Summer Decorating and Entertaining in a Small Space

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Walmart. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Sophisticaition possible!

It’s almost time for #SummertimeChi, even though there may or may not be snow on the ground. 😉 Summer in Chicago is one of the most fun times to be in the city. Everyone wants to take advantage of the warm weather and get together, which means lots of dinner parties and entertaining!

Throwing summer parties can be really hard because I don’t have room to set up tables and chairs for dinners, or host large groups of people. I’ve found my perfect summer entertaining piece is a bar cart!

Decorating with a bar cart does three things for you: It provides storage, creates a focal point and most importantly, defines your entertaining space. Is your apartment too tiny to have an actual dining room? Same. I placed this bar cart between my kitchen and living room sitting area to show people where to congregate when they come over.

I got the Mainstays Tempered Glass and Metal Bar Cart from Walmart.com. It arrived quickly with their two-day shipping and I love how it was minimal yet girly, fitting perfectly into a nook between my living room and kitchen.

I had a lot of the items for the bar cart already scattered around my apartment, and quickly decided that the bottom would house the drinks and glasses while the top would be more decorative.

For the bottom, I really wanted a decanter to add some class and interest. Luckily, Walmart.com had a pretty glass decanter that was available for two-day shipping! It helps balance not only the height of my wine glasses and mule mugs, but also adds some glass to the left side.

On the top, I placed some cute napkins, books, a framed drawing of Missouri, and some fresh flowers! Leaving the top a little simple and placing the majority of items on the bottom helps to not make the bar cart appear cluttered.

I am so pleased with how this bar cart turned out, and I can’t wait for summer parties now that I have it fully stocked! Do you have any tips for summer entertaining in a small space? Let me know below!