Home Tiki Bar

Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #10 The Taboo Lagoon At The Shangri-La Portland, OR

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars
Aaron behing the bar at The Atomic Lounge
Aaron behing the bar at The Atomic Lounge

When Aaron Thorpe came across his home to be, he took one look at the place and said, “It’s mine.” There’s something about Mid-Century Modern homes that just look so cool and so right. Aaron’s place looks like something straight out of Palm Springs and it’s located in Portland, OR. Aaron has created a home Tiki bar, which is located outside by his pool.  It is incredible, but there is so much more to see at Aaron’s home that it would be a crime to not show off the rest of it!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #9 Trader Tom’s Tropical Lounge At Drifter’s Cove Tacoma, WA

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Renee and Tom at Trader's Tom's Tropical Lounge
Renee and Tom at Trader’s Tom’s Tropical Lounge

In the Pacific Northwest, Tacoma has always had a bad rap. It’s an unfair because it’s being compared to Seattle. Tacoma may not be as big as Seattle, but it sure has some pretty nice neighborhoods. Titlow is a part of Tacoma that is right off the Puget Sound. The neighborhood is known for its giant park (Titlow Park). It’s very stunning. In Titlow you will find Trader Tom’s Tropical Lounge at Drifter’s Cove…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #8 The Lowbrow Lanai Portland, OR

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The Lowbrow Lanai bar
The Lowbrow Lanai bar

Sometimes the hardest part about creating your own Tiki bar is finding the things you want to add to it. There is always eBay or Craigslist, but most of us find our Tiki treasures going to antique stores and thrift shops. I’ve done my share of traveling from one antique shop after another looking for that perfect Tiki mug. It took me over a year to find my Mid-Century Modern couch! Marci Holcomb and Austin Jordan don’t have to search very far for cool stuff. They own their own vintage store: Sputnik Housewares! Marci and Austin’s store and home are in Portland, OR. This is their story…

Marci and Austin
Marci and Austin

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #7 The Exotica Glendale, AZ

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The Exotica dining room
The Exotica dining room

Jim Hyte lives in Glendale, AZ, which means he lives in the desert. I remember on TV when someone was lost in the desert and dying of thirst, they would start to hallucinate. The image the person would see was always a large pool with palm trees. Jim decided to make that hallucination into a reality. He has turned his home and backyard into the Exotica!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #6 The Monkey Hut Portland, OR

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Penelope at the bar
Penelope at the bar

Every home Tiki bar is built the same way: one piece at a time. It may start with the bar itself, a piece of furniture, a Tiki, a wall hanging, or even a Tiki mug itself that creates the spark for someone to start to build a home Tiki bar. Everything you see in a home Tiki bar has a story behind it and adds to the history of the bar. The Monkey Hut, Heather Gregg and Craig Hermann’s home Tiki bar in Portland, OR, has its own history that starts back in the ’90s in Petaluma, CA.

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #5 Cave Of The Kungaloosh Washougal, WA

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Cave Of The Kungaloosh Moai
Cave Of The Kungaloosh Moai

When it comes to a full Tiki experience, there are three factors: décor, music, and drinks. These three factors are what I look for when I visit a Tiki bar. The décor and music are major factors that can make a Tiki bar great, but the most important thing for me is the cocktails. But what happens if the cocktails were taken out of the equation? Would a Tiki experience be the same without a Mai Tai in my hand? This is something I never really thought about until I talked to Daren Ford…

Cave Of Kungaloosh owner Daren
Cave Of Kungaloosh owner Daren

Daren has turned his home and backyard into a Tiki getaway. His place is called the Cave Of The Kungaloosh and it’s truly amazing. But there is one thing that’s different with Daren: he doesn’t drink alcohol.  Can someone enjoy the Tiki lifestyle without drinking? Let’s find out…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #4 The Green Bamboo Lounge and The Munktiki Manor Portland, OR

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Debra and Paul
Debra and Paul

I have a guilty pleasure: I love before and after photos! I love seeing people lose weight and get in shape. I love seeing a vintage car get restored or a home get remodeled. What’s better than all of these is seeing before and after photos of a home Tiki bar. Debba Debba and Paul actually have a picture of their basement before it was converted into the Green Bamboo Lounge.

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #3 The Harpoon Saloon at The Moon Lagoon

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars

 

The bar at the Harpoon Saloon photo by John
The bar at the Harpoon Saloon photo by John

Unincorporated King County.

It’s an area of Seattle that isn’t really Seattle. Actually, Unincorporated King County isn’t part of Seattle at all—or any other city for that matter. It’s kind of an interesting area: no stores, no downtown, just clusters of homes off random streets that seem to lead to nowhere. However, this is where one of the coolest Tiki bars in the Seattle area is located. It’s where you’ll find the Harpoon Saloon at the Moon Lagoon!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #2 The Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge Seattle, WA

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Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge Sign
Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge Sign

It was the summer of 2015. Some friends of mine asked me if I would be interested in going to a Tiki party that was going on up in North Seattle. I was totally down!

We arrived at the house where the party was happening. We knew it was the right place because there were Tiki torches burning outside. We could hear the sounds of people having a good time nearly a block away. Surf music was pouring out of the basement, so we followed the sounds as we walked along the side of the house and finally downstairs.

I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to take my first step into a larger world.

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