Celebrity home bars ranked from tasteless to chic: The TV star whose attempt at a cocktail lounge looks like a ‘tacky cabinet’ – and the WAG who is ‘undeniably classy’

After staying in became the new going out in lockdown, people rushed to install bars in their homes to recreate the pub experience without leaving the house.

It’s naturally a highly appealing feature for a celebrity who values their privacy and wants to enjoy their G&Ts away from prying eyes, so much so that singer Ed Sheeran has a full pub set up in his basement.

Others have luxury custom marble slab bars or DIY ‘nooks’ for their bottles of Grey Goose and Aperol.

Colleen Rooney’s £20 million Cheshire mansion boasts an art-deco inspired bar while Amanda Holden upgraded her Surrey home to include a very well-stocked, private bar surrounded by mirrors and theatrical lighting.

Elsewhere, Dr Who star California cottage with Scottish charm, adorning the lounge area with a small bar set-up.

But, as ever, having the money to establish your own private drinking den does not always guarantee that it’s a tasteful spot in which to sip your chardonnay.

Here, interiors expert Jordana Ashkenazi reveals which stars have created a tasteful spot with their champagne budget, and those who would be better to urgently renew their membership to a private members club.

COLLEEN ROONEY

Colleen Rooney’s £20 million Cheshire mansion includes a rounded bar, with hanging glasses along the top.

Jordana: Coleen Rooney’s home bar sits firmly in the classic luxury category, and it’s one of those spaces that immediately makes an impression the moment you walk in. The design feels much closer to what you might expect from a high-end cocktail bar than a typical room in a house.

The circular bar layout is particularly striking. It instantly gives the space a professional feel, almost as if you should have a couple of bartenders working behind it mixing drinks for guests. It’s clearly designed with entertaining in mind, and you can easily imagine it being the centre of a big party.

While some areas of Coleen’s home can sometimes feel a little understated or unfinished, this is definitely a space where real effort has gone in. The materials, the structure of the bar and the overall layout all feel deliberate and well thought out.

It also has that classic “footballer mansion” luxury feel, which some might say is slightly conventional, but in this case it works. The bar has presence, it’s a focal point in the home and it feels properly stocked and ready for entertaining.

Overall, it’s an impressive setup and exactly what you’d hope for from a celebrity home bar.

Verdict: Luxurious, impressive and undeniably classy.

ED SHEERAN

Among the highlights in Ed Sheeran’s £3.7 million Suffolk estate is his own pub called The Lancaster Lock; from where he has previously conducted Zoom interviews during the Covid lockdown.

In his 2023 documentary, viewers saw the pub adorned with glasses, sports memorabilia, flags and working beer pumps, built in a log cabin style space.

Jordana: Ed Sheeran’s home bar is refreshingly different from many celebrity setups. Rather than focusing on glamour or ultra-polished luxury, it feels much more personal and relaxed, almost like a traditional pub-style drinks area.

This approach actually works really well within a home environment. It feels comfortable and sociable, the sort of space designed for friends gathering rather than posing for Instagram. You can easily imagine people pulling up a stool, having a pint and settling in for the evening.

While it might not be the most refined or designer-led space, that’s exactly what gives it its charm. The bar has loads of character and authenticity, which is something that can sometimes be missing from more polished celebrity interiors.

It feels genuine, relaxed and very much in keeping with Ed’s personality.

Verdict: Relaxed, personal and full of character. Classy.

KAREN GILLAN 

Scottish-born star Karen Gillan may have moved to sunny LA but is keeping the taste of home in her California cottage with a rustic, dark-wood bar set-up in her living room, as revealed by Architectural Digest. 

Jordana: Karen Gillan’s drinks setup is a fairly small bar area tucked into her living room, but for a celebrity home that’s reportedly been designed with professional help, it feels surprisingly underwhelming.

At first glance it reads less like a home bar and more like a cabinet or sideboard. The setup appears very minimal, with just a few glasses and a bottle or two sitting on top rather than a proper drinks display or dedicated bar space.

It almost looks like it’s trying to reference an older, more traditional style you might see elsewhere in the house. There’s a hint of that old-school, slightly prohibition-style drinks cabinet vibe, but it never quite lands. Instead of feeling atmospheric or characterful, it simply looks like a cupboard that happens to have a bit of Scotch sitting on it.

Karen has mentioned that the home was designed with the help of a designer, but the overall aesthetic feels slightly stuffy and dated rather than fresh or interesting. A home bar should usually bring a bit of energy to a space, but this one barely registers.

She’s also joked that it’s stocked mostly with Scotch, which is great if you’re a whisky drinker. But if that’s the entire offering, you might be hoping for a slightly broader drinks menu before accepting an invitation.

