corner tiki bar help needed...Mock pic added...TY Woofmutt

I am wanting to create a tiki type sitting area in the corner of our "jungle" room....Jane does not want a full 'out in the floor space' bar...so we have comprimised on a corner that will have a ledge and bar stools to sit at... I want to make a canopy of ratan or whatever...not sure how...also how wide of a ledge do I need? and how high is standard with bar stools?What can I use for bartop? I want to put bamboo edges on the ledge and up the walls to the thatch roof to look like the bar is set into the wall/
Any advice you have on materials etc is appreciated. we could then add decor and shelves , lights etc. our jungle room look sgood now but I wanna merge more tiki to it.
Thanks
Russell

[ Edited by: theartcoach on 2005-04-29 23:55 ]

[ Edited by: on 2005-05-02 10:18 ]

When I did my bar (free standing) I seem to recall the bar height was 32". I'll have to run home and measure. But I measured the seat height of bar stools to get my target bar top height. In fact, I went into my local bar and casually dropped a string at the bar to get a clandenstine measurement.

For my bar top, I opted for dark stained wood.

Good luck!

I think my bar top for mixing is about 35"+ but the top where I place the drinks is somewhere around 45-48"??? Elbow height, so you can lean on it.

Check out the pics at the link below.

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=13715&forum=7&start=15

Here are some pics of the space i am working with...you see that it already makes use of animal print and jungle feel.

This is the corner that will be the tiki bar/shelf area( the table will go ...my wife is working on photo album project at the moment):

another shot:

this is the other corner to the left...what to do to tiki-fy the fireplace?

On the fireplace:

My only REAL tiki...my sister brought me back from Hawaii:

This is the corner oposite the bar area...needs something behind the entertainment system...thought abot adding bamboo to the frame of the cabinet?

I am proud of this display I made from luan, fabric with couple 2X4s on the back and 4 of my many ceramic masks (african inspired):

Close up of mask (11h X 6w X 3d)...I love making these...I plan to make more that are tiki. later I will post some ceramic tile tiki paintings I have done recently.

Here is a sketch of what I am thinking...my biggest hangups seem to be what to put on wall below the shelf (burlap? real bamboo..$$? Lauhala? or animal print fabric...I have enough of a leopard pattern) and what to use for thatch canopy (real thatch or raffia)...we have pier1 and they have bamboo and so does Michaels (thought pricey)....Being in East TN, I am afraid shipping from Bosko or OA will eat me up.

Thanks for looking ...please offer any advice...I have enjoyed looking thru the threads, but it is overwhelming, even with the search feature.

[ Edited by: theartcoach on 2005-04-30 00:54 ]

hey Artcoach...nice job with the mask display....that's an idea worth stealing!
Looks like you are coming up with a nice
bar plan too...good luck.

I spy with my little eye, 2 TIKIS the one you showed and there is a totem in the back on the TV stand

On 2005-04-30 09:33, teaKEY wrote:
I spy with my little eye, 2 TIKIS the one you showed and there is a totem in the back on the TV stand

Good eye! Yes, you are right. I said the one was REAL b/c it was actually carved...the one on the tv was like the one on another thread. They said it was ripped-off from an Enchanted Tikiroom Poster... I got it at Biglots for 7,99...LOL

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.

well, Whadda'ya think?

Thanks Woodmutt and all fo rthe comments.

I think I really like the burlap with print! trimmed in bamboo.

I like the different option you presented for the canopy. I esp like the burlap over frame idea...and I love monkeys! There is a not so evil one on the right bottom of the fireplace waiting for a place to hang around.

We have some artifical vines, etc we are not using too.

I had thought about the eye-spaded sheid idea in past but hung up and down...great idea too.

I was looking a a short 2 foot piece of closet rod yesterday....I wonder best way to fake tyhe knuckles of bamboo...what kinda tool?

All great ideas and options...just what I needed! Thanks again...still open to more ideas as well.

[ Edited by: theartcoach on 2005-05-02 10:36 ]