14 DIY Ideas for Stylish and Practical Bar Carts

A bar cart is both a useful piece of furniture for storing cocktail essentials, and also a trendy statement piece in home decor. Purchased at a store, a stylish bar cart can be quite expensive, but fortunately, there are a number of easy DIY projects that can give you a stylish, practical bar cart at a fraction of the cost. Sometimes, it's as simple as applying fresh paint to some object found around the house or at a yard sale. 

One of these 14 DIY bar cart ideas is certain to be perfect for your home, no matter what your decorating style. And you'll have the personal satisfaction that comes with making an attractive and functional piece of furniture all by yourself. 

The next time you visit a thrift store or garage sale, pick up an old suitcase and TV tray table. These are the only supplies you'll need to create a super quick, temporary bar cart. If you have a small apartment, you can set up your suitcase bar cart whenever you need it, and store it in a closet for when you don't. Or you can go the extra step and attach the suitcase  to the stand permanently to create an attractive piece of living room decor.

This great idea comes from the Desi Wonder Woman lifestyle/home/relationship blog. It can be made with just about any suitcase and TV tray table you happen to find. 

Give a makeover to that old rusted vinyl record rack you have in your basement. With a bit of prep work and some metallic spray paint, you can cover up the rust and create a sophisticated bar cart. 

This idea comes from Anusha at the Fish and Bull blog. Super easy and very inexpensive.

Do you have an old TV stand lying around the house? If so, you can repurpose it to become a beautiful ombre bar cart by using two colors of paint. Since TV stands have plenty of storage, you can use the lower shelf to hold glassware and the top for bottles of spirits and mixers. 

This particular example comes from Brittni Mehlhof at the Paper & Stitch DIY blog, and it cost her only $22 for the TV stand found at a second-hand store. 

Repurpose an old metal rolling plant stand or office cart with a fresh coat of paint. It's the easiest DIY ever!

This idea is from Chelsea, at the Lovely Indeed craft blog. A bit of cleanup and a can of spray paint, and voila!

IKEA's Bygel utility cart is a popular choice for bar cart makeovers. This affordable rolling cart with three narrow shelves is perfect for small spaces. With a bit of gold paint and marble contact paper, you can update IKEA's storage shelves into a chic bar cart.

This clever concept comes the Garsow twins at the Twinspiration lifestyle blog, based in Los Angeles. 

This simple designed industrial bar cart is perfect for serving alcohol or coffee. Made out of wood boards, plastic tubing, and some floor flanges, the smart design provides plenty of storage space.​

This DIY idea is the brainchild of Tabitha Blue at FreshMommyblog. The project involves a bit of work, but detailed instructions make it easy. 

Convert a vintage typewriter cart into a bar cart. The expandable top shelf is perfect to give you more counter space as needed.

Offered on the Poppytalk blog, from Nicole Phillips of Visual Heart, this is another project that requires nothing more than some cleanup and a paint job. 

It's hard to believe, but this beautiful bar cart is made from an IKEA laptop desk! You can make this bar cart by adding a thick acrylic sheet shelf to the bottom of a Vittsjo desk and painting the frame.

This idea is from Jacquelyn Clark, at the Style Me Pretty lifestyle blog. 

Skip the expensive purchase and build a wood bar cart yourself. This DIY only costs $50, less than half the cost of most commercial bar carts.

This idea comes from Angela Marie, at the Angela Marie Made blog. A skilled woodworker and DIYer, Angela offers excellent, detailed instructions for all her projects. 

Restyle a vintage liquor cart with a quick paint job for this easy makeover. It requires nothing but disassembly and some cleanup to remove rust, followed by a paint job and reassembling the pieces. 

This simple but clever DIY comes from Elsie and Emma, over at A Beautiful Mess. 

Using only some primer and spray paint on an old metal cart, you can make this super fun DIY ​lime green bar cart for your home.

This is another idea from Elsie Larson at A Beautiful Mess. It requires only some cleanup and application of Rust-Oleum spray paint. The amount of work required depends on the degree of cleanup and rust removal needed. 

Give a bar cart makeover to a traditional IKEA wood kitchen cart using paint and wood wax. With plenty of storage and solid counter space, this makeover will become a workhorse piece of furniture.

This IKEA hack is courtesy of Charmed Crown & Co., a lifestyle blog run by Sandra, in southern California. 

Craft a mixed metal bar cart for your home by hacking IKEA's Mulig shelving unit. Use stainless steel contact paper on the shelves and gold spray paint on the frame to give it a new chic look.

This is another idea from the Garsow twins, at Twinspiration. 

Take a bland tea cart and enhance it with bright and bold colors to create a dramatic and fun bar cart for your home.

This variation on a familiar technique comes from Sasha, at the Tattooed Martha lifestyle blog. Her version includes a clear-coat finish applied over the fresh spray paint.