introducing the Kilo Moana Club

a nite cap at the KMC, following another lovely evening at La Mariana Sailing Club. mug by Gecko, swizzle by Van Tiki, bar & beverage by me. more photos of the KMC build-up coming soon...

Hi gang, I've lurked on and off for years and have finally managed to pull together enough pics in one place to actually make a post. Got a lot of ideas from all of the talented folks posting here, as well as inspiration from frequent visits to La Mariana, and a boatload of stuff in one fell swoop at a serendipitous moving sale. Anyway, it's a small lanai, but the combination of the palms, mango tree, babbling koi ponds, and ocean/mountain views made it an ideal spot to turn into a tiki bar...

Initially, we just threw in a table and started adding orchids. Perfect for grilling, but not really tiki...

So, we started laying out the bar and adding crucial pieces...

Got the rattan fishtank stand for $25 off a lead on Craigslist. A little water damage, but nothing that couldn't be fixed up for displaying stuff. The real fish tank is inside the house. Maybe I'll post those shots later...

We knew that we wanted the bar to have an overall 'L' shape to connect to the side wall window pass-through to the kitchen, and we wanted the corner to be round because there isn't a ton of space, but weren't sure what to do with the bar top that wouldn't be too hard to finish--after all, I do have a full time job and I'm not a particularly skilled wood crafter. Got a great conceptual suggestion from our chief tiki consultant and supplier, Mo-eye, and ran with it...

The random cuts of different sizes of mahogany boards, "aged" with wire brush, blow torch, & stain, then Varithane'd, surrounded by the palm & mango treetops give it a pretty cool nautical kind of tree house feel, I think.

I really like the look of the mixed thickness of bamboo that some folks have used on their bars, so I went with that for the front & side of the bar.

and used bamboo shades to keep things tidy behind the bar & hide the mini fridge and rum collection...

Some of my favorite lights are the the simple bamboo ones at La Mariana, so I made some of those to hang above the bar and complement the plastic globe in fishnet lights.

...and that was effectively all the heavy lifting, so to speak. I'll post some more shots detailing more of the art and decorating in a bit...

Great pics! Thanks for sharing your home bar.

Fantastic view! I love the bar top too.

CN

Looking good and what an awesome view to drink by!!!

Thanks for the kind words. Even though it's a super small space, it's been a lot of fun building it up, and has been rewarding to go back now and find all the pics & put them together here.

In the last shot, you can see that we've tried to complement the view with a few small pieces. I found a wicker bird cage on Craigslist, and at first didn't know what I was going to do with it, but knew I needed to have it. When I picked it up, it was a good bit smaller than I expected and almost nothing would fit in the door (to think it was for a bird is a little sad). I did manage to squeeze a Hawaii air plant inside, though, dressed up a little with some Spanish moss, and voila. I really like how it turned out and going to be fun watching it grow...

In this next shot you can see two big fishnets that came from the ThorStor. I liked how they offer a little separation between inside the bar and out in the trees, and also used them to grow up new orchid keikis from Hono hono cuttings.

...should be pretty cool in April when the nets are full of stalks and flower blooms...

Of course, no tiki bar is complete without the fishnet glass float (I definitely need to get some more). I found this one at a yard sale and used some handmade seagrass rope to tie up the netting.

One of my favorite things in the bar is the old rattan fish tank stand. It's really too big for such a small space, but I had to add it anyway.

I added a blue LED to the lid and like the contrast it gives compared with the other soft yellow & red lighting in the bar. The interior is still just fresh white paint for now, but I have plans to dump a bucket of sand in it for the bottom and give it a black velvet back drop. A great little shrine for a Thor skrunken head and ceramic tiki. The box in the center is a custom humidor I made with scraps left over from the bar top. Inside of the humidor is Spanish cedar, of course.

To the right of the guardians of the humidor is this guy. I added red LEDs to his eye holes and like the effect...

Above, and back toward the bar are some of the cool and classic prints from my Taboo Island buddy...

Here are a few more parting shots...

So feel free to comment & critique it! I'm particularly interested to hear if anyone has suggestions for improving areas around the sliding doors & windows back into the house. Also kicking around a few ideas for the ceiling, but since it's a nice dark wood, not been real motivated to change it.

Loving it so far! Beautiful views.

Very Nice, I like all the floats. How did you make the bamboo lights?

Really nice, I like the way you did the bar top.
Can't wait to see the pic's as it goes along.

Super cool!!! I love the awesome orchids!!!

I love those lights , the bar, and the orchids too, a wonderful combination of elements over all

That's looking really good, and amazing views.
Maybe add in a puffer fish, and some rope edging on the bar?

Thanks for all the encouragement! Lodge 9, the bamboo lights were easy. Just cut up some 4" bamboo, broke out the centers with a pole, blow torched for the 'aging' look, brushed on some Varithane, and added a lamp cord & socket. Probably not the most flame retardant of fixtures, but I'm using pretty low wattage bulbs and never leave the bar lit up unattended.

Kon-Hemsby, you're definitely right about the puffer lamps! Unfortunately, I've seen way more snorkeling here than in shops, though. Where's the best source for puffer lamps? I've seen some cheap ones on eBay coming from Bangkok (seller is 'thai_sold'), but have been wary about it. Anyone have any luck with them?

On 2010-09-29 12:39, Polopeka pau hana wrote:
Where's the best source for puffer lamps? I've seen some cheap ones on eBay coming from Bangkok (seller is 'thai_sold'), but have been wary about it. Anyone have any luck with them?

I've been wondering this myself.

BTW: nice place. I love your view.

Love your place! For the sliding glass doors, I would think you don't want to block the FANTASTIC view from inside, so really nothing on the glass would be good... how about a short shed roof, on the patio side, with thatch? If you raised the framed items a little you might have enough room to squeeze it in. Or use all of that strip of wall above the sliding doors and then place the framed items on top of the thatch roof so that they lift off... how do you say that?... so that they're standing up.

I've drank (and possibly passed out) at this bar more than once. Great little spot to hang out at. Looks even better in person!

Some of the clientele can be questionable...

Maybe use some spray 'etch' or spray frosting on the doors, and spray some tapa patterns around the edgdes, or a large tiki in the middle?