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the Kava Lava Lounge... home bar pics lots of 'em |
tiki junkman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2003
Posts: 148
From: Kava Lava Lounge, Aurora, IL
|  Posted: 2006-09-03 7:18 pm Permalink
It took me a long time to actually take pictures and post my home bar here but I think it's worth the wait. I bought a house almost 3 years ago and it had a full unfinished basement. I have never finished a basement so it was an interesting journey. I ended up building a tiki bar and also a recording/jam studio room for music. The bar took me almost 1 full year to build and like most of your bars, its still not quite done. I have over 100 pics of it from start to finish but I am only posting the finished ones as of now. The hardest part with the pics is the lighting down there. Its so dark and most of the lighting changes colors. The dig. camera I have just wasn't capturing the true atmosphere of it but I guess that's ok. It makes the bar that much cooler when people see it for the first time. drum roll.......
Here is the top of the stairs entering the Kava Lava Lounge. On the left side is my collection of tiki fork and spoons in a design pattern. The right side is my interpretation of tiki torches. I got the flickering flame bulbs that light up the stairs.
On the left wall at the bottom is a mural of the Hawaiian islands. I have a buddy who paints murals. The pic cut some of the whole thing but you get the idea.
Like I said, the lighting doesn't seem to transfer the best with the camera. Here again the mural with a little more of the room.
This is where the big Kahuna sits.
My chair again
When you reach the bottom of the stairs and turn right, this is the wall to your left. The room isn't huge and in hindsight I would have built the room bigger. I think the room is 13 feet by 18 feet or something like that. I built shelves around three sides of the entire room where I display all my mugs and whatnot. I embedded red rope light behind the shelving to light up the collectibles and the room.
Ok now...the bar. It is huge. I really didn't plan it out as much, just started throwing wood together. For the bar top I covered it with burlap and then laid shells, critters, and coral pieces and poured clear epoxy. It turned out really cool. The burlap kind of reminds me of sand with the shells. I made a cushion around the front of the bar with real soft fake animal print fabric... for the nights you need to lean. I also built a huge working waterfall in the other corner. This was a project. I went for a black lava rock idea. I have fake birds and plants all around it. I found really cool waterproof halogen color changing lights that are placed all around it. These are the hardest to capture on film.
Here is a close up the fountain, though maybe kind of hard to see. The water starts at the top, runs down the face, and then hits the shelf with the shells that creates the final waterfall. This is definitely the highlight of the bar and also where I got the name.
Around the fountain, i have murals of leaves and things. This is the left side.
The fountain in its glory.
The bar top
Pic of fountain across to the next wall. Some of the plants.
The bar
Continuing around the fountain, here is the right side. Some witco.
From the stairs looking down
Here is a great table bamboo set I found at a thrift shop in Chicago. They told me it was from an auction that didn't sell and that it was used in a movie set. Don't know if its true.
The ceiling... a pain in the ass to hang with no one else.
This is the longest post I have ever written.
Now all I need is a liquor license
aloha
tiki junkman
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Slacks Ferret
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 02, 2003
Posts: 1173
From: Calgary
| Posted: 2006-09-03 7:31 pm Permalink
Beautiful. Lovely work truly. These are my favourite types of posts! I really wish they were all together in one forum (but I digress).
Love the fountain, love the bar, love the Hawaiian map mural. Reminded me of the staircase at the Waldorf Hotel in Vancouver.
I would love to see those progress shots when you get a chance.
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tiki junkman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2003
Posts: 148
From: Kava Lava Lounge, Aurora, IL
| Posted: 2006-09-03 9:44 pm Permalink
Mahalo Slacks
It was a fun project. I also think there should be a separate area here for just home bars. When I get some time, I will hopefully get those "in progress" pics posted. Its amazing to see some of the early pictures.
thanks again
tj
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dogbytes
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2240
From: seattle, wa
| Posted: 2006-09-03 11:19 pm Permalink
hey tiki junkman.. wondered whatever happened to you!?! saw you all agog at Oceanic Arts a couple years ago ~ nice to see you've put your purchases up... amazing waterfall.. how big is that room overall?
thanks for sharing your pictures..
