Space of the Week: An L.A. Family Can Serve Up a Party at This Bright and Airy Bar

Jessica Alexander

Entertaining well requires setting a mood. It's possible to do this with good food, a solid guest list, and a cozy gathering spot—but the task becomes much easier when there's an area in a home that's explicitly made for a party. Aly Morford and Leigh Lincoln, co-founders of Pure Salt Interiors, had this in mind when they decided to build a bar connected to the living space in a client's home. "This family of four loves to host, and so we wanted to create a beautiful and welcoming home that their guests could equally enjoy," Morford says.

Their property is located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, which is filled with the type of young families Morford and Lincoln love to take on as clients. "They're often enthusiastic, and looking to plant some roots to create lasting memories," Lincoln notes.

This project already had the basics covered, given that it was set in a bright, blank slate of a room filled with white walls and natural light. Since this area was unused, Lincoln and Morford divised a bar that would draw a crowd but still fit in with the coastal-meets-traditional style defining the rest of the house. They built cabinets under the window and a peninsula for the bar, which was covered in an eye-catching jade soapstone finished with a waterfall edge. To highlight the room's tall ceilings and cultivate a scene for the bar, the pair installed a hand-painted tile backsplash across the full length of the back wall, and extended the walnut shelving to match.

"Open shelving across the window was added as a functional feature that doesn't take away natural light, and a trio of pendant lights completes the space with a touch of brass," Lincoln says. "We also thought the shelving was a great design opportunity to display all of our client's beautiful barware in an installation-type fashion."

The combination of materials has to be seen up close to be fully appreciated—from the tiles and the countertop to the woven barstools and orbital pendant lights—which accomplishes the goal of getting people to stop and stay a while.

"We knew this space could handle a dramatic look, so we went for it," Morford says. "All the natural light from the windows keeps things bright and airy, and the subtly-patterned tile keeps it from feeling weighed down."

Jessica Alexander

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Get the Look:

Hand-Painted Tiles

Painted by hand, these terracotta tiles feature a circular design that contrasts with the horizontal lines of the counter and floating shelves. From far away, the pattern reads as a subtle texture, but up close, the intricate details come to life.

Beachy Bar Stools

Crafted from rattan and seagrass, the bar stools lend natural texture that contrasts with the sleek waterfall countertop. The Sunbrella fabric on the cushions is stain-resistant and won't fade in the sun.

A Touch of Brass

Cue the understated elegance. When facing the cabinets head-on, these knobs appear as minimal brass circles, but from the side, the tapered design recalls midcentury-modern style.

Shelves With a View

In this home bar, the floating shelves are the stars of the show. If you have a similarly light-filled room in your home, consider this unconventional idea and install shelves right across the window.