Did you know that the drinks trolley or drinks cart has become an essential piece of kit in many homes this year? Perhaps it is down to our drastically altered or non-existent socialising habits due to COVID-19 or could it be trending because this showpiece can prove highly functional and stylish at the same time.

Regardless, I must admit that I am intrigued (or maybe slightly obsessed) but I am not alone - as you don’t have too scroll to far before spotting some Insta worthy bar trolleys in all their glory!

There are no rules when it comes to a drinks cart, as they can come in various shapes, sizes, and styles. Trolleys can also come in a range of different finishes to suit your décor and your budget.

You can of course get creative and make your own trolley with the materials of your choice or use a serving table or shelf space. There are also numerous budget friendly online hacks to choose from.

If you are limited for space, do not despair – as you can create a picture-perfect drinks vignette by simply using a decorative tray to stylishly organise your liquor collection and enhance with some vintage key pieces.

It’s just the perfect place…….

Choosing your drinks trolley should be straight forward with the first step finding the ideal placement spot. A drinks trolley could be perched in your dining or living area but there are no limits. A corner in your entry hallway may prove ideal or you might prefer to keep it closer, in your personal snug!

Be mindful of keeping it out of harm’s way from curious kids and pets or you could be destined for disaster! Leaving some bar side or should I say trolley side nibbles on the lower level is not wise especially when you have a cheeky chappie in the vicinity.

Photo Credit: Clodagh Doyle Yorkshire Terrier

In our home, I was pretty much finished styling every nook and cranny when I realised that WE DEFINITELY NEEDED a drinks trolley. While doing a walk-through, I struggled to find a suitable vacant space but eventually I figured out a potential home - but it was limited in shape and size.

We had a lush plant filling a void in our open-plan dining space beside our large oak sideboard which leads directly into our open-plan living space. A rectangle trolley would never work, so I began my quest searching for a round trolley but to keep everything streamlined it was important that the trolley height would be in line with our sideboard height (straight lines and all that)!

Following an tedious online search, I stumbled upon an octagon shaped trolley in a dark antique black finish tinged with gold in our very own homegrown Irish store - Meadow’s and Byrne. It was love at first sight - I knew that THIS WAS THE ONE! Our lovely plant was banished (to another part of our home of course) and our new drinks trolley adorns this very spot.

We also have a much smaller two-door oak sideboard in our living area that stores all thing’s beverage related – sounds like we are serious drinkers (but just the odd tipple, I swear)!

Over the years, we have gathered various bar tools and memorabilia, but in truth our drinks trolley was another excuse to curate and style yet “another space” in our home.

Depending on your room layout and flow, you can take measurements and figure how what size, type and shape of trolley will best complement your room. Then you need to decide on the finish. If you already have antique gold/brass finishes, keep it consistent or likewise, if you have chrome/mirrored finishes - stick with this to create a cohesive style.

So, the big question - do all drinks trolleys need to be styled with liquor bottles?

With most drinks’ trolleys, there is only so much booze that they will hold unless you go all out for a supersized bar cart. During a client consultation a while back, I was stopped in my tracks when my eyes landed on their drinks cart. It formed the focal point of their dining room taking pride of place in the centre and you name it - they had it when it came to the cocktail menu!

So where do you start?

To hopefully get you on your way to helping you STYLE YOUR DRINKS CART, here is a list of possible elements you could consider introducing. This list is of course not exhaustive, however, if you work with these and introduce a flavour of your own unique personality this ultimately will make it your own!

Decanters, Wine Carafe, Bar Tools, Bitter Fruits (lemons & limes), Cocktail Shaker, Bottle Opener, Wine Plug, Glass identifiers, Various Glasses, Ice Bucket, Coasters, Liquor Bottles, Bottle Holder, Vintage Bottles and Glasses, Cocktail Menu Books, Candle holder, Metal Straws, Ceramic Plant Pots, Greenery, Lush Leaves or Trailing Plants and Seasonal Accessories.

So, go on, indulge in some fun curating the perfect style for your drinks cart!

Three ways to style your drinks trolley

THE AMBIGUOUS

This style is minimalist and sophisticated by carefully placing a few key pieces to complement each other and their surroundings.

With this paired back drinks trolley, you only get a hint that there may be a drink on offer because you are pleasantly distracted by the presence of some key pieces of interest.

You can use this drinks cart to showcase some of your favourite glassware’s or a decanter of place some scented candles or greenery.

THE UNDERSTATED

With this style of drinks cart, at first glance you know that it is safe to say that there is a high possibility of a drink being served.

Photo Credit: Clodagh Doyle Drinks Trolley

The secret to this trolley is that you introduce sufficient drink related objects and then style it up without the use of actual liquor bottles!

This is most definitely a reserved style drinks cart but at the same time welcoming and inviting. With this style of trolley, you can of course be party ready in an instance.

THE STATEMENT

Leaving nothing to the imagination, this style of drinks trolley is all about “What can I get you?”

