Decorating
Styling: 12 Ways to Work a Glamorous Bar Trolley into Your Home
These portable pieces of furniture are so versatile, and retro-cool, too. So seek one out and let the celebrations begin!
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a teeny splash of your favourite tipple at the end of a hard day, and it can taste all the more sweeter if it’s prepared on a chic drinks trolley. You’ll notice that these glamorous accessories have been popping up more and more on Houzz recently, and with good reason.
Whether vintage or modern in style, trolleys can double up as a side table, snacks tray or magazine rack if you’re not after a drinks station. But their real beauty is that they can be moved from room to room, serving different functions as they go. With the festive season just around the corner, there’s no better time to stock up your beautiful bar trolley and invite over your nearest and dearest…
Whether vintage or modern in style, trolleys can double up as a side table, snacks tray or magazine rack if you’re not after a drinks station. But their real beauty is that they can be moved from room to room, serving different functions as they go. With the festive season just around the corner, there’s no better time to stock up your beautiful bar trolley and invite over your nearest and dearest…
Make it work harder
Your bar trolley doesn’t have to be dedicated solely to drinks and glasses – they can also be handy for stacking plates, bowls, cups and saucers for guests all in one place while you’re entertaining. This is also a great dinner party trick, as all of your crockery can be wheeled out to the table in one fell swoop.
Your bar trolley doesn’t have to be dedicated solely to drinks and glasses – they can also be handy for stacking plates, bowls, cups and saucers for guests all in one place while you’re entertaining. This is also a great dinner party trick, as all of your crockery can be wheeled out to the table in one fell swoop.
Keep it light
Because bar trolleys are such beautiful objects in their own right, it’s a shame to clutter them with too much paraphernalia. On top of that, you don’t want glasses and bottles slipping off if you decide to wheel it around, so keep it simple.
Channel retro style with these inspirational ideas
Because bar trolleys are such beautiful objects in their own right, it’s a shame to clutter them with too much paraphernalia. On top of that, you don’t want glasses and bottles slipping off if you decide to wheel it around, so keep it simple.
Channel retro style with these inspirational ideas
Add extra tiers
If you like to have a good selection of your favourite tipples at the ready, be sure to go for a bar trolley with an additional tier to provide more storage for the same footprint.
A three-tier drinks station like this one will offer more than enough room for decanters, a tray of spirits, cocktail shakers and plenty of glassware – perfect for getting the party started!
If you like to have a good selection of your favourite tipples at the ready, be sure to go for a bar trolley with an additional tier to provide more storage for the same footprint.
A three-tier drinks station like this one will offer more than enough room for decanters, a tray of spirits, cocktail shakers and plenty of glassware – perfect for getting the party started!
Upcycle an old find
Give a wooden trolley that may well have seen better days a quick lick of paint, in white or a deeper colour, and your upcycled treasure will quickly become your number one accessory for every kind of get-together.
Sand back the wood and remember to use a primer before finishing with a few layers of tough, hard-wearing gloss or satinwood paint, which can both be wiped down with a damp cloth. Chalky paint would also work a treat, and can be applied straight to the surface.
Give a wooden trolley that may well have seen better days a quick lick of paint, in white or a deeper colour, and your upcycled treasure will quickly become your number one accessory for every kind of get-together.
Sand back the wood and remember to use a primer before finishing with a few layers of tough, hard-wearing gloss or satinwood paint, which can both be wiped down with a damp cloth. Chalky paint would also work a treat, and can be applied straight to the surface.
Give it a new role
You don’t have to use your trolley for drinks and barware. These petite, portable pieces of furniture are very versatile and work well all over the house.
Use yours as an occasional table in the living room for stacking books and displaying the odd ornament, or wheel your trolley into the bedroom, where it can become the perfect perch for a lamp, a glass of water and your favourite book. Or why not give it a home in the bathroom, where it would make a great surface for make-up and toiletries.
Discover ways to boost your bedroom storage
You don’t have to use your trolley for drinks and barware. These petite, portable pieces of furniture are very versatile and work well all over the house.
