Best Bar Cart Ideas

Vintage Touches

detailed bar cart with flowers — Lauren Andresen, SEN Creative

If your bar cart lives inside a traditional dining room, it should complement the entertaining space's style and offer some visual intrigue. To create this setup, Alexis Smith of Shoshin styled this gold Soane Britain trolley with vintage glassware and tea tins; both nodded to the formality of the room. In addition to a few practical elements, the designer included freshly-cut flowers for a touch of elegance and punctuated the nook with a lamp. "It provides extra lighting over the bar cart should the room need to transition to support evening entertaining duties," she says.

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Grounding Metallics

metallic bar cart with cool curtains — Courtesy of Jill Croka Designs

Looking for a way to establish some grounding warmth into an already-dynamic room? Consider a subtle metallic cart that will act as an anchor. Interior designer Jill Croka of Jill Croka Designs selected this piece for its brass tone, noting that it tempered the colorful drapery to the left. "We then chose functional bar items that also blended into the aesthetic of the room," she says. "Smaller elements, such as stone bottle stoppers, add to the overall look—and also draw from colors within the drapes.

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Pattern Play

Let's say you already have a designated bar cart, but it feels tired and outdated when compared to the rest of the room's décor. To punch things up a bit, take matters into your own hands: Give it a coat of fresh white paint and decoupage a sunny-hued Chinoiserie wallpaper onto its tiers. A few coordinating details—note the blue-and-white vessels used for plants and bar tools—ensures the final product is cohesive.

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Engaging Backdrop

This mid-century piece may be tucked into the corner of the room, but the vibrant artwork hanging above it ensures that it doesn't get lost. Recreate White Arrow's efforts by taking a similar approach—hang a favorite frame, tapestry, or sconce above your station for a little extra oomph.

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Color Pop

blue dining room with bar cart — Marco Ricca

We love how the walnut wood of this trolley speaks to the leather chairs surrounding the dining table. As for the approach the designer took when filling its two shelves? "We used glass, good vintage wines, and a pop of color on both the top and bottom to add a bit of life to the wood-and-steel bar cart," says Elizabeth Gill of Elizabeth Gill Interiors, "This bar cart is a focal point between the dining and living space, so we wanted to make it elegant enough for entertaining, but also functional enough for the wine lovers who live there." The abstract art hanging just above the trolley (and the orange boxes on the second tier) speak to the room's bold blue paint.

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Create Vignettes

living room with metallic bar cart and abstract art — Thomas Kuoh Interiors Photography

Cluster groups of like items together—like barware, Pellegrino bottles, or flowers—to create a series of miniature vignettes across your barscape, says Kriste Michelini of Kriste Michelini Interiors. Another detail-oriented tip? "Be cognizant of the labels on the bottles—they should complement and pair well together," she says. "Also, add items that are unexpected, such as interesting coasters, brass, and straws."

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Beach Bar Cart

mounted taxidermy fish and antique bar cart — Pieter Estersohn

While a bar cart should reference the room, it can also illustrate your home's locale. In the butler's pantry of Martha's former house in the Hamptons, taxidermy fish—a nod to the scenic beach just beyond her four walls—were placed above this vintage piece, which was filled with bottles that matched the colorful creatures just above.

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Bathroom Storage

Who says a bar cart has to be used for booze and bubbly? If you're looking for a playful storage solution in your bathroom, consider wheeling in a sturdy, two-tier trolley; use the top for displaying beauty essentials, like perfume bottles and creams, and the bottom to neatly tuck away other water closet items, like toilet paper and towels.

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Bar Cabinet

The only downside to bar carts is their open nature—ensuring they are meticulously styled is key to achieving an elevated look. If you'd rather tuck away your libations, and the glassware and serveware that accompany them, consider a bar cabinet. Here, our team upgraded a traditional armoire by outfitting it with a smoky mirror backsplash, shelves for goblets and cocktail tools, and beautiful decanters. Its doors were fitted with racks for towels—and, when closed, hid the entertaining station from view.

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End Table

small bar cart against wall — Courtesy of Tara McCauley / MJ Kroeger

Do you have a room that doubles as a relaxation and entertaining space? Then consider creating a bar cart that pulls double duty as an end table. On the top tier, display a table lamp, books and magazines, and a few fitting decorative touches. The lower level is the perfect place to display glasses, alcohol, an ice bucket, and other bar cart essentials.

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