Bar Cart Decor

Get simple tips that will show you how to style a bar cart! Bar cart decor can be simple but beautiful, and fit for any occasion.

Take your living or dining spaces to a whole new level with a perfectly accessorized bar cart. It’s so much fun to decorate this little piece of furniture, and we love rolling it from room to room!

A bar car is a great transitional piece to use throughout your home. It can function as a drinks trolley when entertaining, as a buffet for desserts, or it also can serve as an end table or entryway table for any room in your home.

I find highly styled bar carts beautiful, but difficult to navigate. Have you ever been to a cocktail party where you’re terrified if you pull the bottle of wine out that you’ll knock over a glass?

Psst… Read the background story of our vintage gold bar cart here if you’re in need of a laugh!

I love finding a blend of style and function that leaves you fearless of pouring that glass of wine, rather than worrying about the domino effect you may start by moving just one little item on the bar cart.

Bar Cart Decor

My design style tends to err on the side of a minimalistic aesthetic. The saying “fashion over function” has never been my philosophy because I feel that style and function should always blend. I enjoy entertaining and like to look at it beyond aesthetics to create an effortless flow for my guests.

Oftentimes, doing so, this gives me more opportunity to enjoy our guests. The same theory applies to styling a bar cart. It should not be fashion over function.

We’ve long enjoyed a bar cart in both our St. Louis home and our Modern Lake House, too. It’s not always about the alcohol, either – there are plenty of ways to style a bar cart without it!

Learn more about our favorite rattan bar carts here, and gold bar carts here!

In our lake cottage, we included a bar cart in the living room as part of the overall open concept design. There was the perfect little nook for it – how could we resist?

The goals are always to ensure that it not only looks beautiful, but that everything is easily accessible when we are entertaining. When we’re not, it simply holds a few favorite bottles and adds a lot of texture to the room.

These simple tips will help you to style a bar cart with ease for any occasion.

Bar Cart Accessories: Where to Start

Here are a few simple basics that can help you get started!

• Beverage bottles
• Appropriate glassware
• Cocktail napkins
• Plates and utensils if it’s doubling as an hors d’oeuvres or dessert bar

How to Style a Bar Cart

By following these simple design rules, you will always have a beautifully styled cart:

• Something organic: flowers, branches, fruits, etc. bring life to the vignette.
• Detail: it truly is all in the detail. Sometimes even the simplest details can truly elevate style. In this cart, I used a stag head wine cork {which I gilded, of course}. Little accessories can make a big impact.
• Decor: I tend to choose something pretty and seasonal, but limit it to just a piece or two so that it doesn’t hinder accessibility.
• Tray/bowl: layering is key in all aspects of design. It gives the bar cart a little added depth and in this cart, groups the signature cocktails.
• Height: whether a vase filled with flowers or a lamp, give it height to add interest.

Serve Cocktails from Your Bar Cart

Whatever you’re serving, make it convenient for guests to serve themselves. It’s one of my best entertaining tips – always encourage your guests to feel at home.

Ready-to-drink cocktails and decor are best on the lower level, while wine is easier to pour from the top level.

Mixing a cocktail on your cart is fun, too, if you have the space. Add pretty bottles of mixers, your liquor of choice, and then bowls of fruit for garnishing. I love these pretty glass bottles with gold spouts for pouring syrups, too!

Learn how to set up a Mimosa Bar or a self serve Mojito Bar so guests can make themselves at home!

Christmas Bar Cart Ideas

I applied the same set of guidelines to style our bar carts for Christmas. I love to create interest with fresh fragrant flowers, and include glassware, plates, napkins and more.

Use items like wrapped gifts, pinecones, bowls of ornaments, gold accessories like reindeer, stars and more. It doesn’t take much to transition this piece for the holidays!

Add sweet little brass bells to any of your alcohol bottles for the cutest touch. This makes a great parting gift for guests, too – and it’s part of your entertaining display!

Wine or champagne is always wonderful on a bar cart, along with the appropriate wine glasses. For the lower level of the cart, I tend to place the drinks we’ll use a little less frequently during the evening.

I know they’ll just have a few pours and we’ll be refilling wine far more often. I like grouping alcohol together on a tray.

After I’ve set up the bar cart for the holidays, I always double check that everything is functional and accessible.

How to Style a Bar Cart Without Alcohol

No matter the season, bar carts are fun without the alcohol, too! Use them to serve cookies or other desserts, or simply to have set up for entertaining.

We have been enjoying our gold bar cart styled simply in our breakfast nook, which is where we gather as a family for most of our meals.

Use a pretty ginger jar for height. Stack plates, napkins and other dining essentials. We’ve even got a pretty deck of cards, as well as coffee table books and decorative accents in marble and gold.

I hope you have enjoyed these bar cart styling tips and can incorporate them into your own gatherings!