Use yours as an occasional table in the living room for stacking books and displaying the odd ornament, or wheel your trolley into the bedroom, where it can become the perfect perch for a lamp, a glass of water and your favourite book. Or why not give it a home in the bathroom, where it would make a great surface for make-up and toiletries.
Discover ways to boost your bedroom storage
Choose clever fixtures
Seek out bar trolleys that make life easier for you. This beautiful, retro design, for instance, not only holds an ice bucket and decanter, but has a neat, built-in wine rack and glasses store suspended from the underside of the top tier, making more room for all your other party paraphernalia.
Browse 10 essential pieces of furniture for compact spaces
Seek out bar trolleys that make life easier for you. This beautiful, retro design, for instance, not only holds an ice bucket and decanter, but has a neat, built-in wine rack and glasses store suspended from the underside of the top tier, making more room for all your other party paraphernalia.
Browse 10 essential pieces of furniture for compact spaces
Channel all-out glamour
If it’s cocktail hour, there’s nothing quite like your very own drinks trolley to add a touch of effortless elegance to the event. A curvaceous gilt design will conjure up a little slice of Gatsby chic that will have guests enthralled.
If you really want to up the glamour, make sure yours is stocked with a little of everything: bourbon, champers and a good selection of aperitifs, as well as beautiful crystal glassware, old-fashioned decanters and shiny ice buckets.
Check out more tips for a glamorous get-together
If it’s cocktail hour, there’s nothing quite like your very own drinks trolley to add a touch of effortless elegance to the event. A curvaceous gilt design will conjure up a little slice of Gatsby chic that will have guests enthralled.
If you really want to up the glamour, make sure yours is stocked with a little of everything: bourbon, champers and a good selection of aperitifs, as well as beautiful crystal glassware, old-fashioned decanters and shiny ice buckets.
Check out more tips for a glamorous get-together
Revel in retro
There’s something rather old-school about a bar trolley anyway, but team it with vintage glassware and stand it under the right artwork and you can really bring out the midcentury charm.
There’s something rather old-school about a bar trolley anyway, but team it with vintage glassware and stand it under the right artwork and you can really bring out the midcentury charm.
Clean up an original piece
If you find yourself a regular at your local antiques shop, or like to scour car-boot sales for your favourite finds, keep a look out for an antique wooden bar trolley.
If it looks a bit the worse for wear, don’t worry. Treat it to a good buff, polish and wax to bring back its original lustre. And don’t forget, you can always hide any scratches or marks with a beautiful vintage tray and a couple of sturdy decanters.
If you find yourself a regular at your local antiques shop, or like to scour car-boot sales for your favourite finds, keep a look out for an antique wooden bar trolley.
If it looks a bit the worse for wear, don’t worry. Treat it to a good buff, polish and wax to bring back its original lustre. And don’t forget, you can always hide any scratches or marks with a beautiful vintage tray and a couple of sturdy decanters.
Try a tray table
If you haven’t managed to track down a bar trolley you love, a simple foldaway tray table can work just as well. As it’s not on wheels, it will be more difficult to move around, so position it carefully, and you’ll soon have a cool focal point for your parties.
TELL US…
Have you bagged yourself a beautiful bar trolley? Please share your thoughts and photos in the Comments below.
If you haven’t managed to track down a bar trolley you love, a simple foldaway tray table can work just as well. As it’s not on wheels, it will be more difficult to move around, so position it carefully, and you’ll soon have a cool focal point for your parties.
TELL US…
Have you bagged yourself a beautiful bar trolley? Please share your thoughts and photos in the Comments below.
There are no hard and fast rules for this, but generally, it’s wise to keep bulky bottles, ice buckets and decanters on the bottom tier of your trolley and display lighter, more delicate glassware on top.
This will help the weight distribution and balance of the trolley as you move it from room to room. It also means transparent glasses on the top shelf won’t obscure or clash with any artwork or photographs hanging on the wall above.