Commercial bar design: Ideas and tips for your business

Whether you’re opening a new bar or you’re doing a revamp, a key part of the process is deciding on your bar layout and design, From ensuring efficient workflow and adhering to building regulations to impressing patrons, the right bar design can have a big impact on your business — so it’s important to get it right.

In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about bar designs, from the laws and regulations around commercial bar designs to decor ideas. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for restaurant bar design or a cocktail bar setup, we’ve got the ideas for your business here.

• Commercial bar design: The key considerations

• Bar designs by venue type

• Bar decoration and display ideas

• Bar storage ideas

Before jumping into the bar decor ideas, it’s important to start with the bar plan essentials to make sure your establishment is fit for business. From regulations around your bar layout to optimising your setup for smooth workflow, we’ve broken down all the information you need. 

The laws and regulations around commercial bar designs 

Alongside the essential licensing laws, there are various other regulations you will need to adhere to when designing your bar, so it’s important to be well aware of how these will affect your bar floor plan and layout. We’ve rounded up the main legislation which will impact your business below. 

The Building Regulations 2010

This act covers various safety aspects of the building, including fire safety, ventilation, and the structural safety of bar designs. This legislation applies to bar setups in a number of ways. For example, if you use heavy equipment such as beer kegs or large sound systems, you must ensure this doesn’t compromise the structural integrity of the building. 

Town and Country Planning Act 1990

If you plan to open a new bar, transform an existing business into a bar, or expand, you will be impacted by this legislation. You will need planning permission from the council, and you may need to change the use class of the premises. 

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

This legislation ensures the fire safety of bar designs. It can impact your bar floor plan and layout in a number of ways, from ensuring you have working fire safety equipment and clear, well-lit escape routes with signs. Fire equipment you need for your bar includes:

• Fire extinguishers — the number you need depends on the results of your fire risk assessment, but as a general rule of thumb, you will require at least two per floor. The types you may need include:

• Water extinguisher: For general fire 

• Foam extinguisher: For flammable liquids, such as spirits

• CO₂ extinguisher: For electrical fires, such as for sound systems or lighting

• Powder extinguisher: For kitchens or outdoor areas

• Wet chemical extinguisher: For deep-fat fryers

• Fire alarms

• Smoke detectors

• Fire blankets (required for kitchens or food preparation areas)

• Emergency lighting for highlighting escape routes

• Fire exit signs

• Fire doors 

• Manual call points

Equality Act 2010

This legislation is in place to ensure bar designs are accessible. Requirements you may need to meet for this legislation include:

• Accessible toilets

• Step-free access (ramps or lifts)

• Wide doorways for wheelchairs

• Clear signage and good lighting

• Hearing loops 

Food Safety Act 1990 and Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013

Even if you don’t serve food, your bar plan will still be impacted by these two legislations. In terms of bar design, these acts require those preparing the food and drink to have access to: 

• Hand-washing facilities

• Proper storage and refrigeration

• Adequate ventilation

• Sufficient lighting for safe and hygienic work (overhead lights in food and drink areas must be shatterproof) 

• Toilet doors that do not open directly into food or drink handling areas 

• Separate areas for cleaning, preparation, and storage to prevent cross-contamination

• Pest control essentials, including bins covered with lids to prevent infestations

The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996

This legislation requires clear safety signs throughout your bar for staff and customer safety. The signs you need to account for in your bar layout include: 

• Prohibition signs: These signs are a red circle with a diagonal line and a black symbol, and symbolise something you shouldn’t do (e.g. No smoking signs).

• Mandatory signs: These signs are a blue circle with a white symbol and show things you should do (e.g. Wash your hands signs). 

• Warning signs: These signs are yellow triangles with a black border and symbol, and they indicate a hazard is present (e.g. Wet floor or hot surface signs).

• Fire safety and emergency escape route signs: Green with white text or symbols, showing safe exit routes and first aid equipment. These signs must be illuminated or photoluminescent so they can be seen in the dark.

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

This act ensures your bar setup is safe for your staff to operate in. It has a significant impact on your bar layout, so it is important to ensure you have a detailed understanding of this legislation. As well as covering fire safety and emergency exits, which are incorporated in the legislation already discussed, this act also covers:

• Safe work areas: The staff must have sufficient space to move and perform their jobs safely, with non-slip flooring and without trip hazards. 

• Safe access and movement: It must be safe for staff to move around freely. This includes having handrails for stairs, clearly marking split-level flooring, and ensuring that the bar is designed with safe customer flow in mind to prevent overcrowding. 

• Safe equipment layout: Large pieces of equipment like dehydrators (which can be used to make cocktail garnishes and more), glass washers, ice machines, and blenders must be safely spaced and have access to sockets without trailing cables. 

• Adequate lighting: All areas (including behind the bar, cellar, and toilets) must be well-lit to prevent trips and accidents.

