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Tiki Central / Home Tiki Bars

The Straw Hut

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TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 07/24/2013

Aloha Tiki peeps-

I've been working on my home bar for the past year or so, and I'm finally getting around to posting some pics. I was lucky enough to have Mitch Tobias, professional photographer and guitarist from APE, shoot my bar about a month ago. His great photos are really what's pushing me to create this post. If you haven't heard, Mitch has been photographing folks in their home bars for a possible forthcoming coffee-table book. How cool would that be!

Thanks for looking, and please feel free to ask me any questions.

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-Trad'r Bill

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SandraDee posted on 07/24/2013

Your bar is so great my friend and his photos really are "wow"! I can almost taste the mai tais!

Great stuff!!

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tikilongbeach posted on 07/24/2013

What a great looking place, the photographs are beautiful!
I really like the nook with the distressed wood, Chinese tiles and story board. The giraffe print carpet is cool too.
The stoic looking chihuahua guarding his beverage should be turned into a painting.

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SandraDee posted on 07/24/2013

On 2013-07-24 14:47, tikilongbeach wrote:
The giraffe print carpet is cool too.

That's not carpet...he taped off and painted the floor :)

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Atomic Tiki Punk posted on 07/24/2013

Very nice job, place has a great flow to it!

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Longboard posted on 07/24/2013

Bad ass, wish we could see some "in process photo's"

Hit it out of the park my friend!

-Longboard

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Woodtiki posted on 07/24/2013

Wow, that place is amazing! Looks pretty big.

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Thurston Howell IV posted on 07/24/2013

By the great God Ku that's one great looking space. The furniture, the lamp, the dog, the shirt, the hat - far too cool for your own good my friend. Well done.

TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 07/25/2013

Thanks for the props, friends! I have to give a shout out to Sandra Dee and later Mai Tai for hooking me up with Mitch... that guy is amazing! I can't wait to see all the other home bars he's photographing.

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TikiVato posted on 07/25/2013

WHen I clicked on Staw Hut, I certainly didn't expect to see this masterpiece. I had to look at the pictures several times and every time I saw something fantastic. I will have to continue to review the pictures to see what else I see. Would love to see some in progress pictures as well. Did you do all the work yourself? Very nice job indeed.

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lunavideogames posted on 07/25/2013

Looks really cool! I like the turn tables.

TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 07/25/2013

Thanks TikiVato - my last name is "Straw" hence the name of the bar... but I do like it for the sleeper factor of the generic-sounding "Straw Hut" :)

lunavideogames - yep, turntables are always fun to have around... even though I don't utilize them as much as I used to, I figure it's easier to get guest DJs for parties if you have a setup in-house. These are the classic Technics 1200 model

[ Edited by: Trad'r Bill 2013-07-24 21:11 ]

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Bora Boris posted on 07/25/2013

Nice work Trad'r Bill, I'll be happy to put The Straw Hut on to my top ten home bars list once I visit it. :lol:

Can we see a shot of the photo wall? I've seen glimpses but not the whole thing.

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hottiki posted on 07/25/2013

Yes it sure looks like all the boxes are checked, and I concur that the Mai Tais just got to taste better in there !!!

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bigbrotiki posted on 07/25/2013

A class act!

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nui 'umi 'umi posted on 07/25/2013

Very, very nice. Gotta be one of the best I've seen and I be the old kine tikiphile.
Cheers,
David, La Mirada, Ca.

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Tiki Shaker posted on 07/25/2013

Classy joint.

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Slacks Ferret posted on 07/25/2013

Very nice! Thanks for sharing those photos with us. You have a beautiful place.

TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 07/25/2013

Hey Boris - you are welcome to come check it out any time you please! Lmk next time you're in the Bay Area. Your top-10 ranking carries weight!
...and thanks hottiki, bigbro, n'u'u, Tiki Shaker, and Slacks - I appreciate the comments.

I'm organizing a series of progress shots, but in the meantime here are a few corners of the room that weren't captured in the previous photos. Definitely not as clean as Mitch's photos, but you can get the idea at least.

Entranceway:

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Photo wall - Boris, I think you've seen this one before... I've added a few more pics since this was taken, but this is pretty much it.
Gathering these photos was a Tiki Central-wide effort. Contributors were: Tiki Skip, Tattoo, Bigbrotiki, Bamboo Ben, Swanky, Bifcozz, Abstractiki, and I'm probably forgetting a couple people. Thanks everyone!

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Corner:

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Masks:

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Porthole looking out onto the small patio:

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Patio:

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Thanks for looking,
Trad'r Bill

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Tiki-kitty posted on 07/25/2013

Fantastic! Great looking place!! :)

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Big Kahuna posted on 07/26/2013

Killer! Love the wall of photos & the lamp made with the green tiles is 'Da Bomb!

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Bongo Bungalow posted on 07/26/2013

Very impressive! You've got taste!

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VampiressRN posted on 07/26/2013

Holy kriminee...your place if off the hook. Those professional pictures I am sure do it justice. Who knew such decor adventure existed in Hercules!!! Love it.

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danlovestikis posted on 07/26/2013

Wonderful play land for tiki enthusiasts. I'd love to hang out there. Wendy

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Bora Boris posted on 07/26/2013

Wait a second!! You have steps leading down into the Straw Hut? - Ridiculous!

You have a Porthole looking out onto the small patio? - Completely Ridiculous!

Those 2 things are incredibly awesome and nicely done!

I'm gonna have to come up with a cool photo worthy of your wall and send it to you. Gimme until New Years!* :D

*That's 1/1/2014

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PolynesianPop posted on 07/26/2013

I'm coming up with Boris!

