It’s fair to say that, when you visit a bar or drinking establishment, bar seating isn’t always the first thing you notice, or the first thing you recall when you think back over your excursion. In a funny way, this underlines the importance of bar lounge seating; a bar with seats is something that isn’t noticed when it’s being used in the right way. By extension, when not used effectively, lounge bar seating can be a real point of failure for a particular watering hole.
To emphasise this point, and provide some additional ideas in regards to lounge bar seating best practice, we’ve taken a closer look at some of the most important aspects of bar seating design and placement below.
Strengthen and enhance existing interior design
Of course, from a design perspective, the use of seating in your bar can be used to accentuate an existing interior design; providing for consistency across the board. This ensures that your design will have the maximum impact upon customers, refining the mood and setting the tone for their evening. The alternative is a mish-mash of ideas and designs, which creates a more confused, less cohesive environment, often to the detriment of customer experience.
The bar with seats shown in the image above accentuates this simplistic, yet very effective design ethic; the bar side seating acting as a continuation of the surrounding theme, while remaining comfortable and functional. The nature of your interior design choice will inform the selection of furniture that you choose in this regard; some designs will better suit robust, colourful furniture, others will instead be better complemented by stripped back, wooden creations. Seating is important to your interior design; if you make the wrong choices, you risk undermining the existing aesthetic.
Better define different areas of the bar
The best drinking venues feature a large array of seating options, essentially creating a range of different areas around the bar; each catering best to a different need or circumstance. Lounge seating and tables can create an oasis of comparative peace and relaxation in crowded and bustling venues, allowing groups of friends to more easily socialise. Conversely, for bars that have a greater focus on meeting new people, smaller tables and stools make it easier to move around and mix with different groups.
The smaller bar area shown in the image shows how furniture can be used to really make diverse use of a limited amount of space; stool seating provides a more open, social area around the bar, formal chair and table arrangements are ideal for better acquainted parties, and a padded sofa in the corner provides an ideal waiting/relaxing space.
Cater to the needs and numbers of your clientele
As already alluded to, your choice of furniture should suit your clientele, as well as the overall design of your establishment, ensuring that customers can enjoy their stay on their own terms. Some prefer to prop themselves up on the bar to better socialise, others instead prefer to in the comparative seclusion of a booth; be careful to include multiple varieties of furniture, to better cater to a diverse range of customer desires. From comfortable sofas that can be lounged on after a hard week’s work, to more practical, formal seating for settings that require a greater degree of sophistication; the choices for creating a bar with seats are as extensive as the taste of the bar-going public.
Of course, the selection should ideally mirror your target demographic, not just aim vaguely for as wide a group as possible! The establishment above, judging from its furniture and décor, seems to be aiming at younger, more affluent consumers; specifically the more social end of the spectrum. The quantity of lounge bar seating also speaks volumes about the venues popularity, though it’s worth emphasising that it never hurts to have spares; you never know when there may be a surge of customers, or a large party on its way! The seating in this venue allows for easy movement and social mixing, while also blending into the modern and stylish trappings of the venue; underlining the importance not just of bar seating, but of choosing the correct variety.