The Moai Lounge (home bar)...As Seen on TV!

Alright, after months of lurking, constructing, scouring TC for awesome ideas, and nearly getting arrested with a cart full o' hardboard from the Home Depot across the street (we were only borrowing the cart, officer :D), my home tiki bar, The Moai Lounge, has been christened.
It's been 4 1/2 months of back-breaking weekends, a ton of cash, and worth it all! Thanks to all of my fellow tikiphiles for being (unwittingly) such an incredible source of inspiration, ideas & shared passion!
Hope you enjoy the pics below! (first time postin' a batch from flickr...my bad)

From the Moai Lounge, in fabulous Germantown, Maryland,
Scottiki

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2005-08-14 15:37 ]

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2006-01-29 22:56 ]

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2006-03-02 21:32 ]

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2006-03-02 21:33 ]

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2006-03-02 21:39 ]

[ Edited by: scottiki 2007-06-10 15:49 ]

OH MY STARS!!! Just beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing your pictures.

sweet..but you have to enlarge those pics, so we can see it all better. fantastic job..

WOW, All that lurking payed off.
You have a amazing bar. I just wish the pics were bigger.

Thanks for sharing.

off the hook scott, well done... clap clap...welcome to tc ..thanx for posting...
p.s. wonder if you have any room for sum original art pieces from the great artists on tc in your new Moai Lounge...namely me...Kirby

Oops...here's the bigger versions (I'll figure this internet thing out sooner or later :wink:):

The Before Part I:

The Before Part II:

The Before Part III:

The stairwell, lined with framed exotica lps & flicker-flame lights:

At the bottom of the stairs, turn right, and cross the bamboo bridge to paradise:

Here's a view from behind the hanging chairs:

Pass the barrel table/palapa set, across the grass to the bar:

And grab a stool!

Is that a waterfall in your basement?

Mai-tai, or draft beer?

My pops carved this sweet lookin' moai 40 years ago:

Relax (or pass out) on the comfy futon...just a short backwards stumble from the bar:

And when it's time for last call...the evil flourescents are deployed:

You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!

Make sure you sign the wall:

One last look at the signature wall, lounge sign & bridge:

Me & my awesome wahine:

Thanks for lookin'!
Scottiki

[ Edited by: scottiki 2005-08-15 16:27 ]

I revise my previos statement from wow to HOLY CRAP!!!

Now I have a bad case of bar envy.

Who made the bar stools ? They look great

[ Edited by: rodeotiki 2005-08-14 14:48 ]

Congratulations, it looks fantastic!

Amazing. I'm agog.

Lots of nice touches but my favorite thing is the bridge.

Is that astroturf?

Niiiiiice one cuz!

I especially like the sailfish. Guevara, is it? Even then, it still sincerely rocks.

Did you make the hanging moai heads? I'm trying to do something similar, yaknow, large - but light, but I'm having trouble locating a block of foam big enough.

Thanks for the kind words, y'all!
Rodeo: Dave from http://www.islandtikis.com did the stools, and they are freekin' sweet!
Sweet Daddy Tiki: it's artificial grass from Synlawn...I went with the SynTipede, $3.79/square foot, ask for Troy, he's the man. http://www.synlawn.com
ManoKoa: The fish is from http://www.finsandflames.com The moai heads are incredibly light & plastic. Best deal: Bensons Import http://www.bensonsimport.com 577 Big KaHoona, Painted to simulate granite rock 24" x 54" Hollow Back $75/each

peace,
Scottiki

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2005-08-14 15:28 ]

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2005-08-14 15:29 ]

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2005-08-14 15:30 ]

AWESOME! That bridge and water fall are to cool. Killer job, I would have a hard time leaving my basement if it looked that good.

Chongolio

Scottiki -

Big mahalo for the scoop.

