BAR CART STYLING: 5 ESSENTIALS EVERY BAR CART SHOULD HAVE
Bar Cart Styling
Since starting my blog, the topic that people ask me about most often is bar cart styling. And the question I get asked regularly is “What do I need to have on my bar cart?” And the answer is—it depends. That’s because there are a lot of factors that might influence your bar cart style. For example, will it be a functional piece that you use to store alcohol? Or is it more of a decorative, statement piece for your living room or dining area? Will you use it as a convenient place where you serve drinks when you have company? Or perhaps you just bought it to add a little style and flair to your space. Or maybe it’s both functional and pretty. But no matter how you decide to use it, there are 5 essentials that every bar cart should have. But before we get into the essential items, let’s talk about how to find the perfect bar cart.
FINDING THE RIGHT BAR CART
Just like with any piece of furniture, I think there’s a bar cart out there for everyone—regardless of your style, budget, and space. If you’re not sure where to start, I recommend a basic search on Pinterest so you can get an idea of the different styles and price points. Maybe you like vintage/traditional decor. Or you might be more of a modern maven. Or perhaps price is most important and you want to spend less than 100 bucks on your cart (yes, it’s possible). Maybe you have an unlimited budget or have lots of space or a tiny NYC closet apartment. Whatever your style, whatever your budget, there’s a bar cart out there for you.
If DIY really excites you and you’re down to get your hands dirty with crafting, I recommend going with a basic/blank canvas style that you can customize to your liking, like the infamous Ikea Raskog cart. If your DIY skills are next level and you want to take it up a notch, you could even repurpose an old dresser/or other piece of furniture and design your own.
This is second bar cart that I’ve owned in my lifetime. My first one was a gift and it was love at first sight. But over the years, my style and home decor changed. So I decided to sell it and purchase a new one. And I absolutely love it. It matches my living room decor perfectly. You’ll be shocked to know that I got it from Walmart for under $70! Don’t sleep on Walmart, ya’ll.
ONCE YOU DECIDE ON THE PERFECT CART, THE REAL FUN BEGINS! BAR CART STYLING TIME!
Bar Cart Styling Essentials
ALCOHOL (BOTTLES & DECANTERS)
A few Black-owned spirits on my bar cart
This is a no-brainer! It’s a bar cart so of course you would have alcohol on it. But what alcohol do you need? That depends on whether you want to use your bar cart as a storage hub for all your bottles. Or if you only want to display some of them. My bar collection is probably close to 100 bottles at this point. So I use my bar cart for decor rather than for storage. So when it comes to alcohol, I only put my prettiest or most unique bottles on display. Lately, I’ve been collecting a lot of Black-owned spirits. So many of the bottles on my cart are from Black-owned alcohol companies. In addition to liquor bottles, some people also include wine bottles, liqueurs, bitters. Some even opt for mixers and sodas.
BOOKS & ART
Displaying items of different heights on your bar cart will take your styling to the next level. And books are a great way to achieve that. That’s because they make a great base for smaller items. And they give shorter items a nice boost. I use my Death & Co. and Cocktail Codex books to add a little height to my vase of flowers, bar tools, and bowl of citrus.
Two large cocktail books give other items height
Death & Co and Cocktail Codex, the holy grail of cocktail books
BAR TOOLS
Your bar cart is a great place to store bar tools like jiggers, shakers, muddlers. Even fancy straws might find a home there. I sometimes keep some of my tools together in a hobnail jar on the top shelf. Having the jar keeps them neat and makes things easier to find when I need them. Read about essential bar tools every home bartender needs here.
GLASSWARE
This is one of my favorite topics! Your bar cart is the perfect place to show off your fanciest, most ornate glassware. Stemware looks especially lovely displayed on a nicely decorated bar cart. And remember, this ain’t your grandmama’s china so you don't need to break the bank to find glasses that suit your personal style or home decor. Stores like H&M, Anthropologie, and cb2 have a wide selection of beautiful and inexpensive glasses and barware that will impress even your bougiest friend. Read more about affordable, chic glassware here. And find 5 cocktail glasses under $5 here.
DECORATIVE ITEMS
Decorative items on my bar cart
Finally, your bar cart is an ideal place to display your favorite decor—even items that seem unrelated to alcohol and barware. Think candles, flowers, plants, trays and everything in between. If you like to switch up your home decor for each season, why not put some seasonal items on your bar cart that are easy to swap out every few months? Read all about my Galentine’s Day bar cart styling here.
The moral of the story is there is no right way to style a bar cart. And the way you style yours really comes down to personal preference. So you’re free to style it what ever way your heart desires. But if you need a few recommendations for your bar cart styling, here are a few other items to consider:
Happy styling!
Do you have a bar cart in your home? What are some of the items you have on display?
