Post #528075 by faztiki on Tue, May 4, 2010 10:33 PM

I wish i had known about Tiki Central long ago. The info and the culture on this site are amazing, and the tiki bars on this forum are incredible! Here is the bar i've built over the last few years. I don't have many early photos because i had no idea i would take it as far as i have, but tiki-life is hard to keep on the 'hobby' level without evolving into obsession.
The bar is built on a raised patio that is half covered with a roof. Because i am only renting the house i had to build a separate frame to extend the roof over the rest of the patio. There are only about a dozen holes made in the exterior stucco walls to support a shelf and to hang the bamboo wall coverings and lights. I dread the day it happens, but this bar can be moved when the time comes.
I've tried to keep the place as 'natural' as possible. most of the lighting is concealed. no plastic, no TV, no clocks. there is a laser beam / smoke machine behind the bar, but they are 'mystically powered'. I was going for a shipwrecked theme of sorts.
the inspiration for the bar came from my times at The Kahiki, and from the lone Kahiki mug that i dug out of a box as i was moving my ex-wife out of the house. I don't have a large mug collection, but its growing slowly.
some early photos:

a rainy grand-opening, back in 2004.

here are some recent pix:

the Ivy on the "rain wall' has grown to overtake most of the roof and encircles the bar. i thought of re-naming the place Lumi La'au hihi (The Vine Room), but i can barely pronounce that when sober...

the shelves are made of recycled Teak taken from a 50 year old deck (once owned by Gerald Ford). the interior lighting of the bottles and shot glasses is concealed so theres no direct view of any light bulbs to blind you.

not a lot of tiki mugs yet, but growing. we drink a lot of shots here.

i used the same recycled Teak to frame the stucco seatwall, trying to look like an old boat deck. also turned some arbutus trunks and a redwood plank into that exterior bench and shelf.

some artifacts of the shipwreck.

this is Teek, the guardian of the bar. he's also made from the same recycled teak decking. he's the first carving i completed, and actually functions as a marionette. arms and legs are articulating, head swivels and nods. I'd never made anything like this before, but i was 'inspired' by a woman (and a lot of Rum).

the back of the bar erupts with smoke and there's a laser in there somewhere. its hard to photograph and is probably my next task to upgrade.

night pic, my steady hand...

i've carved some fun toys out of 'feather rock', like this volcanic drink warmer. its not just for brandy, actually, hot absinthe is quite good (and by the time you've even considered drinking that, moderation is no longer in the vocabulary).

i'd love to hear any comments or critiques. there's a ton i could learn from you all.
i know the place could use a better name, but without knowing about all the amazing home bars on this forum i thought The Tiki Bar might not have been taken!
I'm getting a lot of inspiration from everyone else's pictures, so expecting a summers worth of changes to keep this place evolving.

Be Well,
Faztiki