which is covered with film or plastic.

The advantages of bar racks from chipboard are:

• affordable price;
• strength;
• a wide selection of colors;
• the opportunity to order a kitchen or wall panels for a kitchen "Apron" in a single color design;
• easy to care and the possibility of applying aggressive detergents.

The disadvantages of bar racks made from chipboard can be attributed:

• the possibility of swelling the coating at the place of adjustment to the wall and on the joints. To avoid this, it is necessary to immediately treat disturbing places with colorless sealant;
• in case of damage to repair the countertop from the fiberboard will not work;
• it is impossible to order on a round table top, as there is a problem in covering the film, and the seam will be well noticeable on the surface.

Metal Bar Rack

Bar racks, fully made from metal - durable and easy to care. Countertops are made from stainless steel sheet (eight millimeters thickness), it is imposed on a solid base (wood or chipboard). The edges of the metal are bend under the press, which allows you to get a monolith counseler.

The indisputable advantages of the bar racks from the metal are:

• durability - more than thirty years of operation;
• resistance to moisture;
• abrasion strength and cuts;
• stability to hot (you can not use the stands);
• when using the seamless method on the table top there are no docking seams.

The minuses of bar racks from metal include:

• the inability to embody bold design solutions (countertops can only be rectangular);
• the surface to the touch is always cold;
• metal over time loses its shine;
• the price of the metal bar is very high.

Bar Stand from acrylic

Lovers of designer experiments will appreciate the bar counter racks from acrylic. From this pliable material, you can create almost any forms, get convex - or vice versa, a concave countertop. The main thing is to have a good fantasy and have enough funds.

The "Space" topics of the kitchen interior is relevant this season, in which the bar stand of the streamlined form takes a decent place.

Bar Stone Rack

The tabletop rack can be made of natural or artificial stone. From the unnatural stone you can make not only a worktop, but also the foundation. This material has a large spectrum of texture and colors, so that it remains still popular.

If your kitchen already has a similar tabletop from an artificial stone, then designers advise to select a bar counter of the same shade.

Natural stone is an excellent attachment in the design of the kitchen. Such a bar rack will serve several decades, and the material will always remain in its original form. It is necessary to immediately order a countertop to the kitchen and a bar stand so that the furniture does not differ from each other.

Natural stone is unique, therefore it has a high cost. Onyx and marble require special attention during operation.

Glass Bar Stand

The material is impractical, but it is often used enough to decorate the bar counter. Among the advantages can be emphasized by the good ability to reflect the light, as well as a rich selection of shades of the material. Among the disadvantages it is worth noting the fragility and some cool glass.

Kitchen Design with Bar Stand

The angular bar is a g-shaped. With this design, you can get a cozy room, from three sides, surrounded by a working surface.

When the kitchen area is small, then you can order a mini-rack with a chromed retractable stand.

Bar rack in the interior of the kitchen of the P-shaped size is characterized in that the furniture is located along the wall, and the stand occupies the central part of the room. It can also be a continuation of the working surface of the kitchen headset. Bar rack model will not overload space.

If the area allows or an apartment is re-equipped under the studio, then it is possible to carry a bar counter in the central part of the kitchen. Such a designer solution received the name of the kitchen-island. To the central part of the kitchen, together with a bar, a washing and a cooking surface is installed. Behind the cooking process can observe all guests and even participate in it.

The island stand can be both closed (with shelves and boxes) and open. Although the closed rack will look like a few cumbersome.

The classic version of such a rack can have two levels: the lower - the working area, the top is a place for work and meals.

Parallel kitchen with a rack involves the location of furniture and technology parallel to each other. This option will save space, and the kitchen will turn out in two lines: one - the bar, the second is the work area. For this option, it is better to install a closed model of the rack to hide everything you need for cooking in lockers.

Write options for kitchens. Watch in the photo: