Cocktail Cabinet Out Of Favour

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31587, 26 January 1968, Page 2

Cocktail Cabinet Out Of Favour

(By

STELLA BRUCE)

LONDON. Some years ago, a fitted bar in the living room was the next best thing to owning a yacht if a host wanted to give the impression of prosperity.

But now the bar that actually looks like something you would see on licensed premises has fallen into disfavour. The “bottlescape” is rarely seen in the London homes of those who claim to know what is what. A tray of drinks and glasses is no longer prominently displayed. These days all manner of unlikely pieces of furniture are being used to keep bottles out of sight. Modern home designers ignore “drinks cupboards,” and the cocktail cabinet is disappearing. Existing fitted cupboards in old houses are being transformed into “mini-bars.” Some of these cupboards are so deep that they can accommodate a small refrigerator for the ice. SCREENED OFF Another idea is to keep bottles on a shelf with a small Venetian blind in front of it. This can be adjusted to hide the contents of the shelf. Almost any recess can be adapted to keep drinks handy but out of view. An old Welsh dresser, a white-painted corner cupboard or a cubby hole under the stairs, with shelves on tbe door, may be used. A low, folding trolley on which drinks may be wheeled

in, will soon be on the British market. The trolley retracts into low shelves and can be pushed into an unobtrusive corner when the party is over.