A Small Space Alternative to the Bar Cart (+ I Wrote an Article for Domino!)

image source: Lonny

GUESS WHAT? I wrote an article for Domino! Yup, I’m pretty excited about it. It’s all about a creative alternative to a bar cart, should you live in an apartment too small to accommodate one. As they say, write what you know! I hope you guys will all check it out on the website, here’s the link:

small-space alternatives to the bar cart
Get creative when it comes to hosting happy hour in your tiny apartment.

I didn’t include this in the article, but I thought that I’d share a little here about my own bar tray. I have it on top of my microwave and it’s the silver tray from West Elm, which I’ve had forever. My favorite items on the tray when this photo was taken were probably the mini cans of Sofia and the Sofia sparkling wine.

I would show you a more current pic, but it’s looking a bit sparse at the moment…which brings me to a good point actually. I don’t drink all that often, so it doesn’t make total sense for me to have a fully stocked bar tray (let alone bar cart!). So often what I’ll do is just stock my bar tray with pretty food items that are too cute to languish away inside a cabinet. It’s sort of my way of reconciling myself to the fact that I don’t have open kitchen shelving (wahhh):

For example, this grenadine syrup that I got at ABC Carpet and Home has the nicest packaging, so I have that on my bar tray. All of the Morris Kitchen items are great looking and deserve to be displayed…they remind of old apothecary jars.

For a while I had mini bottles of Noble Maple Syrup on my “bar” tray, which I had picked up at Anthropologie. I love their gorgeous, modern labels and the wax seal. Way too good-looking to be hidden away…and really good syrup too!

I’m a total sucker for cute packaging, so having a tray in my kitchen provides me with a good spot to display those prettily packaged items that I just can’t resist. You can do the same if you don’t feel the need to have your bar tray or bar cart fully stocked with liquor. You could even make a coffee tray, with a French press, your favorite mugs, a pretty, airtight jar of coffee with a little scoop, and so on.

Anyway, I hope this gives everyone some good ideas! It never hurts to have a tray around – the uses are endless and you can tailor your “bar” to fit your individual tastes.

Leave a Comment

  1. Congrats on the article! I did take a glance at it and it looks great! 🙂

    Ashley
    Sunday Brunch

    Published 3.3.15 · Reply
  2. Elana wrote:

    Congratulations on the article! That's so exciting!!! Love this! I definitely don't have enough space for a bar cart but I might try one of these tips!

    Published 3.3.15 · Reply
  3. Ali wrote:

    Great article Jack! Just, wow! So cool. Love my barcart but love the thought of being able to do that somewhere else.

    Published 3.3.15 · Reply
  4. SO proud of you Jackie! Amazing. Domino is the decorating bible. What a great article! xox

    Published 3.4.15 · Reply
  5. Anonymous wrote:

    Congrats but can someone explain to me what the allure is of having a bar cart inthe first place? And how many people actually have these things out for viewing consumption?

    Published 3.5.15 · Reply
    • Thanks! I think what people love about bar carts is that they're functional, especially if you entertain a lot, and they're also great looking and really fun to style! Win-win 🙂

      Published 3.6.15 · Reply
  6. Congratulations on the article! That is so exciting! : )

    Published 3.7.15 · Reply
  7. Congrats on the article. I do think it’s important for every proper young lady to have a decent bar cart or small space alternative and I kind of long for an adorable set up. But the demands of writing a food AND cocktail blog is that I’m currently sporting about 50 bottles of spirits and a dozen styles of glasses (just 2 of each). I can’t use a bar cart – I need to rent a whole bar! 🙂

    Published 3.14.15 · Reply
    • York Avenue wrote:

      Wow! You need a prop closet 🙂

      Published 3.15.15 · Reply