*Today’s post was made possible by SONGMICS, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own.

How is Thanksgiving next week?! The holidays already seem to be racing by, so I’m looking for ways to slow down and savor each and every moment. I’ve been doing a tiny bit of seasonal decorating behind the scenes, and just got an upgraded Christmas tree that I can’t wait to share with you, but for now, I’m still deep in Thanksgiving planning mode. I put together a festive video for the team at SONGMICS this week on my Instagram showing how I styled a simple, eclectic Thanksgiving bar cart look, and today on the blog I’m sharing more tips and all the photos. Stay tuned in December for tips on how to style the same cart for Christmas, by the way, or you can hop over to Instagram here and get a sneak peek. For now, let’s talk “Turkey Day” styling…

How To Style A Thanksgiving Bar Cart:

1. Since a bar cart is only so big, you’ll need to choose a category for what you’ll serve. This could be just drinks or just appetizers, but I chose to create a sort of pre-dinner stop-in zone for our guests. I styled the cart with drink glasses, wine bottles, a pitcher of water, utensils, and napkins. Visitors will be invited to start here to pick up their essentials before heading in to the main meal where all of the food will be served. This also frees up much-needed space on the dinner table.

2. You may notice that I chose a pink bar cart! I think the color you see more often with this style of furniture is gold, but I knew I wanted a pink cart for year-round styling. To make this unexpected color work for a rustic fall holiday, I worked in accents that had a more jewel-toned fall palette. The secondhand leafy platter that I found at a local shop was the perfect way to bring in all of the colors I wanted—pink, purple, rust orange, and green. I intentionally chose a few other accents with the same hues (including pink, of course!), and that made the whole look feel more cohesive and season-appropriate, too.

3. Since my color scheme was, admittedly, a little out of the ordinary, I made sure to get the point across that this was a Thanksgiving setup by incorporating all of the expected mascots of the holiday, like pumpkins, dried rustic foliage, and a large kitschy gold turkey that I picked up at an antique store this month. I don’t think you could ever deny that this is decidedly a Thanksgiving bar cart after catching sight of that turkey. What should we name him, by the way?! Leave a comment and let me know your vote.

I think my favorite thing about this look is that I didn’t let myself get pigeon-holed into what’s “expected” when it comes to Thanksgiving décor. I used colors that are a little outside the box, and only a few traditional accents, but the final styling still feels just right for Thanksgiving—it’s just more unique to me. Hop over to my Instagram this morning to see the video I produced that shows this cart styled for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and if you want a cart for yourself to style this holiday season, use code “carrie18” to score a special 18% off.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission when you purchase products that I recommend at no additional cost to you. This allows me to provide free creative content for you to read, save, and share. Rest assured that I never recommend products we wouldn’t use or don’t already love ourselves.