Shea McGee's simple styling tip for a home bar blends form and function – here's how she effortlessly uses serveware as decor

Spaces you serve in – kitchens, dining rooms, home bars – of course, need to work hard. Before all else, they need to be practical spaces that make it easy for both hosts and guests to move around and enjoy. But that doesn't mean these spaces need to miss out on aesthetics. The key, as designer Shea McGee recently pointed out in one of her recent projects, is to double your serveware as decor. Get useful, but beautiful things out on show and use them to create vignettes, rather than bringing in pieces that look nice but have no purpose.

The designer behind McGee & Co. recently took to Instagram to share the home bar area of a recently completed project and talked us through how she used everyday, items to decorate the space.

'In this home, our clients wanted a built-in bar area, but I think you can imagine how the styling could translate to a buffet space as well,' Shea states in the clip, standing in a modern and sleek space featuring a marbled bar counter, matte cabinetry, and plenty of wine glasses. Here's what she shared about decorating a hardworking space in a way that makes sense both for aesthetics and practicality.

Her first tip centers around dishes and glassware, as well as any other items that can be used functionally as well as look aesthetically pleasing.

'When you’re styling dining surfaces, really think in terms of serving pieces as decor, so that they make sense in the context of the space, but also they're really functional because you can use them and it acts as additional storage for all of your beautiful serving pieces,' she explains.

We love how Shea has balanced stacks of plates and mugs with lined-up wine glasses and some larger serving pieces, creating visual interest thanks to varying shapes, sizes, and textures. It's such a simple but effective way to add some character to a hardworking space.

Decorating with artwork is also a way to inject some personality into a home bar, dining room, or kitchen. Lean meaningful pieces on your shelving, along your countertops, or hang them in empty wall spaces.

In this project, Shea explains how she 'layered artwork,' and adds, 'If you have a sloped ceiling, look for an opportunity to layer your artwork so it follows that same angle.'

See these spaces as an opportunity to create vignettes. Bringing together both decorative pieces like artwork, with more practical pieces you will get use out of like glassware, cookware, chopping boards, etc. This will naturally create a look that doesn't feel overly curated and still makes sense in the space.

Shop Shea's home bar edit

We love any styling methods that are as practical as they are stylish, and these tips from Shea really do blend the two perfectly, proving that hardworking spaces can still be decorated beautifully just like any other space.