How to Style Your Bar Cart | construction2style

Summer entertaining has begun! And every party needs a fun bar cart. We use our bar cart regularly, hosting a party or not, and are constantly re-styling it based on who and what we’re entertaining for.

We love to entertain, and a bar cart is a must for our parties, so I always want things on our cart that are not only really pretty but things I’ll actually use.

The interior designers at Havenly shared their own tips and tricks for styling a bar cart on their blog, so we were inspired to share with you some simple ways to style your bar cart for your summer parties or just to sit in your home for you to look at.

Table of Contents

Step #1 | Get a Fun Cart

This bar cart that we love using is from Bellacor, and it’s perfect because it has a towel holder on the side and can hold a lot of drinks and pretty things. I like the simple wood look in which can go with different styles. I love a good statement bar cart too, but we opted to go more neautral and classic to not only go with different styles but we knew we wouldn’t get sick of it as fast. Having shelving on top and bottom was also key for us, which provides space for decor and drinks to style the cart.

Step # 2 | Express yourself

Let your personality shine! Do you love color? Are you drawn to black and white? Is your style more natural with greenery? Do you like wine or are you more of a margarita person?
Find glasses, towels, fruit, and accessories that express you and your personality. Don’t think that you have to keep it simple and on trend. Do you! Part of the fun of having a party is getting to show off your home and your style, and you want your bar cart to reflect that.

Step # 3 | Determine Your Look

Colorful flowers or simple greenery can help determine the style of a party vibe or more classy dinner look. Are you having a fiesta, summer brunch, bachelorette party, or classic dinner party? Using simple things like different napkins, glasses and floral can determine the vibe of your gathering.

If it’s a summer cocktail party then I’d go with lot of bright colors in the florals, glasses, straws, martini shakers.

If it’s a nice dinner party then gravitate to more simple greenery, wine, elegant cocktail napkins and glasses.

And if it’s a bachelorette party bring out as much bling, bling and glitter as you can!

Step #4 | Stylish & Functional

Everything we place on our bar cart has a purpose.

I always start with the largest object when styling any home, shelf, or room. And this water pitcher is the largest. Next, I always add a cute bucket on the bottom for ice and to keep cans or bottles cool. Then depending on the theme, I’ll add the rest.

Step #5 | Pretty Packaging

Look for pretty packaging. Not going to lie…when I see a pretty bottle of wine or water, I buy it just to style our home or clients. Although, in our home it usually doesn’t last long around here. Which is great! That’s the point right, to use it.

So don’t just buy things for looks, but buy to style and actually use. Color, patterns, and textures all come into play when styling your bar cart. There are so many awesome brands with beautiful packaging that also taste really great. Cost Plus World Market is our go-to for really cute bottles and delicious drinks.

The cutting board there on the bottom is also one of our favorite serving trays. We got it from our friends at Family Laser and they even engraved our name into the wood. Functional to use when cutting those lemons or just simply sitting there for good looks.

Step # 6 | Add the Booze

Although, World Market doesn’t serve alcohol. For that we usually always hit up Trader Joe’s or Target. They never disappoint. They have a ton of options and you can always find something in your price range.

Step #7 | Shop your own house

To find accessories to add to your bar cart, look around your home. We always are shopping our own house and rearranging. You don’t need to go out and buy a ton of new things. Look for cute vases, mason jars, and little dishes that are probably in your cupboards already. Little trinkets can add style and personality to your cart. And you’ll save a ton of money. It always looks completely different in new spaces.

Step # 8 | Visual interest with lots of color

We LOVE color, so for our bar cart, we like to incorporate lots of different colors. Adding limes and lemons to your water not only makes it look and taste so much better, but it also brings in various colors as well. The flowers complement the fruit while adding new texture and color.

And glasses, another easy and fun way to bring in some new textures and color. We got these adorable glasses from Target for under $2 bucks!

The best thing about adding interest to your bar cart is that it keeps your guests eyes cruising from one spot to the other, and usually dishing our compliments and wondering where you got it all.