I’ll preface this article by saying, I love my bar cart, and I love styling it! When my Nana moved, I was fortunate enough to receive some items from her home, and the Mid-Century Modern bar-cart is my prized possession! Not only does it make me feel close to her even when she is hours away, it reminds me of how classy and sophisticated her parties were, and it inspires me!
Bar carts have made a comeback into the American household in the last few years, and they are truly pieces of art! There are entire books on how to style them, because it’s not the simplest thing. There are so many ways to make them look – from boho-chic, to minimalist, to glam..I even see tea and coffee carts! I’m always changing mine up, especially for the season. Expect to see my bar cart decked out in Christmas decor in a few months here!
Remember how I said they can be challenging – well i’m here to break it down for you and keep it simple. There are a few steps that can help you make yours look like it just stepped out of Elle Decor. Brian and I rarely drink, so our bottles of alcohol are limited..and probably collecting dust, but you’ll see even with just a few items, I made the bar cart look full! Follow along for tips and for some of my favorite bar cart items!
How to Style your Bart Cart Step-By-Step Guide
1. Start with bottles
I started with my liquor bottles on the bottom and balanced it by putting the wine on top in opposite corners. It’s all about creating balance and positioning items in a please way – so use the rules of 3. Tip: If you don’t have any alcohol bottles, you can use bottles of water (nice bottles like Pellegrino or Vos..not plastic bottled water haha!) as fillers.
2. Add Glassware
I added my stemless wine glasses to the mix! Those are the only glasses I have – because I don’t have a need for other ones, but you can add scotch glasses, martini glasses, whatever your glassware of choice may be. I added my favorite stemless pineapple wine glasses
3. Add tall items for height
When I say add tall items – this can be a lot of things. I always like adding greenery to my bar cart, so I added a vase with tall faux lemon grass to one corner, and on the opposite bottom shelf I added a glass wine carafe. You could add a wine chiller or flowers or tall decor sculpture. PS – I’ve had my eye on this Marble Champagne Cooler
4. Add functional decor
I added coasters and a golden wire bowl for things like lemons and limes which would be used for a cocktail. You could use Whiskey stones, straws, mixers, a shaker, anything that is functional in use for your bar cart.
5. Finishing touches
I added paper straws in one glass and a pineapple trinket just to add a little gold touch. See my pineapple theme? ha! I kept my bar cart very simple, because I wanted the design of the actual cart to be what stood out here. But you can always add layers with books (Cocktail or recipe books!) Add napkins, more trinkets, etc. It’s all about what you want and how you use it! Happy styling friends!
I loved styling this, and if you want to see it in action – pop on over to my Instagram to see a video of how it’s done and keep up my fall decor trends!