• Safe cellar area: Cellars must have safe stairs with handrails and lighting, as well as proper ventilation for gas cylinders or beer kegs.

Creating a bar layout for optimised workflow

It isn’t just laws and regulations which are vital to your bar layout, but efficiency, too. This is what allows staff to operate safely and comfortably and do their best work, so you can give your customers the best experience. 

The first thing you should consider is the shape of your back bar floor plan. U-shaped and circular bars are becoming increasingly common, especially in bars with a contemporary theme. While they have a unique appeal and can appear to be inviting for customers, they sometimes aren’t the most practical choice. They take up a lot of space, plus they can increase staff congestion behind the bar and tend to be more expensive to install. 

L-shaped and straight linear bars are a great choice for any type of establishment. Not only are they space-efficient and ideal for workflow, but they are often much more affordable. L-shaped are especially handy in terms of space as they can be used to make efficient use of corner spaces. 

Another key element of workflow efficiency for bar designs is zoning. Dividing the bar setup into clear, functional zones allows multiple staff members to work efficiently without getting in each other's way to ensure faster service. It can also make it much easier when it comes to organising your inventory. 

The four key zoning areas a bar setup are: 

• Drink preparation: Dedicated spots for making drinks. Here, your staff should have access to all the essential equipment, including spirit measures, wine accessories, garnish tools, bar accessories, and cocktail equipment, as well as glassware and drink ingredients.

• Glass washing: This area should include sinks, glasswashers, and drying racks. Keep this area away from the drink preparation area to avoid splashing dirty water nearby.

• Point of sale: These should have tills for taking orders and payments. Make sure this area is clear of any entrances, tight corners, and high-traffic areas. 

• Service area: This is the area where customers are served their drinks. It should ideally be next to, but still distinct from, the point of sale area to make the ordering process as simple as possible for the customer.

While zoning will minimise the amount of travelling back and forth for your staff, they will still need space to move around behind others. You should ideally have a work zone space of around 30 to 26 inches.

Once you’ve figured out the essentials you need for your bar plan, you can start working on making the establishment truly your own. This will partly depend on the type of bar you’re creating. This won’t just influence your bar decor ideas, but some of the practical elements too. Here’s a breakdown of cocktail, pub, and restaurant bar design ideas and inspiration to help you create a space perfect for your business.

Cocktail bar design ideas

Cocktail bars are all about getting creative and providing a premium and unique experience for your guests, so take this into account when planning your cocktail bar setup. If you’re opting for a theatrical look (which is a particularly popular choice for cocktail bars), dramatic lighting can help you capture this aesthetic, as well as bold patterned walls, marble countertops, and brass fixtures.

Elegant cocktail bars aren’t too dissimilar from this look, but tend to be a little more toned down for a sleek and sophisticated feel. For this type of cocktail bar setup, you may opt to complement marble countertops with timeless yet luxurious neutral shades like champagne and taupe. Don’t stay away from bold shades completely, though, as deep, rich accents like burgundy and deep forest greens can add an opulent feel to this setup. 

If you’re going for a more industrial feel, which is another popular style of cocktail bar, your decor will be quite different. Think exposed brick, steel or metal fixtures, exposed lightbulbs, and reclaimed furniture. Some good bar decoration ideas for this look include vintage signs and repurposed items as decor, such as old clocks or typewriters. 

The key backbar area of a cocktail bar is a dedicated mixology station, equipped with everything a bartender needs, including a fridge, ice bin, sink, all the basic cocktail tools, and plenty of space for preparation. Garnishings are a key part of a cocktail bar's drinks menu, so you may want to incorporate an extra fridge behind the bar for easy access and ample storage for your finishing touches. 

The seating arrangement is equally important in a cocktail bar, with a focus on seating at the bar for customers to interact directly with the bartenders. This interaction can encourage engagement, making customers feel part of the creative process. Make sure to give your staff matching aprons to add to the premium experience. 

Pub bar design ideas

Pubs are all about hearty, cosy comfort. The space should feel like a home from home for the customers, so they feel comfortable enough to relax. Natural materials like wood panels and exposed wooden beams are a fantastic way to achieve this look and add a touch of rustic charm to your space. 

Warm lighting is ideal for creating a cosy feel in seating areas, but ensure you have ample lighting behind the bar for the safety of your staff. In terms of a colour palette, dark hues like deep greens, burgundy, and navy are classic pub shades which enhance the cosy, historic feel. Of course, beer taps are an essential part of any pub, so these should be front and centre. Choose taps in a warm shade of metal to add to the cosy atmosphere. 

If you’re looking for some back bar ideas for your pub setup, vintage style cabinets can upgrade your look and also double up as storage for glassware or spirits. Vintage beer signs and brewery mirrors can help you capture that authentic classic pub feel behind the bar, too.

A seating area by the bar can help you create a relaxed atmosphere, breaking down the barrier between the patrons and the bartenders for a laid-back feel. Comfort is key here, so opt for well-padded stools to make customers feel welcome. 

