As I recently admitted to my friend D, I’m becoming a little obsessed with home decor. For so many years, with both of us working and jeune homme living at home, decorating just wasn’t a priority. Yes, we’ve done some home improvements over the years, but the goal was mostly about function. Form was secondary.
Above: rectangular wheeled cart
But after a few months of working at home, and having hosted three holiday gatherings since October (Jewish High Holidays, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve), I’m ready to start making our house more attractive and welcoming. I want a space that lifts my spirits, and where I can feel comfortable having friends over and entertaining again. In short, I’m nesting.
I’m starting with some smaller “quick fix” improvements, including updating our bed linens, and trying to make better use of the space we have. Our house is on the smallish side (1500 square feet) so Accumulation Happens. Counters and tabletops become storage spaces if we’re not careful.
I’ve been hankering for a bar cart for some years now. There’s just something about it that evokes a certain Jazz Age glamour while being quite a functional and useful item. Whether you serve cocktails or mocktails, wine or soft drinks, tea with scones or coffee and pie, it’s easily pressed into service. I’d periodically searched both online and on foot but hadn’t seen one with both the size and aesthetic I was looking for, and/or that wasn’t a small fortune. On a whim I started searching again a few weeks ago, found this one and decided to pull the trigger and order it.
I used to joke that I’d know I’d “made it” when I never had to assemble another piece of furniture again. Ha. But this piece was pretty simple and straightforward, and took about 90 minutes total, from unpacking to finish. I’ve had enough bad experiences with “assembly required” furniture over the years that I’ve learned:
- before you start, read the directions all the way through, then read them again
- identify all of the parts required as described in the instructions, and be sure everything’s there. That means counting every screw, washer and bolt too.
- lay everything out where it’s easy to get to. I like to put all of the screws, bolts and fastenings in a shallow dish so they’re easy to grab. If there are more than one size of each, use a separate dish for each size.
- before you start, BREATHE and go read the directions again.
- go slowly and methodically. Review the directions as you go. Take a break in the middle if you need.
Et voilà! I was pretty pleased with myself. This was a relatively easy project; there was only one type of screw, and the only tool required was an allen wrench that was included. Everything lined up well, and the assembled cart is solid and sturdy.
I swear I have no idea where half of those bottles came from… I still want to trick it out a bit more, make it prettier. Maybe invest in some decanters?
Shown above: cart | cocktail shaker | Paris Cocktails | martini glasses
Do you have a bar cart or other wheeled cart at home? How do you most often use it?
Carts And Accoutrements…
