Tony Paul Bar Cart
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Rattan, Glass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Steel, Iron
Recent Sales
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Vintage 1950s American Carts and Bar Carts
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Carts and Bar Carts
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Glass, Beech
Vintage 1970s Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Brass
20th Century French Art Deco Coat Racks and Stands
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Cabinets
Metal
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Iron
20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Umbrella Stands
20th Century French Art Deco Coat Racks and Stands
Marble, Wrought Iron, Copper
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Metal
2010s Italian Carts and Bar Carts
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass, Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Laminate, Teak
Mid-20th Century Italian Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Doors and Gates
Iron
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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