I’ve fantasized about a retro-futurist bar setup at home, but the reality of my NYC apartment is… less speakeasy, more strategic storage cube.
But recently, I had an ingenious idea, even if I do say so myself, that I had to share. The solution to my home bar idea conundrum might be a $20 wall-mounted shelf from H&M Home. Just 6 inches wide and under 12 inches long – as long as an A4 sheet of paper – it’s tiny, but majorly transformative. A piece that finally made the idea of a swanky little bar setup make sense in my studio.
The initial appeal is obvious: it's a small home bar idea that mounts to the wall, saving sacred counterspace I might otherwise have to start charging rent for. And second – spoken like the magpie I am – it’s shiny. I am seeing chrome everywhere right now. A literal cool touch that makes even the smallest corner feel more polished.
Very shiny. Very cool. Very expensive-looking. The kind of chrome decor trend piece you’d expect to see in the Paris apartment of an elusive Instagram tastemaker. She’s swapped a traditional bar cart for this shelf because carts are basic. And this? A conversation starter. I'm sold, thank you!
And basic, it is not. The shelf’s discreet mounting system keeps things clean, while the curved silhouette adds an art-adjacent feel. Paired with the chrome finish, it's good clean design that doesn’t try too hard. So if you’ve been looking to bring in something silver, this might just be it.
Small spaces demand big thinking, so I’ve done some digging to round out the look. Below, a few petite but perfect micro bar essentials, from embroidered napkins and jiggers to the bubble-glass cocktail glasses I plan to fill with, well, bubbles. Here’s everything I’m styling on my new mini bar that my guests are sure to love.
Sometimes the best way to style chrome decor is simply by adding more chrome. This petite bud vase duo proves the point – equally good with stems or standing empty. It adds a soft, sculptural layer to balance out all the barware, without making the setup feel too cocktail-forward.
For the maximalist mixologist: Target’s new double cocktail jiggers are made of psychedelic Pakkawood, which is a material with the feel and weight of hardwood but way more durable. They’re great in hand when you’re playing bartender, and even better just sitting there, looking incredible.
Napkins. Any will do, but Anthropologie’s Madeline set brings a healthy dose of personality. I went with Licorice to keep things in that cool-girl Parisian zone, but the Hydrangea and Lavender options are also strong contenders.
Don Draper called, and he wants his cocktail shaker back. This one, clean and sculpted, is mid-century done well. Whether or not you ever use it is beside the point – at $40, it delivers enough warm, retro energy to justify the shelf space. Best yet: you can monogram it.
Louise Roe never misses when it comes to avant-garde tableware, but this stemmed glass is deserving of maximum air time. Look closely – the tiny air bubbles throughout the goblet give it an irregular, dynamic feel that plays nicely against the Deco stem.
Marble is always a gamble – the veining, the tonal shifts – but that’s what gives these green coasters their charm. They feel a little old world, a little swanky, and definitely not stuffy. Stack them to save space (or don’t).
So you’ve got the shiny new shelf, but what else is replacing bar carts in 2025? We asked designers what’s next for the home bar setup, and how to make yours feel less expected.
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