Ultimately, it feels much more like a drinks cabinet in a living room than a proper home bar.

Verdict: Underwhelming. More cabinet than cocktail bar. Tacky

MOLLY-MAE HAGUE

Molly-Mae Hague’s stunning Manchester home features a dedicated bar area, with trendy grey stone décor.

Jordana: Molly-Mae Hague’s home bar fits perfectly with the rest of her house, which follows that very polished, neutral influencer aesthetic she’s known for. Everything feels carefully considered, with soft tones, smooth finishes and a very clean, contemporary look.

One of the nicest elements is the oval-shaped recess where the drinks are displayed. It’s a creative design feature that immediately gives the bar a bit more architectural interest and stops it feeling like just another cabinet. The finish of the joinery also looks sleek and well executed.

However, the styling is where it slightly loses its impact. Sitting on top of the bar are decorative bust vases with dried flowers, which feel a little out of place. On a drinks bar you’d usually expect to see glasses, cocktail tools or bottles on display, so the decorative pieces make it feel more like a styled shelf than somewhere you’d actually mix a drink.

It would also be nice to see more of the bar itself. While there are clearly bottles stored inside the cabinetry, the surface display is quite minimal. A few more glasses, bottles or bar accessories would instantly make it feel more alive and obviously functional as a drinks area.

Overall, it’s a beautiful piece of joinery and it fits perfectly with Molly-Mae’s aesthetic. But like much of her home, it feels slightly over-curated and staged, and could benefit from a bit more personality and character.

Verdict: Classy, but a little too curated

MARK WRIGHT AND MICHELLE KEEGAN

Mark Wright’s £3.5million Essex home features a private home bar, furnished with two stylish marble slabs. 

Jordana: Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan’s home bar definitely makes an impression. With dark tones, statement lighting and strong materials, it immediately reads as a proper entertaining space rather than just a drinks cabinet tucked into a room.

One of the standout features is the dark stone bar paired with the illuminated onyx panel beneath it. The backlit stone creates a really cool effect and gives the space that high-end cocktail bar feel. It’s a bold design feature and works particularly well in a bar setting.

The layout also makes it clear that this room is designed for entertaining. You walk in and instantly know where the drinks are going to be served from. The bar sits as a central focal point in the room, acting as a hub where guests would naturally gather.

However, it does feel like the space around the bar still needs a little more character to really bring it to life. At the moment the bar itself is doing all the work visually, and because of that the room can feel a little bit flat or rectangular despite the lighting feature.

Adding some strong bar stools, artwork, window treatments or even styling on top of the bar would give the space a more finished and layered feel. A few decorative touches would help soften the room and make it feel less like a standalone feature sitting in the middle of the space.

Overall though, it’s a bold and impressive setup and clearly designed with entertaining in mind.

Verdict: Bold, glamorous and impressive. Slightly showy, but overall classy.

STACEY SOLOMON

While she may have upgraded since, a couple of years ago presenter Stacey Solomon revealed a crafty DIY attempt at a personalised bar in their cottage – with garnishes and syrups at the ready.

Jordana: Stacey Solomon’s drinks area reflects the broader interior style she’s become known for, which leans heavily into that warm, homely, countryside aesthetic. It has a very ‘Pickle Cottage’ feel about it, with rustic materials, soft tones and a relaxed, lived-in charm.

One thing that is genuinely impressive is that the bar appears to be a DIY creation. Stacey has clearly put it together herself using pieces from around the house and affordable finds, which is refreshing to see. From a sustainability and creativity point of view, it’s great, and once styled it actually does look quite neat and considered for something that hasn’t been professionally installed.

However, as a bar, it feels slightly underwhelming. The cabinetry reads more like part of a kitchen pantry than a dedicated drinks station. Instead of the kind of features you might expect in a bar, such as optics, glass displays or a proper collection of bottles, the shelves almost look like they’re holding olive oils or kitchen condiments.

In fact, it’s slightly hard to tell whether it’s meant to function as a bar at all. There’s very little alcohol on display, which leaves you wondering: where does one actually get a drink around here?!

Credit to Stacey for the effort and creativity, but in terms of a celebrity home bar, it doesn’t quite deliver the drama or function you might expect.

Verdict: Charming DIY, but barely a bar at all. Hard to even say if it’s tacky or classy.

LYDIA BRIGHT

Lydia Bright dedicated a section of the room to a mini-bar set up, featuring ‘masculine’ interiors.

Jordana: Lydia Bright’s bar area leans into a masculine, library-style aesthetic, with dark timber cabinetry, arched shelving and warm lighting creating a cosy, softly lit atmosphere. The darker wood tones give the space depth and warmth, and overall the joinery itself is actually quite nice.

