Raising the Bar

Now that the weather is nice, I’m starting to think about planning some get-togethers and cookouts. We don’t have a designated bar or beverage station in our home, so I was thinking about ways to create one. Here are some ways to create a bar in your home – raising the bar, so to speak!

Make a Bar Cart

I found this rusty kitchen cart at a thrift store. With a good cleaning and some spray paint, I turned this kitchen cart into a bar.

 

All my wine supplies are handy – glasses, an opener, a chiller – and I love writing the wines we have on the chalkboard top!

Wine Crate for Bar

I found this wine crate at an estate sale for $1. It’s the perfect place to corral the bar – bottles, snacks, mixers, and accessories.

I found the little glasses – the two aperitif glasses, the one with the cheese straws, and the one with the olives – at the thrift store for 49 cents each! Since I didn’t need a whole set, I could just pick and choose ones I liked with fun designs.

Also, I found these cute drink stirrers at a thrift store for 99 cents for the set (I know, right?!?):

They look very Mo Willems-esque to me. (I love the Pigeon, but I wouldn’t let him drive the bus.)

Tray Bien 

If you have a tray, you can set up a bar. Check out this gorgeous wooden bar tray that I saw at steve mckenzie’s.

I was lucky to get to hang out with Jill and Steve McKenzie at their shop recently. They had such beautiful things in their store! For a bar, they had these test tubes:

They would make a great display for different mixers. Or for flowers:

Pyrex beakers are also useful – and decorative – on a bar.

And all these test tubes and beakers were salvaged from a lab! What creative repurposing!

I’m in love with these shelves. You know I have a thing for wood and metal industrial-style furniture.

steve mckenzie’s has beautiful fabric that Steve designs. This chair was recovered in his fabric. Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the bold, graphic pattern and bright color.

They also have more rustic furniture, like this table and chairs:

I love how the chairs are designed to look like old school chairs. And the blue table legs made me smile.

I bought this print there; I sang this song to my kids when they were babies. The print is now hanging in their hallway.

Thanks to Steve and Jill for having me over!

Where do you set up a bar or beverage station in your home?