The credenza, the sofa cushions, the tub ledge—all of a sudden, my 1-year-old is pulling up on everything, to my blood pressure’s dismay. Which means I officially have to do something about our cute but very precarious bar cart before she discovers that, too. There’s probably some way to babyproof it, but home editor Lydia Geisel’s case for ditching the furnishing entirely in last weekend’s Enthusiast edition of Home Front is inspiring me to reimagine how we store our spirits and glassware altogether. —Lindsey Mather, digital director

The reason I went the bar cart route in the first place was its diminutive size: Ours still left plenty of room to move around the dining table. A dedicated cabinet would’ve been great but was never going to fit. I’ll need to carve out space somewhere else. Did you see the bar in a closet that Domino featured recently? It was a good reminder that any free, out-of-reach surface has possibility. An unused swath of kitchen counter is currently my top contender.

Photography by Nicole Franzen

Let’s build a bar corner.

01. I’ve tried my fair share of nifty wine openers, but I always come back to the classic restaurant corkscrew. Diane Keaton gave it a fresh update in her signature red. 

02. The one-of-a-kind tumblers my husband and I use every weekend are souvenirs from a trip upstate. Mine sports vivid stripes; his has a more subtle wash of color. 

03. Once we started investing in grown-up furniture, I understood why coasters are a thing. (Don’t you dare mess up my handmade wood table!) It doesn’t get chicer than this brass set. 

04. This wax-cast oyster bottle opener is equal parts workhorse and work of art. 

05. My husband and I are Negroni people, so we always have good gin on hand. This Mexico City bottle gets extra points for being stylish enough to display.

06. I love how designer Robert McKinley corralled the bar nook accoutrements in his latest vacation rental on a couple trays. I’m eyeing this shiny Sophie Lou Jacobsen piece for a little glamour in my life.

07. These embroidered cocktail napkins are technically in West Elm’s Halloween collection, but my fascination with tarot cards and other mystical delights is yearlong.  

08. We keep our collection of wine keys and bottle openers out in a cool bowl so guests never have to go digging in a messy drawer.

I’ve that found classic, hard-wearing materials are the way to go, but simplicity can be stylish.

Clockwise from top left:   

A Bar Above Professional Boston Shakers Set, Amazon

Shakers with built-in strainers always make a huge mess when I go to pour. I prefer this simpler Boston two-cup system.

W&P Peak Silicone Sphere Ice Mold, Amazon

My husband and I are still on the sphere ice train—they really do melt slower, so your drink doesn’t get diluted.

Kalman Stainless Steel Double Jigger, CB2

A jigger is a jigger is a jigger, so you can’t really go wrong. This option’s walnut detail is a nice mid-century–inspired touch.

The Forever Peeler, Material

When I’m feeling celebratory, I’ll garnish my cocktail with a fragrant twirl of citrus. This peeler has a blade you can swap out when it gets dull.

If I did have room for a full-on bar cabinet—a girl can dream!—it would look something like this.

• Nothing says Cheers! like a surprise red lacquer interior.

• I can’t get over the armoirelike mini bars clad in checkerboard tile in Hotel Byblos Saint-Tropez’s new suites. 

• IKEA hack alert: a wardrobe system–turned–bar-bookshelf combo. 

• This turquoise-stained beauty doesn’t require an inch of floor space. Should I just mount it to the wall and call it a day?

• I’m officially adding “barrister bookcase” to my Facebook Marketplace search terms. 

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