Built-in bars in LI homes

Who needs to go barhopping or wait in line to get into a trendy night club when you can enjoy drinks, good friends and interesting conversation at a bar in your very own home.

Karen Bryan couldn't agree more. She says the bar in her Valley Stream home has a similar vibe to the penthouse bar at the Gansevoort Hotel, a favorite Manhattan nightspot. "My bar has the same type of setup. The bar and island are to one side and the couches are off to the other side. It's so comfortable," says Bryan.

Bryan's bar is so popular, in fact, that she has even let friends use it for their special occasions. "We've had anniversary parties here, birthday parties, farewell parties, even an after-shower bridal party." She adds, "In July, after my sister's wedding rehearsal at the church, instead of going to a restaurant, everyone went back to my house just so they could go to the bar."

There is an impressive array of indoor bars in homes on the market.

HEAD OF THE HARBOR, $7.2 million

BAR STYLE. Handcrafted eclectic bar with Old World charm

SEATS. Six to eight

BAR'S SELLING POINT. "Everything!" says Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty listing agent Stephanie Terebetski.

BELLY UP. The bar that sits in this Head of the Harbor five-bedroom, 5½-bath home looks like a piece of art, says Daniel Gale agent Arlene Shelton, who is co-listing the property.

Created by a master craftsman, the hardwood bar boasts a granite countertop and a matching granite floor that runs around the perimeter, giving the bar a defined space in an open setting.

The bar features a thickly carved wooden edge and brass foot rail. "The bar is very masculine, with clean lines," says Terebetski. "It has lots of carved wood and raised panels throughout."

Leaded glass pendant lighting and a central chandelier hang above the bar. Recessed lighting gives the room a warm glow, while lighting in the cabinetry illuminates artifacts, bottles and glasses. All the bar essentials are stored there. "Everything is hidden. You just open a door and everything is there," says Terebetski.

Additional features include a copper sink and a television. The bar is also next to a wine cellar that can hold more than 2,000 bottles of wine. "When homeowners want to do a wine tasting, they can stay in the wine cellar or walk over to the bar. Everything is right there for serving and tasting," she adds.

The bar is part of a massive space that also features a billiard area and seating by an onyx fireplace. On the other side of the room is a casino, an ice-cream parlor with sitting area and an arcade.

LISTING AGENTS. Stephanie Terebetski (ext. 209) and Arlene Shelton (ext. 214) of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, 631-584-6600

ROSYLN HARBOR, $7.499 million

BAR STYLE. Eclectic

SEATS Four

BAR'S SELLING POINT. The glass mosaics  -- "not the usual material for a bar," says the seller, interior designer Mercedes Courland.

BELLY UP. Courland, 58, says she believes that having a bar is an "absolute must," particularly in larger homes, where entertaining is part of the plan. She designed her bar in the four-bedroom, six-bathroom house, calling it a combination of a hunting lodge and a French chateau. "We plant tall yellow flowers out there, so we are kind of bringing the sunshine in," Courland says.

The bar is part of a spacious entertainment room that features a pool table and a sitting area that overlooks the pool and has views of Hempstead Harbor.

The bar features a counter in a honey onyx, complemented by a wall of gold-yellow glass mosaic iridescent tiles. "As you move by the tiles, it changes tones, which is really beautiful," she says, adding, "When I design a bar, everyone wants the wood-paneled classic look and marble countertop. This bar is very light and translucent."

Amber lighting with curved rods hang from the ceiling to match the curve in the onyx counter. "The bar is built in an alcove, so it looks like it belongs there," she says. The glass shelves can hold an assortment of liquor, and a wine cooler stores 21 bottles. Bar accessories fit in a closet, with additional shelving for more storage.

Courland says she enjoys her bar so much she wouldn't want to live without one. "The bar makes you want to entertain more. It's so much fun, especially for sports events. Everyone is standing at the bar watching the television and cheering," she says.

LISTING AGENT. Regina Rogers, Laffey Fine Homes, 516-314-0953

VALLEY STREAM, $429,000

BAR STYLE. Cool and contemporary

SEATS. Four

BAR'S SELLING POINT. The wine rack -- "When you walk toward the bar, you can't help but notice it. It looks like a mini wine cellar," says seller Karen Bryan.

BELLY UP. Every time Bryan uses the bar at her four-bedroom, 2½-bath house, she says she falls in love with it again. "The aesthetic is so beautiful, I don't think anyone will be able to resist it," says Bryan, 40, a law student.

Bryan, whose bar is in her basement media room, had it built to her specifications. Made from cherry wood cabinetry, it features a built-in wine rack that can hold up to 12 bottles of wine, two wineglass racks and lots of cupboards and drawers for storage. There's also a granite countertop, a built-in icemaker and stainless-steel sink and matching wine refrigerator.

The bar is adorned with custom lighting and a mirror that is lined with glass shelves displaying an assortment of specialty drinks. "My bar holds all the equipment and accessories a bartender would need," she says. "I even have a book, 'Bartending for Dummies.' I have used that guide for a while and now I make awesome drinks."

LISTING AGENT. Carol Gallo-Turschmann, Bill Gallo Realty, 516-825-2000

HEWLETT HARBOR, $799,000

BAR STYLE. Tropical

SEATS. Six

BAR'S SELLING POINT. The location -- "having a bar in the living room makes the room unique," says seller Dr. Montgomery Douglas, a family physician.

BELLY UP. Douglas and his wife, Pearl, 40, a certified public accountant, agree that having a bar in their home has made entertaining much more convenient. "I didn't expect that the bar would add so much to the house, but it does," says Douglas of the four-bedroom, five-bath home.

In December, when Monty Douglas celebrated his 50th birthday, the bar, he says, added a different ambience to the night. "We had about 40 guests, and the bar really brought people together. Many of my guests stayed at the bar."

It has a tropical feel, with mahogany tones and wood paneling as well as ample cabinetry, a sink, a refrigerator and shelves that hold a variety of wines, beers and specialty drinks, including some of their favorites -- ginger wine and Ponche Kuba, a popular Caribbean drink.

"The bar makes the living room space more festive. It lends itself to parties, which makes entertaining so much easier. Typically you would have to go into the kitchen to get drinks and water when you have guests, but when you have a bar you can just wander over to it. It's right there."

LISTING AGENT. Madeline Dallek, Pugatch Realty Corp., 516-316-8375

WADING RIVER, $699,000 to $749,000

BAR STYLE. Old style Hollywood cinema

SEATS. Five

BAR'S SELLING POINT. "The coziness of it," says seller Mike Clark.

BELLY UP. Over the last eight years, Clark, 52, president of a Long Island-based commercial printing company, says he has served at least 5,000 bottles of beer and what he describes as an untold amount of vodka and wine from the custom oak bar built by his late father-in-law, a craftsman. For Clark, the bar has been a perfect platform to host gatherings with friends and family.

One of his trademark drinks he says he likes to whip up is called "The Elmer Thorsen" -- Grey Goose Vodka with a minuscule amount of Kahlua. "The drink is named after my father-in-law, who I was very close to."

The bar that sits between a game room and a 12-seat movie theater in the five-bedroom, five-bath house. "After the movie, you go to the bar to have cocktails . . . my favorite time."

The bar's wine rack holds 30 bottles and a refrigerator has room for 48. There is a bathroom nearby. Listing agent, Linda Stowell, adds: "When we sell the house the bar will be a fully operational bar with the exception of alcohol."

LISTING AGENT. Linda Stowell, Coach Realtors, 631-680-5210