Summer is officially here and as I work on giving our home a refresh for the warm weather, the first area of our home I’m updating is our outdoor space. Since we spend so much time outside during the summer months, it makes the most sense to refresh it first and save the indoor rooms for when it’s too hot to function.
When it comes to finding stylish outdoor and patio furniture and decor, I always shop on Walmart.com. They have such great finds that are not only trendy and at great prices, but the quality is so good. Since these pieces are going to be spent outside, uncovered, and open to the elements, this is major! Plus, Walmart.com ships so fast so even when I need to make a purchase last-minute before a cookout or other event (this has happened far too many times!), I know I’ll be able to place an order and it’ll be delivered in time.
This year, one of the newest additions to our backyard has been this bar cart. If you’ve been around here for a while, you know how much I love a good bar cart moment and styling them too!
Related Post: Tips & Tricks for Styling a Console Table
What is a Bar Cart?
Before we dive into how to style your bar cart for summer, let’s talk about the history of one of my favorite pieces of furniture. The bar cart actually evolved from the tea trolley; essentially a bar cart but instead of being alcohol-focused, it was piled high with tea, biscuits, and other baked goods. After Prohibition ended in 1933, a new era of cocktails became part of every social gathering and on these carts was now no longer tea, but everything you’d need to create a delicious cocktail.
Today, the bar cart is a popular piece of furniture in most homes, especially when it comes to entertaining. And the great thing about them is that you don’t have to use them for alcohol! We have a few in our home and I use them for all different purposes. Take our outdoor bar cart for example! I love using our bar cart for all of our favorite non-alcoholic fixings and will even bring it out to our fire pit with the kids and use it to have easy access to all our s’mores fixings.
5 Summer Bar Cart Styling Tips
Now that we know exactly what a bar cart is, let’s chat about how to style yours for summer. Whether yours is indoors or outdoors, these tips will give your bar cart a refresh and will get it ready for a season of hosting.
Add Fresh Florals or Greenery
While there are plenty of gadgets and beverages you can style your bar cart with, I always love to soften things up with a few nature-inspired touches. Since our summer bar cart lives outside, I like to add a plant to mix things up and have it reflect the weather we get to experience all summer long. I also added in some hydrangeas to bring in some color!
Your Glassware Should Work for You
There are so many different glassware options you can add to your bar cart but my number one tip is to make sure the glassware works for you. Since our cart is outside and the kids are usually running around near it, I like to use traditional tumbler-style glasses. These are actually plastic which is great around the pool area. They’re great for adult beverages but also for lemonade or water!
Pay Attention to Height
Whether you’re styling your bar cart or a table, one of the best ways to ensure balance is by paying attention to the heights you utilize. With a bar cart, your eye is typically pulled towards larger items like bottles and ice buckets. To create a cohesive look and to avoid your cart from being too cluttered, make sure the heights of your items don’t skew too far one way or another. I always bring smaller items to the front, higher items to the back and utilize the depth of the cart to incorporate larger elements like this galvanized tub.
Incorporate different Materials and Textures
Don’t be afraid to incorporate different colors, items, textures, and materials into your bar cart styling! By playing around with your decor, such as books, beads, or textured planters, you bring an element of interest to your cart that is unexpected.
Don’t Forget the Necessary Equipment
When I got our first bar cart and tried styling it, I always hid away necessary items such as napkins, hand towels, wine openers, and the like but I realized this is silly. These are all items that we absolutely need access to when entertaining so why not incorporate them into your cart styling? Some other items you can add in are fun shakers, coasters, and even art.
The Best Affordable Bar Carts
I have a similar style of bar cart in our dining area and this new one looks similar but it can hold up to the elements and the price is much lower. After a lot of research and searching through the options on the Walmart website, I ended up ordering this cart.
It looks so much more expensive than it is, is so easy to assemble, and I love how seamlessly the natural elements blend in with our outdoor space. It was designed to be outside so it’s rust and stain resistant and the won’t peel from the elements! For cleaning, I’ll just use a soft cloth with some gentle soap and water to wipe away any dirt. The back wheels also make it easy to pull out to the backyard or pool area when we’re hosting. It also comes with a removable tray that matches the cart! Perfect for entertaining.
Other bar carts I’m loving from Walmart.com:
Acacia Outdoor Kitchen Serving & Storage Cart – If you’re looking for a cart that has more space to keep all of your essentials organized, this one is a great option! It has several shelves, plus an easily accessible pull-out drawer. It also has a more industrial feel to it and think it would look great as gardening storage!
Outdoor Wicker Bar Cart – Since so much outdoor furniture is wicker, this outdoor bar cart is a great option if you want all of our outdoor furniture to match and feel cohesive. While it doesn’t have as much storage options, the bottom pull-out drawer is great for extra storage.
Metal Matte Black Tiered Cart – How cute is this cart?! The style is very streamlined and is great for smaller outdoor spaces. It also features two slat pannel shelves, storage for three wine bottles, and has a spot to keep your glasses st
Whether or not you drink, having a versatile outdoor bar cart will make entertaining all season long easy! If you haven’t checked out the amazing selection of outdoor furniture and decor on Walmart.com recently, I can’t recommend it enough!
Thank you to Walmart for partnering with me on this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