The Straw Hut has that classic Poly Pop vibe. I must see it in person someday. Well done!

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KAHAKA posted on 07/26/2013

Excellent attention to detail, the way it should be done! 100% classic style all the way. You earn an A+.

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tikilongbeach posted on 07/26/2013

On 2013-07-24 14:49, SandraDee wrote:

On 2013-07-24 14:47, tikilongbeach wrote:
The giraffe print carpet is cool too.

That's not carpet...he taped off and painted the floor :)

No worries about spills then! I'm even more impressed. It's a great looking place. It looks very relaxing.

TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 07/26/2013

Thanks Tki-kitty, Big Kahuna, Bongo Bungalow, VimpiressRN, Wendy, Boris, Poly-Pop, Kahaka and TLB - phew! The compliments are great... I spent a lot of time building this space, so it's really nice to get some positive feedback.

My overall goal for the room was to recreate the feel of a 1950s - 1960s tiki bar. I got a lot of inspiration from old photos, and from the old surviving spots up here, like Minnie's and the Tonga Room.

[ Edited by: Trad'r Bill 2013-07-26 09:22 ]

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Miss Hell posted on 07/26/2013

This is your HOME bar!?!?! OMG!! It’s gorgeous! I love everything about . The kitch, the MCM, everything. To say that I am blown away is an understatement. Just...WOW!!

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Murph posted on 07/26/2013

Excellent Home Bar! You nailed it with this one. The fine details throughout the bar are impressive. Everywhere you look you are engaged in the tiki environment.

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Joe Banks posted on 07/26/2013

On 2013-07-25 22:01, Bora Boris wrote:

You have a Porthole looking out onto the small patio? - Completely Ridiculous!

I'm with Boris...that porthole is incredible!

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forgotten tikiman posted on 07/26/2013

This is as legit as it gets. I am very impressed. I love your dedication wall to all those and places who gave birth to the Tiki boom. Just awesome!!!!!!! :D

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Masher88 posted on 07/27/2013

Holy crow! Your place is amazing!!

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Unga Bunga posted on 07/28/2013

A very special place Trad'r Bill.
When's the official Tiki Central night? :D

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Tattoo posted on 07/28/2013

Super cool!!!

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LoriLovesTiki posted on 07/28/2013

Your home bar is freakin' AMAZING! Seriously, of the caliber one would find in a commercial establishment! Love the port hole window especially.

Amazing!!!

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Holler Waller posted on 07/28/2013

Yes - Yes - Yes - !

TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 07/29/2013

Thanks for the kind words everyone...

To say the least, this room has been a labor of love for me. I did all the work myself, except for the 2-man jobs when my brother-in-law helped out. Certain aspects of the build took much longer than I had expected... and if I knew then what I know now, I'm not sure I would have chosen certain paths. The floor, and the wood paneling jump out as examples. As I said earlier, it took me over a year to get to this point, and I still have more work to do.

My family moved into a new home about 18 months ago, and for the first 6 months or so, the room served simply as a storage space for my tiki stuff. I had a newborn daughter at this point, so my focus was obviously on her:
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My floats were moved in without incident:
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Moving in my baby, er clam shell:
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Crap everywhere, albeit good crap:
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I was still gathering supplies at this point... Bamboo Depot in Benicia was my main resource:
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I found this booth on Craigslist, which came from a Chevy's at the Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara:
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looked better once I painted the hideous fabric. I was too chicken to reupholster it myself:
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I got this large piece of Tongan ngatu cloth for $35 at an antique fair - score! This is going behind the bar.
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Little by little, I was able to do some work, like splitting and sizing the bamboo:
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...and eventually I cleared everything out to start doing some real work:
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Post is getting long, I'll add more soon. Thanks for looking.

-Trad'r Bill

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bigbadtikidaddy posted on 07/29/2013

wow- your spot is seriously legit- nice work! Love the floats over the bar, they look amazing! that's alot of weight, must've been fun securing those :wink:

TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 07/29/2013

Yep, I had to do the old Bamboo Ben "hang on it and see if it breaks" test when hanging the glass floats. My wife is still convinced that it's going to bring down our house, but I don't think so.

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JackLord posted on 08/02/2013

Outstanding! I tip my hat.

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tikiskip posted on 08/02/2013

Wowie, WOW, Wow!!
Right on!
Great job, this is how tiki should look.
Pm me your address and I got a few more photos for you.

Needs a Tikiskip light tho.

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AdOrAdam posted on 08/04/2013

On 2013-07-24 14:29, Trad'r Bill wrote:
Aloha Tiki peeps

Great space!

I really like that the walls are lighter than the floor - Ive been thinking Id prefer it & wondering what it would look like - did you treat / lighten the matting in any way?

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AdOrAdam posted on 08/04/2013

Oh & I'm jealous of your wood! :wink:

I would love some pieces like that!

TB
Trad'r Bill posted on 08/05/2013

Thanks AdOrAdam - I didn't lighten the matting, but I did use bamboo matting, not the usual lauhala matting. Maybe that's why it's looking lighter than your used to.

Also, FYI you can still get those cannibal trio statues on Swanky's site: http://www.swankpadproductions.com/indexproducts.html Now that Marquesan lamp, much harder to come across that one :)

[ Edited by: Trad'r Bill 2013-08-04 20:59 ]

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qh tiki posted on 08/07/2013

Great job..... love the room / bar. How is exterior patio?

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Deke Kahala posted on 08/09/2013

Fantasic! I,too, had to look at the pictures several times to get the details.

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