A real pub feels the way it does because of proportion, materials and light. The brewery mirrors and beer mats are garnish. If you want your garden bar to feel like a local rather than a themed shed, borrow the bones first.
Pick which room of the pub you are building
British pubs traditionally split into rooms, and each suggests a different garden bar.
- The snug: small, enclosed, cosy and built for a handful of people. Bench seating, a low ceiling, warm wall lights and a short counter. Ideal for a compact shed.
- The saloon or lounge: a little smarter, with upholstered seats, a longer bar and more polish. Suits a larger garden room.
- The public bar: plainer, harder-wearing and more about standing at the counter. Works for a bar with an open serving hatch.
- The beer garden: the outside bit. Picnic benches, a sheltered serving point and good path lighting.
Choosing one stops the bar becoming a muddle of every pub you have ever liked.
Materials that read as "pub"
- Dark timber and panelling below a dado rail, with a lighter colour above.
- Brass for a foot rail, hooks or a bar edge. It weathers into a warm patina outdoors, which suits the look.
- A proper bar top in hardwood or a sealed surface that copes with spills.
- Etched or frosted glass in a door or window panel for privacy.
- Deep, heritage paint colours such as greens, oxblood reds and dark blues.
Furniture and layout
A pub counter usually has stools along the front and somewhere else to sit. Even in a small building, a bench against the back wall turns a bar into a room. Keep the route from the door to the counter clear and leave space behind the bar to work.
Our counter height guide explains how to size the counter to the stools you choose.
Light it like a pub
Pubs are lit low and warm, with light pooled on tables and the back bar. Wall lights, a lit shelf and warm-white bulbs do more for the atmosphere than one bright ceiling fitting. Read the lighting guide for the safety side.
The finishing details
- A chalkboard for "tonight's specials", even if that is crisps.
- A name sign; see garden bar signs.
- A dartboard, if there is genuinely enough safe space for the throw line and no one walks through it.
- Board games on a shelf for when conversation slows.
What to skip
Avoid a wall of novelty plaques, flags and fridge magnets. A real local has character because it has a few good things that have been there a long time.
Start with the room type, then choose one material and one colour. Everything else should follow those two decisions.