12 Days of Christmas: Quick Tips for Styling Your Holiday Bar Cart

12 Days of Christmas:  Quick Tips for Styling Your Holiday Bar Cart

Happy holidays to you!  I hope your Christmas week is off to a great start and that holiday planning and preparation hasn’t gotten the best of you.  If so, I think that I have just the topic to help you unwind (or get lost in some festive holiday content).  Today we’re continuing our “FLLS 12 Days of Christmas” in the realm of home decor.   Let’s talk about “Tips for Styling Your Holiday Bar Cart.”

 

What’s Your Location?

The first step I take when styling a holiday bar cart is choosing the right location.  This is an integral part of styling this mobile space for the holiday season.  You want to make sure that it’s conducive to high traffic and out of the way, but still centrally located for easy access while entertaining.  Whether it’s positioned as an extension of your kitchen or an addition to rooms (such as a living room, den , dining room, man cave, entertainment room, etc.), choosing the right location is  key.  This year, I opted to set mine just outside my kitchen in the living room against an open/empty wall.  However, for the holidays, it now sits in place of one of my living room end tables (not shown here).  Keep reading …

 

 

Curated Sips

Some say “keep it simple” and that you really don’t need to fill your entire cart with bottles.  I agree.  However, during the holidays I do the exact opposite … well … in moderation.  During the year, since I drink mainly for special occasions, I will keep a few bottles of my favorite wines and some classic staples (liquor for mixed drinks and cocktails) for entertaining when I have guests.  However, for the holidays I take pleasure in doing things a little bigger and taking it to another level.  A curation of dessert wines, rose wine, champagne, cognacs and select vodkas are featured in this year’s holiday lineup.  See below …

 

All wines featured from World Market.  Stemless wine glasses from Target.

 

 

 

Choose Your Tools

If I can be honest with you, I had absolutely no idea what bar tools to purchase.  What I did know, was that I refused to pay an arm and a leg for a bar tool set.  So I consulted the expertise of a good friend who bartends part-time about a few basic tools every host/hostess should have and researched prices online.  After saving a great set on Amazon, I headed into Target to grab a few home essentials and it happened.  I was trapped in the Target dollar section for about ten minutes, and all the tools my friend recommended were right there before my eyes, at $1-$5 each.  I loved the beautiful gold finish.  “Target run and done!”

My collection now includes: two (2) bar spoons, a citrus zester, a cocktail shaker, a can/bottle opener, a cocktail strainer, a jigger and thongs.  Note: My clear ice bucket and ice spoon were received as a gift years ago.

 

 

Make it Clear

In the spirit of  keeping things festive but aesthetically pleasing, I like to incorporate clear glassware to my bar cart.  It allows tons of natural light to shine through and makes the space a little more chic and polished.  Add in a variety of wine glasses, a champagne flute or two and some straws for the perfect finishing touch. Voila!

 

Stemless wine glasses below are from Target |  Champagne flute is from IKEA | The customized wine glass was received as a gift.

 

 

Brushes of Greenery

Go green!  I like the concept of using a holiday garland to add some greenery to the cart’s frame.  However, this can be achieved in many ways:  fresh evergreens, faux or fresh flowers, branches or stems, a house plants, etc.  Here, I draped a faux garland from Target’s dollar section around the top level of my cart. I didn’t want too much coverage, so as to avoid obstructing the natural light that shines through the glass shelves, bottles and glassware.  But it’s enough to bring the space to life.  What do you think?

 

 

 

Add Festive Touches

The title says it all.  Add festive flair with touches of holiday cheer.  Matte or metallic ornaments, winter evergreens, seasonal flowers, Christmas tree ornaments are just a few options to achieve this goal.  Remember that your bar cart is an extension of your home decor for the season and should reflect your holiday vibe.  Do it up and add whatever accents that you please!

 

 

 

Light It Up

Let’s double back to the need for clear glassware.  What better way to showcase the beauty of your holiday bar cart than to accent it with lighting.  Airy, light and chic by day.  Cozy, glowing and even romantic by night.  Add a few tealights or votives around the top level for the perfect ambiance during your Christmas party or New Year’s Eve celebration.  But let’s ensure safety this holiday season, by using LED faux candle lighting only.  Let it glow!

 

 

 

 

 

CHEERS!

Cheers to you for making it to the end of this article!  I hope that you enjoyed it and I look forward to hearing about your own holiday home decor projects.  Did you decorate for the holidays this year?  Do you have a bar cart in your home?  What would be some staple items on your cart?  Drop a line below and let me know.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

A dose of style and inspiration for living!™

Love and light,

 

 

Copyright © 2019.  Faith, Love, Life & Style.  All Rights Reserved.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.