{How-To} Style a Kitchen Cart

Hey there guys! Today I'm going to talk a little about styling:) Particularly about styling kitchen items if your obligated to a small space.  I think it's pretty obvious that I don't have the largest kitchen in the world. But I actually really don't mind because it's very open and has all the space I need for now. But there are times where I really wish I had more counter space and also more storage space. That's where my new kitchen cart comes into play.

A few months ago I found {and fell in love with} this fabulous vintage green metal cart. It's old. It's rusted. The paint is chipping everywhere, and I just LOVE it. I had to have it the moment I found it. And it was only $16!! Seriously couldn't pass this one up. I had no clue where it was going after I bought it, but after bringing it back to the house, it quickly found its new home in the kitchen. It wasn't overwhelmingly too large and also not too small - the perfect accent piece for a small kitchen.

The next challenge was to style it to really make it fit into the space. When you add a piece of furniture into a kitchen that isn't traditionally used, you need to find ways to make it look natural in the space. That's where you begin styling the piece of furniture with kitchen related items. Here are some quick tips to styling a kitchen cart:

Simple Tips to Styling a Kitchen Cart:

1. Tie in some of the same materials into your accent pieces that you already have in your kitchen. i.e. kitchen towels to incorporate colors, wicker baskets to add texture etc.

2. Include a lamp to add character and attention to the area.

3. Need a place to display your decorative dishes or mugs?? A kitchen cart is a perfect place to do so! You might not use them often, so this is a great way to display those items that typically hide away behind cabinet doors on a regular basis.

4. Add a basket or two to store your everyday items and to organize your clutter.

5. Not enough room in your drawers for utensils? Display them! I actually turned to this idea only because our drawer was having trouble opening and closing, but I ended up loving the fun display. I just might keep them out even once the hubby fixes our drawer;)

6. Once you have chosen your items, make sure to arrange them in a balanced manner. If you have a basket on one side of the shelf, think about pairing it with something organic in shape.

Also consider filling an open basket with fruit and veggies. In my case, I chose a vintage wired basket with bananas and spices:)

You might also notice that I used a small scale lamp on the cart as well. The lamp was originally too short, so I added some height with a few home decor magazines. This was so easy to do and lifted the lamp to the perfect height! It would also be a fun idea to use cook books if you've got some laying around.

7. To keep organized, add some fun tags to your baskets to label your items. I actually just cut up a few old retail tags that I never threw away. I liked their {recycled} look so much that I knew I could eventually use them for something. Cut them into a "tag" shape, poke a hole through the pointed end, and thread some twine through the tag to tie it to the basket.

And there ya have it! Simple as that;)