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christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2006-09-04 01:46 am Permalink
Absolutely stunning.
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harro
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 05, 2005
Posts: 672
From: Australia / Argentina
| Posted: 2006-09-04 05:06 am Permalink
waaayyy cooooollll!!!
talk us thru some of the challenges / difficulties / surprises - and show us some before or progress pics please!
congratulations on such a great job.
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exotica59
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 17, 2004
Posts: 475 | Posted: 2006-09-04 2:04 pm Permalink
Hey! good to see you posting! I wondered what you were doing with all the cool stuff you have bought. Your bar looks great. The waterfall is my favorite thing! excellent job. Our town is becoming quite the tiki place.Pretty son we can have our own tiki crawl.
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tikiwinebear
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 30, 2004
Posts: 578
From: Santa Rosa, CA (Sonoma - wine country)
| Posted: 2006-09-04 2:53 pm Permalink
Excellent! I agree.. that waterfall is amazing! The entire room is amazing! Wish we had basements here in California!
- Myke
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The many personalities of Myke
   
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The Granite Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 02, 2005
Posts: 785
From: Nashua, NH
| Posted: 2006-09-04 2:59 pm Permalink
Love it!
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tiki junkman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2003
Posts: 148
From: Kava Lava Lounge, Aurora, IL
| Posted: 2006-09-04 3:41 pm Permalink
Thanks everyone! I haven't been posting forever, I know, but I have been lurking around once in a while. I have just been too busy down in my bar. I learned so much with the project and have lots to share to anyone who will listen. I will be posting more on it. Here are a few more pics I took and added a sepia filter to give it a "vintage" look. I like them. They remind me of old tiki bar postcards.
This lamp was from the Rock a tiki bar in Chicago that closed down. I got some of its artifacts in my bar.
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IsleConch
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 04, 2006
Posts: 166
From: Satellite Beach, FL
| Posted: 2006-09-04 6:18 pm Permalink
It's absolutely mesmerizing...in a Tiki kind of way. Great job !!
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reedalong
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 27, 2004
Posts: 61
From: Chicago, IL
| Posted: 2006-09-05 12:36 pm Permalink
Awesome room - now, when are you inviting all of your Chicago TC Ohana to visit?
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velveteenlounge
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: 324
From: Velveteen Lounge, NY
| Posted: 2006-09-05 2:11 pm Permalink
I'm especially impressed that it started as an unfinished basement. Our unfinished basement would need a miracle to look that good!
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Lake Surfer
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 21, 2002
Posts: 3308
From: Milwaukee, WI
| Posted: 2006-09-07 10:25 pm Permalink
Beautiful. Simply Beautiful.
I start on mine hopefully in November. Picking up supplies at Safari Thatch in Fort Lauderdale after Hukilau... using funds made from tiki sales to fund the new bar in our new house that we move into at the end of this month. Driving tikis down to Florida... driving thatch and bamboo home. 
Your collection and "Tipsy" factor are wonderful!
Quote:
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I see a Lake Tiki!
I would love advice/tips on the ceiling... I have to figure out how much stuff to buy. The basement in our future 1960's ranch already has a walled/wired basement with a bar... I'll just be adding on and converting to tiki.
Next time I deliver tikis to Tiki Terrace this fall I would love to see your bar... let me know if this is a possibility.
Have fun adding to it... you have so much great stuff going on already... bartop, waterfall, padded bar edge.
Let me know if you need anything carved in the future... I've got a ton of wood in stock! 
[ This Message was edited by: Lake Surfer 2006-09-07 22:45 ]
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reedalong
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 27, 2004
Posts: 61
From: Chicago, IL
| Posted: 2006-09-08 12:27 pm Permalink
Amazing - thanks for sharing and offering inspiration to those of us in the Chicago area!
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