Read on and I'll teach you how to create a bar cart vignette WITHOUT a cart! Whether you're looking for tips on how to create a balanced look, or you want to know what every good bar cart needs to function at its best, we've got all the practical styling details you need. Scroll on for our design tips, including a linked resource shopping list and item-by-item animation that brings it all together!
Photo Credit: Carrie Waller
Collection of Cups
Any good bar cart needs a solid group of cups and vessels! We added a gold confetti drink shaker to the side of our bar cart vignette (perfect for shaking a spontaneous cocktail or two), a pair of classic champagne glasses, plus plastic carafes that can be used for wine. Learn how to make your own wine decanter labels here.
Practical Accessories
Another thing every bar cart needs? Practical tools of the trade, such as wine stoppers and an ice bucket. We chose these two pieces in coordinating silver to match one another across the bar scene. Bonus: they match the cool galvanized tray underneath, too!
Add Some Greenery
If you happen to step back from any surface you're working to style and think that it looks a little flat, chances are good that you just need to add a little bit of life. Plants and fresh flowers are the easiest way to breathe a bit of sculptural character into your home, so try placing a live potted plant or bowl of faux succulents off to the side of your bar cart vignette.
Top with Striped Straws
There's no rule that says striped paper straws can't be used any old day of the week, so keep a collection at the ready on your tabletop bar cart for quick weeknight cocktails or mocktails. Our straws arrived in the box a little longer than we needed them to be, so we just cut them in half with clean kitchen sheers.
Pop of Gold
Gold decor has the special ability to make any styled surface feel extra elegant, so try adding gold geometric terrarium candle holders off to the side of your own bar cart vignette. We filled ours with white floating candles and look forward to lighting them the next time we break into a fresh bottle of bubbly.
Trayed Collection
One of the reasons bar carts grew so quickly in popularity is the concept of having a special place for all those toast-worthy party accessories. You can get the same vibe without wheels, though, simply by corralling all of your bar supplies on a large galvanized tray situated front and center on your main serving tabletop. Find one with handles for easy maneuverability as the crowd moves from room to room at your next gathering.
Coordinate Your Colors
Make your bar cart vignette look balanced and natural by using a general color palette. You can establish the scheme by choosing art, straws, napkins, books, lighting, and plants that all use the same colors throughout. Our own bar cart vignette, for example, uses shades of dusty pink, mint, rich wood grain, and a bit of dark purple and green in order to feel intentional.
Add Artistic Accents
Don't forget to think about the space above your tabletop bar, too! We whipped up a collection of color-coordinated DIY watercolor art to set the scene and draw the eye upward.
Little Custome Details
Finally, it's those little custom moments that make your bar set-up feel especially unique. We laid a stack of white and gold personalized martini glass napkins just to the side of the ice bucket for guests to grab. Things like these are the perfect way to make any at-home gathering feel special and memorable!
Step-by-Step Style
In the end, it's all about finding ways to draw attention to your thoughtfully chosen bar supplies and drink ingredients, so try placing those front and center, and fill in with pretty decorative accents on either side (and above!) to draw the eye into the middle where it counts. Watch our step-by-step styling animation to see how we pulled the entire tabletop bar vignette together!