Interesting w/ the fins/flames thing.
I wonder if there's any relation this:

http://www.thefishman.net/index.htm

Awesome bar man! I absolutely love it! Your time lurking on TC has definitely payed off by the look of it. Cool. I got the envy bad as well

Dude... Seriously,... I almost had to change my pants when I saw that first pic. "You had me at Moai!" That's got to be to most impressive home bar I've seen! The bridge is over-the-top! Then there's the illuminated waterfall thing, and the 40-year-old Moai carved by your father?! This is beautiful!!!

holy crap thats impressive!! amazing. moai and bamboo bridge is outstanding.

i'm thinking road trip!

thanks for sharing the pix.

Very nice...I am sure you guys are "rightfully" proud of
your efforts...Everything loooks great. Curious....
how did you accomplish the "lounge sign" that is
visible next to the signature wall...looks like it's
illuminated.

Conga,
Figuring what to do for the sign was killin' me for a while...backlit letters w/plastic moai? Neon? Paint? And then, my tv news photographer side kicked in. Solution? A small, focusable spotlight (in this case an Altman Micro Ellipse) with a custom metal gobo (some folks call 'em cookies) that the light projects through. The end result is pretty awesome...the logo my wife & I designed:
Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/proxy-image.php?user_id=2094&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos23.flickr.com%2F34055538_fd9bf7e95b_m.jpg&w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=0026c49dfa0e8bc58e130f3fd675d4e8
(the moai is an adaptation of a watercolor by a british artist named fuzzy) is projected from the light fixture that hangs on the ceiling in the stairwell (I'm 6ft tall & don't hit my head!) onto the wall at the bottom of the stairs. I haven't played around with gels yet, 'cuz just the pure white light looks good & bounces nicely onto the stairs, but with gels you can make it any color you want!
Thanks for the kind words...we're pretty proud of ourselves & look forward to entertaining many fellow tikiphiles in the future!
peace,
Scottiki

Truly a place to be proud of! I admire your determination and execution. The lighting is fantastic and I also love the bridge and your logo. Mahalo for sharing!

To the rest of the peeps: see what you can do when you lurk for a year gathering plans instead of blabbing away like I am doing now.
Blab, Blab, Blab.......

Cool light idea. I would like to see some more pics of it.

Too cool!

Love the bamboo everywhere... the grass, the bridge, the falls...

The atmosphere is right on!

The lighting sets the mood perfect too!

I keep dreaming... someday

Have to find an affordable house first though!

Great work! Enjoy!

That place is making me drool. Thanks for posting these!

The lighted waterfall, bamboo bridge, lighted sign, flaming fish, beautiful tiki bar, Moai's old & new, tiki mugs everywhere, tiki bar stools, hanging bamboo chairs...
OH MY GAWD!! YOU ARE THE TIKI ROOM KING & QUEEN!!
Incredible, simple amazing room you have! Great Job!
Please post more pictures!

Is this what you used for the sign?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Altman-Micro-ellipse-leko-stage-light-fixture_W0QQitemZ2555892319QQcategoryZ29944QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That's the light! Eric from wild west was very cool to deal with...I also got my custom gobo from him. All in all it worked out to be a relatively inexpensive, yet supa-cool signage solution. I'll post some more sign pics tomorrow, to better illustrate how it works.
Thanks again for the incredibly kind praise...we're just thrilled to finally have a cool bar to hang out in...in our basement!
peace,
Scottiki

Just to echo everyone else's sentiments.

That is one breathtakingly awesome bar.

Thanks for posting those pictures.

I think I'd better go and dig myself a basement now.

MOST EXCELLENT! Fantastic job!

For those interested, here are a few shots of the light & custom gobo I used to make the sign for the Moai Lounge:

Here's the light hanging from the stairwell ceiling (had to use flash to get a good shot):
Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/proxy-image.php?user_id=2094&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos21.flickr.com%2F34240644_a3a029b8cd.jpg&w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=a60d2dc657b5e7f8bbc8de47f55a7b19

A wider view of the light and projected sign (also with nasty flash):
Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/proxy-image.php?user_id=2094&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos22.flickr.com%2F34240666_000a535247.jpg&w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=ab38841b6718291bf627215fb6c01453

The custom gobo in its holder, close-up:
Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/proxy-image.php?user_id=2094&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos21.flickr.com%2F34240594_eb9d5cc41c.jpg&w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=8d7e044fc93a3fa112ef512ba6372b7d