You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to the drink’s menu – so it would be rude not to accept! But remember, it is not about placing all your available liquor on the trolley but more about creating a theme. So, if gin in your thing – run with this, or if you are more of cocktail type of person, why not have a bit of fun with this.

If your décor is muted and understated you need to add a touch of class to your trolley to avoid a tacky happy hour beach hut vibe!

Having just finished styling up my trolley for this blog photoshoot, I am absolutely zonked and could do with a drink – but as it is not yet mid-day so I will have to resist temptation! LOL

With any of these styles it is super easy to change things up and a rejuvinate the look! Let your your creative juices flow and perhaps give it more of a cocktail themed vibe over the summer months or introduce a festive feeling at Christmas.

In case you are curious, yes, that is our Christmas 2020 tree in the background. It has been up a few weeks now, but after the year that was in it, we felt that we could all do with a bit of early festive cheer!

We hope you enjoyed this blog and if you think your friends or family might find this interesting, please feel free to share!

We are taking bookings for Spring & Summer 2021, so please get in touch via email, if you would like to discuss YOUR 2021 project.

Perhaps it is down to our drastically altered or non-existent socialising habits due to COVID-19 or could it be trending because this showpiece can prove highly functional and stylish at the same time.

Regardless, I must admit that I am intrigued (or maybe a bit obsessed at the moment) but I am not alone - as you don’t have to scroll to far before spotting some insta worthy bar trolleys in all their glory!

There are no rules when it comes to a drinks cart, as they can come in various shapes, sizes, and styles. Trolleys can also come in a range of different finishes to suit your décor and your budget.

You can of course get creative and make your own trolley with the materials of your choice or use a serving table or shelf space. There are numerous budget friendly online hacks to choose from.

If you are limited for space, do not despair – as you can create a picture-perfect drinks vignette by simply using a decorative tray to stylishly organise your liquor collection and ramp it up with some vintage key pieces.

It’s just the perfect place…….

Choosing your drinks trolley should be straight forward but the first step is finding the ideal placement spot. A drinks trolley could be perched in your dining or living area but there are no limits. A corner in your entry hallway may prove ideal or you might prefer to keep it closer to you in your personal snug!

Be mindful of keeping it out of harm’s way from curious kids and pets or you could be heading for disaster! Leaving some bar side or should I say trolley side nibbles on the lower level is wise especially when you have a cheeky chappie in the vicinity.

In our home, I was pretty much finished styling every nook and cranny when I realised that WE DEFINITELY NEEDED a drinks trolley. While doing a walk-through our home, I struggled to find a suitable vacant space but eventually I figured out a potential home - but it was limited in size.

We had a lush plant filling a void in our open-plan dining space beside our large oak sideboard which leads directly into our open-plan living space. A rectangle trolley would never of worked, so I began my quest searching for a round trolley but to keep everything streamlined it was important that the trolley height be in line with our sideboard height (straight lines and all that)!

Following an exhaustive online search, I stumbled upon an octagon shaped trolley in a dark antique black finish tinged with gold in our very own homegrown Irish store - Meadow’s and Byrne. It was love at first sight - I knew that THIS WAS THE ONE! Our lovely plant was banished (to another part of our home of course) and our new drinks trolley adorns this very spot.

We also have a much smaller two-door oak sideboard in our living area that houses all thing’s beverage related – sounds like we are serious drinkers (but just the odd tipple, I swear)!

Over the years, we have gathered various bar tools and memorabilia, but in truth our drinks trolley was another excuse to curate and style yet “another space” within our home.

Depending on your room layout and flow, you can take measurements and figure how what size, type and shape of trolley will best complement your room. Then you need to decide on the finish. If you already have antique gold/brass finishes, keep it consistent or likewise, if you have chrome/mirrored finishes - stick with this to create a cohesive style.

So, the big question - do all drinks trolleys need to be styled with liquor bottles?

With most drinks’ trolleys, there is only so much booze that they will hold unless you go all out for a supersized bar cart. During a client consultation a while back, I was stopped in my tracks when my eyes landed on their drinks cart. It formed the focal point of their dining room taking pride of place in the centre and you name it - they had it when it came to the cocktail menu!

So where to you start?

To hopefully get you on your way to helping you STYLE YOUR DRINKS CART, here is a list of possible elements you could introduce. This list is of course not exhaustive, however, you work with these and introduce a flavour of your own unique personality making it your own!

Decanters, Wine Carafe, Bar Tools, Bitter Fruits (lemons & limes), Cocktail Shaker, Bottle Opener, Wine Plug, Glass identifers, Various Glasses, Ice Bucket, Ice xx Coasters, Liquor Bottles, Bottle Holder, Vintage Bottle and Glasses, Cocktail Menu Books, Candle holder, Metal Straws, Ceramic Plant Pots, Lush Leaves Seasonal accessories.

So go on, have some fun curating the perfect style for your drinks cart masterpiece.