Stocking our bar cart was one of my favorite “move-in” projects because it has potential to be so inviting, it fills my craving for organization and design and it makes wine nights super fun and easy for the girls or me and my husband. 

We’ve been on the hunt for a great bar cart for several months and Santa got us one for Christmas from Target! It has the wooden texture mixed with rose gold/copper — matches our kitchen/dining room aesthetic perfectly. 

There are a few “must haves” when it comes to decorating a bar cart and this is what made mine juuuuust right for our space. 

1. Flowers + a fun vase

I normally always stick with eucalyptus. It’s clean looking, fresh and loopy and adds a whimsical feel to something that tends to be a little more structured. For the vase, I used a white ceramic pitcher from Williams Sonoma and it was exactly what the eucalyptus needed. It’s a curvy pitcher that adds some movement and curves to the linear design. Because it’s not a traditional “vase” it adds some fun flavor to the overall idea.

2. Fruit/something edible

I love macaroons and love to keep those on my bar cart to pair when I occasionally sip some Rosé. Let’s be honest, that never happens. When I do have macaroons on the bar cart they don’t stay long…

Instead, I keep lemons, limes or oranges to add a pop of color and citrus. I put a handful of them in a martini glass. 

3. Glasses + rack

Our bar cart didn’t come with a glass rack so we bought one from Bed Bath and Beyond and it holds 9 glasses. Thomas installed it underneath the top shelf of the bar cart and it’s easy access to glasses when you want to pour a quick drink. 

4. Wine bottles

There are some funky fun decorated wine bottles that better be displayed. They add some fun color and style to the bar cart — make sure to have those flaunted, out and about. 

5. Mixers

Gin and tonic is a great drink that a lot of people use as their “go to” so we like to have sparkling water available to our guests. Coke and run is another that’s highly demanded so keeping cute glass bottles of coke or Perrier sparkling water is a great idea.

6. Colored serving wear

Along with the fruit, you’ll want another fun pop of color. For me, it’s always going to be copper or rose gold. We have a few Moscow Mule glasses that we paired with some corks and cheese knives and bottle openers, all the accessories we have are are copper. It’s an obsession. 

7. Mixing Equipment

If you’re going to use your bar cart to host, you’ve got to have your mixing utensils: a shaker, strainer, stirrers, etc. Make sure that’s at easy access (probably top shelf material).

8. Something personalized

Thomas and I received a few personalized wedding gifts — one of our favorites was a cutting board with our anniversary date and our family’s name. It adds a familial touch that makes something so fun also so special. 

9. A tray + something organizational

It helps to have all of these fun materials organized in a less overwhelming fashion. To have a few trays or fun tin boxes, something to help organize definitely makes your bar cart more pleasing to they eye.  We found an antique “Johnny Walker” tray in Columbia, South Carolina and use that holding our “miscellaneous” items. 

10. Alcohol, duh. 

We always have Johnny Walker, a few different other favorites and of course, they’re top shelf material as well. 

It’s always fun to display the fun so bar carts are a great way to decorate a wall, corner or space in your dining room/kitchen!

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