Post #749441 by woofmutt on Wed, Aug 19, 2015 12:19 AM

A Few Thoughts On Creating A Tiki Environment by Woofmutt

Sparky's Grotto West was in a 6.5 X 9 feet room. Its tiny size is why I don't believe in the "I have no room for a Tiki bar!" sob story. You can make a 3 X # foot corner into an effective Tiki space, just sit facing it whne you want to make your imaginary escape and turn your back to the rest of your tiny world.

Any clever and crafty person can afford to create a Tiki space, if he/she wants. I'd guess all the materials for Sparky's Grotto West cost no more than 250 bucks. Certain pieces of decor probably added another hundred or so.

Admittedly a lot of the stuff for the bar was bought before Tiki became more widely collected, but a lot of it was inexpensive materials. A roll of wall paper was used to cover the board ceiling between the exposed floor joists, a magnolia blossom wall paper border also added coverage at the top of the walls.

The walls were covered with a burlap looking cotton material (I found a bolt of it cheap). Burlap is one of the simplest, least expensive, and best looking Tiki environment wall coverings. It's also ideal for covering a ceiling if you feel you have to have something other than paint. (Paint's the best thing for a big modern ceiling. It's inexpensive which is good because no one really looks beyond their upper peripheral vision. Why waste money on fancy ceiling covering that you could spend on a life sized fiberglass shark to hang from the ceiling?

In Sparky's Grotto West there was a thatch roof running across one end of he room. It added a lot of depth to the space but was there because it was hiding a heating duct that ran through the room. Thatch was also used to cover the lower raw concrete section of another wall.

Lighting is the most effective and inexpensive thing you can do to create a Tiki space. Kill all the bright lights, add some light sources with low watt colored bulbs and a couple flickering flame bulbs, cue the exotic music, pour the rum, and you wouldn't even know you were only in a Motel 6 on a sad stretch of I-5.

Because of the small space I went with a walk-up bar. It gave a place to set drinks or bottles and an ice bucket if I wasn't going to be wowing everyone with some too complicated and usually under appreciated concoction.

Scent is a cool element to add if you can. Coconut or tropical flower scented car fresheners work great or find a spice scented incense (which you will, of course, safely burn away from anything flammable).

If you're going for the trade-beachcomber Tiki environment look pretty much any interesting and unusual object can be part of the decor as long as the greater vibe skews towards faux tropical paradise. Is a beat up saxophone Tiki? No. But if it's hanging on a wall beside a large Polynesian inspired mask, a NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY sign, and a palm frond fan it'll look like something some permanently buzzed beach bum traded a couple buckets of mussels for.

[ Edited by: woofmutt 2015-08-19 01:29 ]