Restaurant bar design ideas

With restaurant bar design, it’s important to make sure the bar blends in with the wider dining area for a cohesive look. So, the best bar decor for a restaurant bar is similar to that of your wider establishment. That being said, it is important to distinguish the bar as a separate space to make this clear for customers, especially if you plan on having a seating area at your restaurant bar. You can do this by having a clear bar sign, as well as having bottles on display. 

If wine is a key part of your restaurant's drinks menu, you may want to incorporate a sommelier station into your bar. This allows customers at the bar to easily ask your staff about the best pairings for their meal. 

One of the key elements of bar design for restaurants is a separation between dining and drinking areas. This helps create a distinct experience for both sets of customers, plus it makes it easier for staff to keep track of who is dining and who is just drinking. There are a number of ways you can incorporate this in your restaurant bar design, from something as subtle as split-level flooring to more obvious separations, like partition walls. 

Once you’ve figured out the essentials you need for your bar plan, you can start working on making the establishment truly your own. This will partly depend on the type of bar you’re creating. This won’t just influence your bar decor ideas, but some of the practical elements too. Here’s a breakdown of cocktail, pub, and restaurant bar design ideas and inspiration to help you create a space perfect for your business.

Cocktail bar design ideas

Cocktail bars are all about getting creative and providing a premium and unique experience for your guests, so take this into account when planning your cocktail bar setup. If you’re opting for a theatrical look (which is a particularly popular choice for cocktail bars), dramatic lighting can help you capture this aesthetic, as well as bold patterned walls, marble countertops, and brass fixtures.

Elegant cocktail bars aren’t too dissimilar from this look, but tend to be a little more toned down for a sleek and sophisticated feel. For this type of cocktail bar setup, you may opt to complement marble countertops with timeless yet luxurious neutral shades like champagne and taupe. Don’t stay away from bold shades completely, though, as deep, rich accents like burgundy and deep forest greens can add an opulent feel to this setup. 

If you’re going for a more industrial feel, which is another popular style of cocktail bar, your decor will be quite different. Think exposed brick, steel or metal fixtures, exposed lightbulbs, and reclaimed furniture. Some good bar decoration ideas for this look include vintage signs and repurposed items as decor, such as old clocks or typewriters. 

The key backbar area of a cocktail bar is a dedicated mixology station, equipped with everything a bartender needs, including a fridge, ice bin, sink, all the basic cocktail tools, and plenty of space for preparation. Garnishings are a key part of a cocktail bar's drinks menu, so you may want to incorporate an extra fridge behind the bar for easy access and ample storage for your finishing touches. 

The seating arrangement is equally important in a cocktail bar, with a focus on seating at the bar for customers to interact directly with the bartenders. This interaction can encourage engagement, making customers feel part of the creative process. Make sure to give your staff matching aprons to add to the premium experience. 

Pub bar design ideas

Pubs are all about hearty, cosy comfort. The space should feel like a home from home for the customers, so they feel comfortable enough to relax. Natural materials like wood panels and exposed wooden beams are a fantastic way to achieve this look and add a touch of rustic charm to your space. 

Warm lighting is ideal for creating a cosy feel in seating areas, but ensure you have ample lighting behind the bar for the safety of your staff. In terms of a colour palette, dark hues like deep greens, burgundy, and navy are classic pub shades which enhance the cosy, historic feel. Of course, beer taps are an essential part of any pub, so these should be front and centre. Choose taps in a warm shade of metal to add to the cosy atmosphere. 

If you’re looking for some back bar ideas for your pub setup, vintage style cabinets can upgrade your look and also double up as storage for glassware or spirits. Vintage beer signs and brewery mirrors can help you capture that authentic classic pub feel behind the bar, too.

A seating area by the bar can help you create a relaxed atmosphere, breaking down the barrier between the patrons and the bartenders for a laid-back feel. Comfort is key here, so opt for well-padded stools to make customers feel welcome. 

Restaurant bar design ideas

With restaurant bar design, it’s important to make sure the bar blends in with the wider dining area for a cohesive look. So, the best bar decor for a restaurant bar is similar to that of your wider establishment. That being said, it is important to distinguish the bar as a separate space to make this clear for customers, especially if you plan on having a seating area at your restaurant bar. You can do this by having a clear bar sign, as well as having bottles on display. 

If wine is a key part of your restaurant's drinks menu, you may want to incorporate a sommelier station into your bar. This allows customers at the bar to easily ask your staff about the best pairings for their meal. 

One of the key elements of bar design for restaurants is a separation between dining and drinking areas. This helps create a distinct experience for both sets of customers, plus it makes it easier for staff to keep track of who is dining and who is just drinking. There are a number of ways you can incorporate this in your restaurant bar design, from something as subtle as split-level flooring to more obvious separations, like partition walls.