Bar interior design in Dallas used to be all about the focal point: the bar itself. However, there has been a noticeable shift in bar interior design primarily due to changing preferences and expectations of patrons.
The bar in the bar used to be the hotspot; the place where you interacted with friends, attempted to mingle with the opposite sex, and of course, order your beverage of choice. Bars were constructed of incredible marble or rich mahogany. They were designed to impress and draw attention.
However, times and attitudes have changed.
The bar can often now be viewed as the place where you have to wait forever. You can only talk to one or two people at a time because of seating arrangements. Bars today also have an incredibly strong focus on food as well. That means, more people are in the bar not only for drinks, but for gastropub fare. So the bar is usually now occupied by walk-ins who didn’t reserve a table.
For bar interior design today, it is all about the overall atmosphere while the bar itself has been deemphasized. Bar-goers have become much more in tune with what they are actually drinking and prefer to enjoy the subtleties of their drink. Craft and microbrews have spawned a generation of beer drinkers who shudder at the thought of a “light” beer and instead want to sit, sip, and enjoy their truly unique beverage.
This experience and taste driven culture has forced bars to design their interior to cater to those experiences. Outdoor seating has become a huge priority for many bars and the technically interior design for that seating has drastically improved. Lawn chairs simply won’t do. Just look at Buzzfeed’s list of popular bars in America. The bars listed are of a completely different variety than the bars your parents and grandparents frequented.
Whole-in-the-wall, dive bars will always be popular amongst libation consumers. These places feature the bar as the focal point of the interior design. However, there is no denying the paradigm shift towards the wine bar, gastropub, and brewery taproom. These huge shifts in consumption patterns have created a huge shift in interior design for bars.
For more information about interior design for bars, please contact AKA Design Inc. or call us at 972-267-3421.