Creativity has been the underlying factor behind Tayo Oyeleke’s exquisite and tastefully furnished bar in his home. On a humid evening in September, he sits comfortably on a swivel chair which he says was designed by an Italian furniture maker, Stefano Cavazzana.

The Calligaris mould bar stool as it is called is the essence of taste, function, form and beauty. Among the best contemporary Italian furniture, clean lines, smooth elegant curves and the most technologically advanced materials make this a collection of pure design classics.

Oyeleke says he bought the bar stool when he travelled to Italy last June. “I was told at the store in Italy that the piece was a collaboration with internationally renowned designers who deliver Italian furniture design at its most architectural but with an unmistakable supplement, style,” he explains. The mould bar stool is a medium sized stool. The sleigh legs are in a choice of satin finish steel and the seat in cherry. It is 720mm high and 430mm wide. These qualities endear Oyeleke to the stool, and so for him, aside the quality of wines that grace his bar they are the hallmarks of what make his bar a bar in the real sense of the word.

“For me, a bar isn’t just about the wines,” he notes, “it’s more about the beauty of the bar itself and the design of the shelves and of course, the stools I sit on. I have a strong taste for comfort and beauty.”

For most bar owners at home, exquisite bars open the door of opportunities to design elements that offer comfort and style. Modern furnishings offer so many fabulous styles that can lend to a variety of beautiful bar designs. Items like vintage bar stools and retro kitchen chairs can add a quick splash of colour and style to any modern, contemporary or traditional bar.

Nowadays, a home seems empty when the bar is missing in that little corner.  “It is not to say everybody must drink, but a bar in that corner is necessary. It saves one embarrassment when you least expect it,” Emeka Agu, a lover of wine says.

Though he lives in a-two bedroom flat in an average residential area in Lagos, he still carved out a bar space in his living room. But what surprises his friends and even wife is the expensive wines that dot the bar’s shelf.

“I spend a lot on wines. I like drinking at home with friends. But my choice of wine is the very exotic menu, probably because of my seven years in Bordeaux, France, which I think is the home of wine in the world,” Agu notes.

Apart from the satisfaction and refreshment from drinking the wine, an attractive and functional bar, according to him, creates a more entertaining environment in your home. “A bar in your home will be a focal point friends and family are sure to talk about and enjoy. Building it yourself, is likely to add another dimension to conversation and fun,” he concludes.

However, what informs Bode’s choice of wine is the maker, country of origin, years in storage or maturity and price, of course. While Moet from France goes for anything from N15,000, any of such brand that is less is bound to be fake, he reveals.

“Best of wines are from Europe, especially France and Spain. If I go for countries less than these two, I may not get quality. Again, the maker must be a renowned wine makers and the wine itself must worth a fortune to be placed in my bar. I don’t mind if you call me a wine collector. I guess my drinking disqualifies me from being a collector,” Bode says.

While it takes Bode two weeks to restock his bar, Agu waits till the end of the month because he must buy quality wines. In all, both spend between N50,000 -N250,000 monthly to get their bars in shape with their regulars.

From the bar tending angle, Pius Ogar, a bar tender in Federal Place Casino, says some high profile guests pay him to teach them bar tending at home because they really want to be in charge of their home bars.

“It is not all about having a bar at home, but also make bar tending a pleasure for yourself. Anytime I am behind the bar, my son and some of my friends always hope for their own turn to serve behind the bar,” one of his high profile clients once revealed to him.

Apart from the bar tending lesson, Ogar says the clients also ask after how best to stock the bar and seek his recommendation for the best of wine and the food they go with.

Most owners of well stocked home bars are confident in hosting friends, but it cost a fortune to truly stock a bar with good wines, Ogar confesses.

No matter what you want - relax with friends, throw a party, serve drinks, or a buffet, or just share a meal, a home bar can add greatly to home relaxation and entertainment.

Contemporary interior designers argue that design trends of the past can revive modern remodels with ease. Items like vintage bar stools can add a quick splash of colour and style to any modern, contemporary or traditional bar, depending on the clients’ taste. Adding style and personality are easy, courtesy of most modern designers.