Broken Arrow Outdoor Patio Bar: Designing a Bar Area Into Your Outdoor Living Space

The bar is the social center of any great outdoor living space — the place where guests naturally congregate, where drinks flow, and where the host’s presence anchors the gathering even while cooking is happening nearby. In Broken Arrow outdoor living projects, incorporating a dedicated bar area is one of the most enjoyable design decisions homeowners make. Here’s how to think about it.

Bar as Part of the Outdoor Kitchen

The most common configuration for a Broken Arrow outdoor bar is as an integrated element of the outdoor kitchen: the kitchen faces one direction (cooking side), and the bar faces guests from the opposite or perpendicular side. This L-shape or U-shape configuration allows:

• The cook to face guests during food preparation rather than cooking with their back to everyone
• Guests to sit at the bar and interact with the cook naturally — the outdoor kitchen becomes a social cooking experience rather than a utilitarian service zone
• Bar service (drinks) and food service to happen from the same structure without competing for the same counter space

The design works because outdoor kitchens have two inherently distinct functions: cooking and service. Giving each side of the kitchen a specific function — cooking on the grill side, drinks and socializing on the bar side — creates a kitchen that flows intuitively for both cook and guests.

Bar Counter Height and Seating

Outdoor bar counters are built at 42–43 inches high, which is 6–7 inches higher than standard kitchen counter height (36 inches). This height:

• Creates a natural standing conversation position — guests at the bar can lean in without feeling like they’re bending over
• Accommodates standard bar stools (28–30 inch seat height)
• Visually separates the bar from the cooking counter in an L-shaped configuration

We typically build the bar face from the same masonry or tile as the outdoor kitchen base, with the bar counter overhang extended 12–15 inches to provide comfortable knee room for seated guests.

Bar Appliances: What to Include

Beverage Refrigerator (Essential)

A dedicated beverage refrigerator on the bar side — separate from the food refrigerator on the kitchen side — keeps drinks organized and accessible without requiring reaching past the cook. Undercounter beverage refrigerators designed for outdoor use come in 15–24 inch widths and hold 75–150 cans or a mix of bottles and cans. A glass door model lets guests see what’s available without opening the unit repeatedly.

Bar Sink (Strongly Recommended)

A bar sink with running water on the bar side makes rinsing glassware, diluting drinks, and keeping the bar clean dramatically more manageable. A compact 9×12 inch stainless bar sink is adequate for most bar applications. Running water to the bar side requires a licensed plumber to extend the supply and drain lines — plan this during initial construction; it’s difficult and expensive to add later.

Ice Maker (Premium Addition)

A built-in outdoor ice maker eliminates the single most common interruption in outdoor bar service: running inside for ice. Outdoor-rated undercounter ice makers produce 25–50 pounds of ice per day — more than adequate for any residential outdoor bar. They require a water supply line and drain, both of which should be planned with the bar sink plumbing during construction. The convenience value of on-demand ice at the outdoor bar is significant for homeowners who entertain regularly.

Wine Refrigerator

For wine-focused entertaining, a dedicated dual-zone wine refrigerator (red and white storage zones at different temperatures) in the bar counter provides appropriate wine service without using the food refrigerator’s space. Outdoor-rated wine refrigerators are available in undercounter formats sized for outdoor kitchen installation.

Electrical Outlets

The bar area should have at least one and ideally two GFCI-protected 120V outlets on the bar counter face or within easy reach — for blenders, cocktail equipment, and device charging. Plan electrical at the design stage; adding outlets to a finished masonry kitchen is a disruptive retrofit.

Bar Seating Design

The seating at an outdoor bar affects how many people can use the space and how comfortably. Design considerations:

• 24 inches of bar width per seat — the minimum comfortable seating spacing. A 72-inch bar counter (6 feet) accommodates 3 seats comfortably.
• Bar stool height — 28–30 inch seat height for 42–43 inch bar counter. Swivel stools are more comfortable and practical than fixed-position stools in an outdoor bar setting.
• Material selection — outdoor bar stools should be weather-rated. Aluminum frames with outdoor-rated cushions or all-aluminum/teak stools perform well in Oklahoma’s climate.
• Cover consideration — if the bar area is covered, bar stools can be premium and less weather-resistant. If the bar is exposed to weather, choose accordingly or plan for cushion storage.

Bar Lighting

Bar areas benefit from multiple lighting layers:

• Under-counter LED lighting — mounted to the underside of the bar counter overhang, illuminating the bar surface and the guests’ faces. Creates the bar atmosphere that overhead-only lighting can’t replicate.
• Pendant lights — where a covered structure allows, pendant lights above the bar create a focused, intimate lighting zone over the bar seating that differentiates it from the rest of the patio.
• Backlit shelving — if the bar includes a display shelf for bottles or glassware, LED backlighting makes this a visual feature at night.

Build Your Broken Arrow Outdoor Bar

VistaScapes & Design designs and builds outdoor kitchen and bar combinations throughout Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Jenks, Bixby, Owasso, and the greater Tulsa metro. We coordinate all elements — masonry base, cabinetry, appliances, plumbing, and electrical — so the bar is fully functional and beautifully finished when the project is complete.

Call us at 918-779-1317 to schedule your outdoor living consultation. We’ll design an outdoor kitchen and bar setup that fits your property, your entertaining style, and your budget.