Say Goodbye To Your Cluttered, Small Kitchen By Repurposing A Stylish Bar Cabinet

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Intrepid home bartenders with tiny kitchens, this one's for you. If your amateur mixology game has accrued enough liquor bottles to demand a dedicated bar cabinet, but not enough to fill said cabinet, you aren't alone. Wine collectors may similarly require extra bottle storage but find that a good portion of their wine cabinet's space is still unoccupied. If you have extra room on your hands, rejoice. A well-organized bar cabinet offers both functional storage and aesthetic appeal. Repurposing a bar cabinet is an easy way to reduce kitchen clutter without a full purge.

Stray kitchen odds and ends without a home can live happily (and out of sight) tucked into that bar cabinet, freeing up your primary kitchen cabinets and cupboards for storing the items you reach for every day. This tip works particularly well for kitchens with limited storage space. Installing a freestanding bar cabinet can be an impactful storage upgrade, not to mention a small kitchen upgrade that makes a big style statement. Or, for folks with especially small kitchens, that bar cart could even be moved into the living room or dining room for sideboard-style storage with art deco cocktail-inspired flair. 

Compact cabinets optimize the amount of floor space they occupy. This freestanding bar cabinet by the Onbrill brand, for instance, offers a mixture of visible storage areas and opaque cabinet doors. Aesthetically-pleasing barware, long-stemmed glasses, wine and liquor bottles, and even extra dishware can be displayed in style. Meanwhile, the enclosed compartments on either end of the cabinet can be used for storing and concealing less attractive clutter. 

Beyond barware, everything from trash bags to pots and pans, bulky dry goods like rice and flour, bags of snacks, or an overflowing mug collection can all be stashed out of sight, yet still within reach. The flat top of the cabinet can perform double duty as well, serving as the surface for a coffee station with an espresso machine or French press, a mug tree, or a multipurpose tiered basket. If you're feeling crafty, we even have a few tips for how to transform thrifted wicker baskets into designer-worthy tiered basket storage.

Alternatively, a multipurpose cabinet like this one by IFGET offers roomy space for stowing excess kitchen clutter behind warm walnut doors. Barware, liquor bottles, and glasses can then be stored on top of the cabinet to create a functional bar cart with powerful storage potential. Transforming the top of any cabinet you may have lying around into a cocktail station is one of best ways to reuse old cabinets and add more space to your kitchen. To get the most out of the horizontal space, investing in a tiered liquor bottle display (like this model by the YQBRAO brand, currently on sale for $23.74 on Amazon) further extends the cabinet top's storage capacity and avoids a cluttered look. Smaller bar elements like rocks glasses can be displayed on a decorative mirrored tray. That reflective surface will create the impression of dimensionality and draw in more light. This setup also makes for simpler, more accessible entertaining — dinner party guests can even fix themselves a drink while you plate meals in the kitchen.