Tips To Perfectly Style Your Cart

Styling a Cart and Being Ready to Entertain

As the weather starts to warm up and we all begin to venture out of hibernation, it’s time to start thinking about entertaining guests again. And what better way to prepare for guests than by stocking and styling a bar cart in your home?

Bar carts are wonderful because they can be personalized for any decor style. They’re more than just a functional place to store your cocktail accouterments; they can really contribute to a room’s overall design and become a signature piece in your home.

If you’re putting together a bar cart for a warm-weather get-together, read on for some tips on styling your piece perfectly!

The Essentials:

Every bar cart should be stocked with certain tools, no matter your drink preference. Things like a cutting board, ice bucket, and shaker are almost always must-have items. These items are also a great way to start infusing some of your style into the design; this beautiful cutting board would add plenty of character to your cart.

Next, of course, are the glasses to hold your drinks! Depending on what you’re serving, you may want to put out wine glasses, beer mugs, champagne flutes, shorter tumblers, or even copper Moscow Mule mugs. Displaying a variety of glassware of different sizes and shapes will help create visual interest in your cart.

Finally, we can’t forget the actual cart itself! There is a bar cart to match any style, whether you want something glam and gold, wooden, or acrylic. Personally, I would gravitate toward something simple so I can add touches to my personal style.

The Beverages:

This one is totally up to your preference, but I’ll tell you what we would stock our bar cart with. We drink scotch, red wine, and prosecco, so those are all must-haves. I also always try to make sure to have a good red wine on hand when hosting guests.

It’s unnecessary to have every liquor under the sun available; you only need to stock what you like to drink. However, if you want to please everyone at a larger party, a good list of basics to start with are vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey.

From there, you can build on and add common mixers like juices, club soda, bitters, and garnishes like lemons and limes.

Bonus tip: Display your mixers in glass carafes for a really luxurious touch. Building your liquor collection can be fun, and the different-colored bottles make for a great focal point when arranged on your cart.

The Fun Stuff:

Now that you’ve assembled your barware and beverage components, it’s time to add your personal touch. The online interior design service Havenly has a fun blog post on this topic that should inspire you to style your own bar cart.

A floral arrangement is a good way to add some height to your cart, and hanging a piece of art above the cart will give your guests something to chat about while they fix their drink. You can also express your personality with fun drink accessories like cute cocktail napkins, swizzle sticks, and a tea towel draped over the cart handle.

Finally, try adding one interesting piece (I’d go for something like this patterned vase) that’s purely decor-related to really tie in your bar cart style with the rest of your room. With these last few touches of your personal style, your bar cart should be perfectly stocked and ready to serve your guests!

Do you have a bar cart in your home? Are you planning on putting one together for the upcoming warm weather? I’d love to hear your styling ideas in the comments below!