Full view of gobo in holder, as it mounts into the light:
Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/proxy-image.php?user_id=2094&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos23.flickr.com%2F34240581_1b89ad709f.jpg&w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=7aa99d0f6de6758f34b4f71e5d5b456a

Light & sign without nasty flash:
Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/proxy-image.php?user_id=2094&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos21.flickr.com%2F34240606_af17349287.jpg&w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=898e712ead4dd0db742caecb5acd9e78

Projected sign solo:
Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/proxy-image.php?user_id=2094&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos21.flickr.com%2F34240623_4fd3d75bd5.jpg&w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=f989417a3400f45cfb3b4f87f0df1be9

Thanks again for the humbling praise...this is exactly the kind of support & shared passion that enabled me to realize my basement tiki dreams!

peace,
Scottiki

Scott
I have no doubt your Moai Lounge will inspire many of us with your great ideas and execution. Very well done, man!

The only thing missing that I can see is a Moai kleenex dispenser to wipe away tears of joy from peeps that are completely overwhelmed when they see your Lounge in person!

Hey Jim,
Thanks for the love...the moai kleenex dispenser sits on a rattan table next to the wicker fan chair/tiki throne. It got some use on saturday at our grand opening shindig!
peace,
Scott

DUDE !!!!!

Thats great!

Way to go Scott!
A beautiful vision it is..
Congrats!

Scott,

That is one hell of a bar!!! Great job.

Way too cool!

Thanks for the extra pics of that light. Looking back through the pictures (again), sooo sweet

Does that light generate any heat? I only ask because of the proximity of the light to possible flammable materials.

Be careful, it'd be horrible of this palce were suffer any damage from a fire.

You've done an amazing job!

Top Notch bar. When's the party?

That is one of the finest home bars I've seen. Great job!

TikiGardener: the bulb in the lamp is a standard MR16 halogen bulb, so while it does put out a bit more heat than, say, an incandescent bulb, it's not presenting a fire hazard. The photos don't quite capture the breathing room the fixture has from either the thatch on the ceiling or directly in front of it. The (relatively) low heat MR16 bulb was definitely a consideration when I was looking at ellipsoidal lights (size was the other, perhaps main consideration).
Thanks for the thought, and just in case...we've got 3 smoke detectors, 3 fire extinguishers & plenty of insurance!
Turbogod: gotta consult with the wahine as to when the unveiling for local tikiphiles will be...keep an eye on the marylanddctiki boards :wink:
peace,
Scottiki

[ Edited by: Scottiki 2005-08-15 20:57 ]

YOU RAWK!

WOW, that is TOTALLY AWESOME! Looks like you thought of everything. All that hard work and now it's time to sit back and enjoy....for years and years. Beautiful job!

Stunning!

Actually, the bamboo bridge entrance doesn't currently cross over anything...I'm thinking about a small, fake river of lava.
Anyone ever try making a glowing fake lava flow, you know, like those cheesy electric fire logs? I'm trying to figure out how to achieve the glowing effect...
Thanks again for the incredibly kind words...I'm just happy to be able to share what I've learned from others here on TC!

peace,
Scott

Just wondering if you would mind telling me how tall the bar stools are and your bar height. Just trying to get some ideas for my deck.

Thanks

Rodeo: Stools are 31" including seat cushions, and bar is 44" high.
Thanks for asking!
peace,
Scottiki

On 2005-08-14 14:36, rodeotiki wrote:
I revise my previos statement from wow to HOLY CRAP!!!

Rodeo you took the words right out of my mouth - Scottiki the bar is absolutely gorgeous! That has got to be one, if not the best, home bar I've ever laid eyes on! Now where is Germantown in relation to Bel Air? I think I need to pay the Moai Lounge a visit!!! WOW!

Hey John,
Germantown is located approx. 20 miles north of DC, just off (scenic) Interstate 270...prolly 'bout an hour from B'lair.
peace,
Scottiki

Great job, and great tips for up-in-coming home bars!

TBird.
Image Missing: http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf32b3127cce9c723820ddf500000000408AcNW7lw0btD