However, the bar element feels slightly ambiguous. It almost reads as if the cabinetry was designed first and then someone decided afterwards that one section of it could double as a drinks display. You do wonder whether the ‘bar’ was a bit of an afterthought rather than something that was intentionally designed from the beginning.

The shelves are very carefully arranged and it does verge slightly on feeling a bit over-staged. Looking at it, you almost wonder whether anyone would actually make a drink there at all. There doesn’t appear to be much working space, and it feels more like a bookshelf displaying glasses and bottles than a functional bar setup.

It gives the impression that the joinery was always meant to be shelving, and the drinks were simply added later to create the idea of a bar.

That said, the wood tones are lovely and the slightly masculine, library-style energy does give the space a warm and refined feel overall.

Verdict: Masculine and nicely designed joinery, but the ‘bar’ itself feels more like an afterthought.

CHLOE SIMS

Reality star Chloe Sims doubled her coffee nook into a mini wine bar. 

Jordana: Chloe Sims has opted for a concealed drinks station that doubles as a coffee bar, tucked neatly inside cabinetry. While it’s clearly designed to keep everything organised and out of sight, the setup reads far more like a pantry cupboard than a glamorous home bar.

The shelving and storage are practical enough, but visually it feels more like a feature cabinet than somewhere designed for mixing drinks or entertaining guests. In fact, looking at it, you’re not entirely sure you’d even call it a bar at all.

It’s tidy and functional, but it lacks the presence or atmosphere you’d normally expect from a drinks area in a celebrity home.

Verdict: Practical and stylish, but more pantry than party. Hardly a bar.

AMANDA HOLDEN

Amanda Holden has had a swanky bar installed in her lavish abode.

Jordana: When it comes to home bars, this is one area of the house where you can really go all out. Unlike kitchens or living rooms, which often benefit from a more restrained approach, a bar is one of the few spaces where being a little theatrical actually works. It’s a place for fun, personality and entertaining, so there’s really no need to underplay it. If you’re going to be showy anywhere in the home, the bar is definitely the place to do it.

Amanda Holden seems to understand that perfectly. Her home bar leans confidently into that glamorous, party-ready aesthetic, with dramatic shelving, layered lighting and rows of bottles that immediately give it the feel of a proper cocktail bar.

The darker colour palette works beautifully here as well. It gives the space a moody evening vibe, which is exactly what you want in a bar area. It feels designed for late-night drinks, music and entertaining rather than just being a decorative feature in the house.

Amanda’s interiors can sometimes lean on the more glamorous, showy side throughout the house, but this is one room where that approach really works. A bar is exactly the place where you can have a bit of fun with the design, so in this case she’s been given the green light from me to just go for it.

It looks stocked, ready for a party and like somewhere you’d genuinely want to hang out with friends.

Verdict: Glamorous, dramatic and classy

CHLOE FERRY

Chloe Ferry’s Newcastle home also features a private bar – with black, grey and gold furnishings. 

Jordana: I’ve said that the home bar is one area of the house where you really can afford to be theatrical. It’s a space where you can go all out, have fun with the design and lean into something bold and glamorous.

Unfortunately, Chloe Ferry’s bar is a good example of how that approach can go wrong.

From the chandelier overhead to the brassy gold stools, glossy black finishes and mirrors everywhere, the space feels overloaded with shiny surfaces and competing statement pieces. Instead of creating atmosphere, it ends up feeling chaotic and visually overwhelming.

A great bar should feel exciting and inviting, somewhere you’d want to sit with friends and have a drink. Here, the combination of reflective materials, gold accents and dramatic lighting pushes the design into something that feels more gaudy than glamorous.

Rather than feeling stylish or playful, the overall effect is just too much. Everything is shiny, loud and competing for attention, which makes the room feel more like a nightclub set than a sophisticated home bar.

It’s certainly bold, but unfortunately it crosses into territory that feels tasteless and over the top.

Verdict: Ick! Very tacky.

DAVID AND VICTORIA BECKHAM

When sharing celebratory snaps from his 50th birthday celebrations last year, David appeared to show glimpses of a bar set up in his and Victoria’s stunning Cotswolds home.

Jordana: David and Victoria Beckham’s Cotswolds drinks display is understated and elegant, focusing on neatly arranged glassware and refined shelving.

Rather than installing a dramatic showpiece bar, the design feels more like a beautifully styled drinks storage area in a classic country house. The restraint actually works in its favour, creating a calm and sophisticated aesthetic that feels timeless rather than trendy.

The overall vibe is warm, calm and effortless. It feels like the sort of place you’d happily wander over to in the evening, pour yourself a drink, or have them pour you one, and settle in for a relaxed night.

Hey Beckhams, I’m in the Cotswolds this weekend… drinks at yours? What’s the door number again?

Verdict: Effortlessly classy.