Zodiac Bar Cart
Mid-20th Century Carts and Bar Carts
Walnut
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
Wood, Paint
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Marble
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Other
2010s Italian Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants
Murano Glass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century American Other Carts and Bar Carts
Wicker, Reed, Glass, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Dining Room Tables
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Crystal, Metal
Vintage 1950s American Globes
Metal, Steel, Tin
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Globes
2010s Italian Modern Table Lamps
Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
Wood
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Globes
Metal
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Rattan, Birch
2010s American Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Walnut
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal, Brass
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.
- How do you stock a bar cart?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertSeptember 25, 2019
A bar cart should be stocked with a jigger, shaker, strainer, bottle opener, corkscrew, ice bucket, tongs and various alcoholic beverages.
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