Post #156218 by woofmutt on Mon, May 2, 2005 9:54 AM

Your bar design is good (a walk up bar makes the most sense in a small space). If you execute it as rendered it'll be the focal point of the room...What's better in life than coming into a room and seeing a bar?

Burlap makes an inexpensive but good looking wall covering. It can usually be found in different colors. Or go with the natural color and make some primitive block prints to customize it. (some good pattern ideas from mud cloth reproductions here: http://uniquespool.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper.pl?command=goto&file=Fabrics_-_MudCloth.html%20 )

Other fabrics would work as well, especially something heavily textured or with a strong graphic. And though you do have animal prints in use it still may be something to consider. Some of the cooler vintage jungle rooms had leopard or zebra everywhere.

A real thatch roof would look good but if you have to pay a bundle for a bundle the bang to buck ratio may not be worth it. A split bamboo blind on a frame could be used (custom cut by you for the corner) with a few inches hanging down over the front edge.

A cover could also be made with burlap stretched over a frame. With several coats of brown paint and some white dry brushed streaks it would sort of have a woven bark fiber cloth look to it. On the top of the canopy you could attach clusters of small jungly looking plants, some vines hanging down. A friendly looking yet possibly evil monkey.

A canopy could be hung from the ceiling so no lower supports are needed. An eye bolt and hook in the back corner, the two front corners resting on two wall mounted brackets which could be as simple as two piecese of 2x4 screwed into the wall (artfully disguised or hidden, of course).

Frame work for a canopy can be made of lathing strips which would keeps it light weight. Just make sure it's ridged, sagging canopies are pretty depressing.

The fireplace could be resurfaced with a thin natural stone. Broken tile would look good too, plus you could make some of your ceramic masks to incorporate into it. Easier and cheaper: Paint or stain it a brown tone. Easiest: Make a huge African style shield to hang sideways (so it's sort of eye shaped as you look at it) above the mantle. Make two spears to be crossed behind it. No one would even notice the fireplace was nice country brick.

Good idea to trim the entertainment center with bamboo. You could also make some custom ceramic drawer knobs.

For less expensive bamboo check small hardware stores and garden centers. Closet doweling stained dark brown with a hand buffed wax finish makes a good substitute for bamboo. Get fancier with cuts to simulate joints. Or do a burned finish...Use a propane torch to brown the surface of the doweling, liightly sand (taking off any crumbly charred bits), give it a coat of Danish oil, then wax. Or paint the doweling to look like bamboo. That's what the Europeans did when bamboo was exotic and expensive.