Glass Brass Serving Trolley With Drop Leafs
Antique Late 18th Century Rustic Carts and Bar Carts
Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Antique Early 1900s English Neoclassical Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Brass
2010s Austrian Jugendstil Chandeliers and Pendants
Silk
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Trunks and Luggage
Chrome
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Mohair, Oak, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Hollywood Regency Dry Bars
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
Vintage 1930s American Neoclassical Floor Mirrors and Full-Length Mirrors
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Brass
2010s Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Silver, Brass
Early 20th Century American Industrial Carts and Bar Carts
Steel, Iron
Antique 1830s English Sideboards
Brass
Recent Sales
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass, Metal, Bronze
Finding the Right bar-carts for You
Forever a sleek and elegant furnishing that evokes luxury and sophistication, a vintage bar cart will prove both functional and fabulous in your living room.
Bar carts as we know them were originally conceived as tea trolleys — a modest-sized table on wheels, sometimes featuring both an upper and lower shelf — to help facilitate tea service during the Victorian era in England. Modern bar carts weren’t really a common fixture in American interiors until after the end of Prohibition in the 1930s, when they were rolled onto the sets of Hollywood films. There, they suggested wealth and status in the dining rooms of affluent characters.
As tough as the 1930s had been on the average working American, the postwar era yielded economic stability and growth in homeownership. Increasingly, bar carts designed by the likes of Edward Wormley and other furniture makers became an integral part of sunken living rooms across the United States in the 1950s.
Bar carts were a must-have addition to the sensuous and sleek low-profile furnishings that we now call mid-century modern, each outfitted with the finest spirits and savory snacks that people had to offer. And partially owing to critical darlings like Mad Men, vintage cocktail carts have since seen a resurgence and have even become a selling point in restaurants.
Bar carts not only boast tremendous utilitarian value but also introduce a fun, nostalgic dynamic to the layout of your space, be it in the bar area or elsewhere. In addition to showcasing your favorite bottles of rye and local small-batch gin — or juices and mocktail ingredients — there is an undeniable allure to stacking statement glassware, vintage martini cocktail shakers and Art Deco decanter sets atop your fully stocked mid-century modern bar cart. And one size or style doesn’t fit all — an evolution of cocktail cart design throughout history has yielded all manner of metal bar carts, rattan carts and more.
We invite you to add a few more dashes of class to cocktail hour — peruse the vast collection of antique and vintage carts and bar carts on 1stDibs today.
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