French Tea Trolley
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal, Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal, Aluminum
Vintage 1960s French Directoire Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1950s French Romantic Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass, Metal
Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1930s French Industrial Carts and Bar Carts
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Hollywood Regency Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Early 20th Century French Chinoiserie Carts and Bar Carts
Glass, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Card Tables and Tea Tables
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Carts and Bar Carts
Oak
Vintage 1920s English Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Chrome
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Hollywood Regency Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Tray Tables
Oak
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Tray Tables
Brass
20th Century French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Cut Steel
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dessert Tables and Tilt-top T...
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
Metal
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Tray Tables
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century European Belle Époque Side Tables
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century French Carts and Bar Carts
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Glass
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1950s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Wood, Mirror
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1950s Italian Carts and Bar Carts
Glass, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
2010s German Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
2010s German Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1930s French More Dining and Entertaining
Walnut
Vintage 1960s French Carts and Bar Carts
Vintage 1950s French Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1940s French Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Vintage 1940s French Carts and Bar Carts
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French Tea Trolley For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a French Tea Trolley?
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.
- What is a tea trolley?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertNovember 2, 2021A tea trolley is a small wheeled table, often outfitted with shelves, that is used to serve tea, beverages, or snacks. Shop a collection of antique, vintage and contemporary tea trolleys from some of the world’s top dealers on 1stDibs.
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