Nod back to golden era

Drinks trollies – or bar carts if you’re a sophisticate – are popping up all over the place. With a nod back to that golden era of entertaining, the 1960s and 1970s, a wellcurated drinks trolley is the latest in living room trends.

If your environment – toddler free, perhaps – and wallet allows, a carefully arranged trolley can be just the thing to say "grown ups live here." After all, sometimes there’s nothing better than a splash of your favourite tipple at the end of a hard day, and it can taste all the sweeter if it’s prepared on a chic vintage or modern drinks trolley.

If a drinks station is not your thing, it can double as an occasional table for books, flowers, plants or ornaments; a bedroom trolley for a lamp, water and your favourite book; a bathroom trolley for make-up and toiletries; a high tea trolley for that special occasion.

And if you find or inherit an old wooden trolley, give it a good polish, or a lick of paint, and it will quickly become your number one accessory for get-togethers.

Once you’ve found the trolley that suits your aesthetic, it’s time to style it.

But know when to stop; whatever you use it for, a few wellarranged items will have the greatest visual impact.

Bottom-heavy: Keep bulky bottles, ice buckets and decanters on the bottom tier and delicate glassware on top to help with balance if you are going to move it.

Keep it light: Don’t overload it – you don’t want bottles falling off as you move it, and they are so lovely it’s a shame to clutter it up.

Multi-tasker: Your bar trolley doesn’t have to be dedicated solely to drinks and glasses; use it to stack crockery for guests when you entertain.

Go big: If you like to have a good selection of your favourite drinks at the ready, choose a trolley with three tiers.

Revel in retro: Team it with vintage glassware and stand it under the right artwork to bring out the retro charm.

Channel glamour: If it’s cocktail hour, stock a little of everything, and beautiful glassware, decanters and ice buckets.

Get Creative: Bottles and labels all play into the look so choose only liquor of a certain type or colour. Or stack bottles horizontally in a rack, or stand in a basket.