My Uncle's Home Bar

Recently, I've been driving back and forth to Huntington Beach area to help out my Aunt and Uncle who are both in their mid 80's. My Aunt is a "collector" of sorts, the type who will not throw away a single item as "someone can use it" (depression era syndrome). As the junk in boxes has taken over their house, she finally was convinced to let go of some of it. She wanted me to clean out her sewing room as I sew and she wanted me to have her sewing gear as she no longer has the energy to sew or even get to the room. It took us a week just to clean up and organize one room. My Uncle was so impressed that we got her to let go of so much stuff he asked if I was brave enough to come back and attack the back patio. For the past 15 years the boxes that no longer fit into the sewing room ended up in the back patio. His bar that he built in the 60's was covered to the point he could no longer access it. He wanted to be able to stand behind it and make a couple of cocktails for company that was coming in a few weeks from then.

Three weeks later, I went back and he unveiled this

The bar is the brown thing on the left.

Three days later, after organizing her craft supplies into clear bins and tossing amazing amounts of papers into the recycling bins, we exposed the bar. I spent another half a day oiling it and washing all of the barware that was covered in dirt from being buried for over a decade.

You can't build Rome in a day, but at least he can get to his bar now! Here's a couple of more photos of it.

My Uncle built this bar himself. He said he might have gotten the plans from either a Sunset Magazine or Popular Science. The thing he was most excited about was that I found all of the missing pegs to his ship's wheel clock as the Grandkids horsing around had knocked most of them off and he could never find them. He has an amazing collection of vintage bar signs, the ones with the rotating designs in the back that make the water appear to be moving.

On November 10th, he celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday with friends and family by serving up cocktails. My cousin took pics as I ran out of film (I know, I didn't think to bring the digital camera) but hasn't sent them to me yet. (He was a POW in WWII, I mentioned it on this link so this is a big family event for him. He doesn't like to drink on Veteran's Day)

I felt there were people on here who could appreciate a cool home bar which is why I decided to share this with you.

You did a really cool thing for your aunt and uncle. I'm glad you helped bring a real mid-century artifact back to life, and also that your uncle was able to use it for a special occasion. Thanks for posting it.

Smooth bar! I like the dark wood, it must be really nice in the evening.

LOVE the barstools!
classic... :D

You are The Best...

How cool you are, helping them to get both feet in the trough.

Cheers!

WAY TO GO!!! What a wonderful gift you have given to your Aunt and Uncle. There is such discontent with having clutter and then it becomes so overwhelming that you just leave it, add to the pile and say someday you will get to it, but you never do and it becomes a viscious cycle. I am a clutterer myself, so I know how it feels. Since I moved into my new house over a year ago, I have managed to keep my home free of clutter, except that I do need to organize my closets better and my garage is a nightmare. I am thrilled that I can use my 50's bamboo bar in my new home (it was buried under years of clutter at my old house). I'll just bet your Uncle will be the talk of the town with that swank bar. He did a great job of building it and I know he is really glad to be able to use it again. Keep up the great work of decluttering....it is an art that people like me pay for!!! We look forward to the party pictures. :)

Wow, the place looks great!!! Now, can you come over and help organize my tiki space? It's in about the same or worse shape than your uncle's was before you cleaned it up. :cry:

I think because, by vocation, I pack boxes all day so it's second nature to me to organize and fit stuff into boxes... or maybe it's a sickness. Depends on who you ask!

My Aunt and Uncle have a lot to do with who I am today. They took me to places and introduced me to experiences that I would never been able to experience had it not been for them. They took me to Hawaii for the first time when I graduated high school, took me all over the US and Mexico. For me, it was a sheer labor of love.

Mai Tai, I'd seriously do it in a heart beat, but I still have 4 more rooms to go at their house so we can get the carpet torn out and replaced by April. We also need to re-paint the walls. Sounds like enough time but I hope we can get it done. I've inspired more family members to get involved but we'll have to wait and see... pencil me in for 2008!

Freddie, the bar is in a 1960's aluminum patio just off the back yard pool. There is a white aluminum fireplace in the back corner so when it cools off in the evening you can heat the room right quick. When I was a kid I spent most of the year in that pool and patio. My Dad and Uncle sat on the bar as "life guards" but I doubt in retrospect that their vision was all that clear as to what we were doing. The room has been sealed off for so long as they were embarrassed by it. I knew they just didn't want anyone to see how bad it was so I never asked out of respect. It's not fair to go into someone else's house and start throwing out junk just because you don't like it. But I couldn't wait to gain access into the room, now that I can sit at the bar, I wanted to experience what I couldn't as a kid so I guess I was selfish in that aspect!

The barstools are what I remember most, spinning until you slid off the edge. Took longer to climb up on them than it did to fall off. But that design is so classic! I think he said he bought them at Sears, they were part of a "beer barrel" collection, there were hollowed out wooden kegs that also had that same pattern as seat covers. I've seen them in various hipster "antique" stores on Venice Blvd. in Mar Vista, they are quite costly... not nearly as good of condition as these. The vinyl is in mint condition, not tears or cracks. It cleaned up with just soap and water. Wish all things lasted like that. Guess they don't make stuff like they used to!