Lighting

 

Think back to any movie or show about pirates you’ve seen and imagine the lighting situation. In the 18th Century, with no electricity, people relied on torches, fires, lanterns, and candles for light after dark. Imagine that darkened tavern with candles set about on all the tables and shelves, a fire in the hearth, and perhaps some lanterns hanging as well. This is the atmosphere I strove for with my home bar.

 

Candles

For hopefully obvious reasons, it’s best to stick with artificial candles. They last a long time and you can have as many as you wish without an increasing risk of a fire hazard. I like ones with a motion flame or flicker setting. When you have ten or fifteen of those displayed around the bar, it’s truly awesome to see. You can find sets of flameless flicker candles in a variety of price ranges from a set of four for $10 at Walmart to a set of two for about $50 from Pottery Barn. If you’re on a budget, get a large set of less-expensive ones because the number of candles gives the best effect.

Lanterns

I have a simple imitation candle lantern that I found at Target for about $20. You can also find some lanterns that take a small votive candle. A box or rectangle shape with an angled top gives a good period feel.

 

Hearth

Fortunately, the best place for my current home bar was in a corner of the finished basement next to the fireplace. With the overhead lights off and only the fire burning with the candles and lantern lit, the effect is truly amazing. If you’re not in a situation where your bar can be next to a built-in fireplace, there are some options for small electric fireplaces. These can get pricey, with the least-expensive ones still approaching $200.

Torches

I wouldn’t suggest using real torches unless your bar happens to be outside. In that case, tiki torches are pretty cheap and do provide a nice exotic island feel. There are actually many inexpensive imitation torches that you can find. In stores, you will probably have the best luck around Halloween, but online you can find some cheap ones for as little as $2-$5 and as much as up to $25.