So you have a bar cart.. now what? Do you fill it up with whatever wine glasses you have at home? or bottles? Or better yet, just take anything alcohol related out of your kitchen cabinets and try to assemble that in the bar cart. Right? No?
No! That’s actually what went through my head when we bought our bar cart, though. I had been wanting it for so long and when we finally brought it home I had no idea what to do with it! I looked all over Pinterest for inspiration, but I couldn’t find anything that worked for me. Every bar cart seemed to be filled with decorative pieces and bottles of San Pellegrino.. which I have nothing against. In fact, it all looked too pretty! For my taste, however, a little too pretty to be functional in our home. I obviously wanted the bar cart to be appealing but I also wanted it to serve it’s purpose. While we don’t actually use it to literally serve drinks out of the bar cart, we definitely keep the necessities for a simple cocktail there. I wanted to share how I achieved this simple, but super functional bar cart assembly. Follow these three easy steps and you, too, can achieve this look!
Bottles up
We assembled all of the alcohol and mixers we have on the bottom shelf. This might not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for us. We didn’t acquire all the alcohol overnight but eventually, after a few gatherings, trips to the liqueur store and gifts from family and friends, we collected a number of bottles! We even threw some cocktail mixers in there! I mean, where else would I keep them? I make it a point to have everything I might need for a cocktail in sight. Otherwise, I might forget I have it and not use it or buy more! So here’s something to consider.. what if you’re not a fan of all liquour and prefer tequila over anything else? (Ah em, my brother and his wife!) You absolutely don’t need to buy alcohol you will never use! In that case I would make it a point to collect cool bottles of tequila. Trust me there are plenty out there. Same if you prefer wine or whatever else. If you don’t drink alcohol you might want to just look up “cute bar cart” on Pinterest and assemble sparkling water and other decorative pieces (totally not kidding!)
Display your favorite glassware
If you have glassware at home, like pretty champagne flutes or Moscow mule mugs, use them! This is all up to you and what vibe you want your bar cart to have. Do you want it to look clean, modern, and simple (like me), or do you want to show off your vintage amber glassware? Do what works for you! You might need to do a little digging to find exactly what you want to display. You should also keep in mind that these glasses shouldn’t be the ones you use regularly. For example, I use wine glasses throughout the week, so keeping them in my bar cart would be an issue. I would have to remember to take them back after using them, and knowing me, I would probably just leave them in my dishwasher. I decided to use champagne glasses here because I don’t often use them and they stand tall among all the other things in the bar cart. Even though they are just plain glass, they stand out. I have also used Moscow mule mugs, which look great, but for the bar cart in our current home, I wanted something a little more subtle. The number of glasses you display is also very crucial. Stick with an even number and use at least four, depending on the size of your cart.
Decorate with cool pieces!
Finally, personalize your bar cart even more with cool decorative pieces! We have collected a number of cocktail recipe books and unique bar tools that we decided to display. So, actually the only decorative piece that doesn’t have a function is the vase with eucalyptus. If you have a mixer, coasters or even a cool bottle opener, display them. The gold lemon wedge is actually a bottle opener! When I saw it at Anthropologie (a great source for quirky kitchen stuff), I knew it would look great in the bar cart and even though we don’t often use it, it would definitely serve a purpose in our bartending activities. Lastly, try not to get carried away with the colors you use. Stick with a color palette or a few types of metals you like (in our case, brass and stainless steel).
I also wanted to tell you about a few of my favorite stores for this kind of stuff. After two years of shopping around for things for our home, I’ve been able to pin down the very best -the ones worth the splurge and the ones with the good deals!
West Elm
Although this is a furniture store, they have a wide variety of decorative pieces! Yes, they can be expensive but if you wait for the right deals, you can score some nice vases, glassware, coasters or even bar tools! We actually bought some of our bar tools from here. I believe it was a set that came with a strainer, muddler, spoon and mason jar.
Crate & Barrel
Hands down the best place for glassware. They have so many types of wine glasses, champagne flutes, you name it. Most of our glassware is from here and even though it’s a little pricier, it’s totally worth the splurge!
Ps. If you’re in the Dallas area, there’s a Crate & Barrel outlet store that has a few selection of glasses at a discounted price. Totally worth a try if you have an outlet around!
Tj Maxx
If you’ve been here, you know it’s a hit or miss. You either go in looking for a few things and walk out with nothing in hand or the total opposite. As far as bar related things go, you can usually count on Tj Maxx to have plenty of mixers at really good prices and of course decorative pieces! I would also look here for glassware. I’ve found some nice wine and champagne glasses for a good price.
Anthropologie
This is the place where you’ll want to splurge. The only things I have found cheap were on sale and weren’t cheap at all compared to other stores. They have beautiful and very unique pieces you’ll crave, but you’ll want to be very careful about. As in, make sure you’ll want to display it! You might not want to splurge on something you’ll end up hiding away in your kitchen cabinets. 🙂
Target
I have saved the best for last. Target. This is where you’ll want to browse first. They usually always keep affordable, but very modern glassware and bar tools. They also carry plenty of decorative pieces. You’ll want to keep an eye out for when they launch a new collection, because some of their cutest pieces will be gone by the time you get to the store. I might be exaggerating a bit, but in all seriousness, if you see something you like, or you think might fit the theme you’re going for.. buy it. Keep your receipt and if you don’t like it, return it! To be completely honest, nothing in my bar cart is from Target, but a lot of things in my kitchen are and I’m in love with every single one.
Trader Joes
I wanted to include Trader Joes because this is my go-to for so many things, but in this particular case two: wine and flowers. I try to go to Trader Joes twice a month for flowers, greenery and wine. They have the greenery I use in the bar cart for 2.99 and so many affordable flowers. You really don’t have to spend a ton to bring beautiful stems into your home! Same goes for the wine. 🙂
West Elm Bar cart | Book 1, Book 2 | Coasters | Champagne flutes | Shaker & Measuring Jigger | Metal Straws| Mixology set | Bottle Opener (similar)
I have linked a few things featured here as well. Some of these are not available where we purchased them anymore, but I did my best to find something similar!
Thank you so much for stopping by. Please let me know what you think in the comment section below! 🙂
love,
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