I have recently gotten into the habit of inviting my friends over at my house these past couple of months to simply have a get-together and catch up. The recent Work Life (I still can’t believe that now!) has snapped up most of them from the usual haunts we had in college, and since we all lived in the same neighborhood, I thought, why not just in my house, which is far easier to access than downtown.
I’d like to think that one of the reasons why they keep coming back is because, well, other than the charming host (teehee), is because of my mobile mini cocktail bar I made out of the microwave cart in the kitchen. It was the type with casters and an enclosed space in the top shelf where normally a microwave fits snugly. It has doors on it, which I could store wine bottles (and THAT vodka of course!) that fitted fantastic. I had it painted a deep luscious red and placed a cute rosy pink tablecloth on the inside of the shelf where I put the quaint cocktail glasses I got from Korea. I always top it off with a tray of lemon and lime ice cubes on the surface shelf so the straight drinkers can enjoy a little bit of zing in their drink.
In short, it was really easy to modify the kitchen cart. You don’t even have to repaint it – just put a tablecloth and you’re fine. I did mine in red because it matches the asian-like interiors of the living room well. It can be different with the varied styles of microwave carts. You can find and compare a cart design you like from www.EmicrowaveCart.com.
When my guests arrive, I would simply direct them to the sofa and wheel in the cocktail bar (to great whoops and yells, those silly corks). It’s not just pretty to look at, it gives off a classy vibe too. Also, if we want to change to the kitchen or to the dining area, I can just wheel it right back in. It’s really awesome to have.
Another thing you can do if you have the time is to add a few more pizazz to the mini bar. Add designs on the wooden panel at the back of the microwave cart, for example. Mine have silly little doodles and other various art from my friends, including their signatures. It’s a beautiful mess too look at, and adds a little bit of grungy bohemian-ish to it, too.
So, next time you host a party, you may want to try and make your own mini bar out of a microwave cart to sass it up a couple of notches.
Now each of us didn’t really start picking these up at the same time. It was first me, then the others caught on, so the size of our collection varies from person to person. I’m pretty into it so I try to get one before we start having drinks, that way I never forget to buy a glass. I’ve been piling up these in boxes at home not really knowing what to do with them.
If you want to go for the latest trend, then