Midcentury Bar Carts (& a Whiskey Shield)

When I moved into a bigger apartment, one of the things I really, really wanted was a bar cart. The idea of wheeling something around to entertain guests — and offer them the Mister’s whiskey collection — appealed to me, even if I wasn’t going to wheel it very far.

Shape-wise, I wanted something rectangular ( as opposed to round) to fit into a specific spot I had in mind. It needed to have rails to keep things from falling off. Style-wise, I was going for a midcentury modern look, or at least something that would fit in with that feel. I looked primarily at West Elm, CB2, and Target. Of course, there are other retailers online, but when possible, I wanted to see these carts in person. I looked at some vintage carts as well, but they were often too big and out of my price range.

CB2’s bar cart offerings were not in the style I was seeking. They were also huge.

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West Elm actually has a cart called the Mid-Century Bar Cart. It’s pretty handsome with a clean design. It’s made out of sustainably-sourced wood and antique brass-finished rails and casters. It has only two wheels, though, and I wanted something with four.

Overstock actually has something with a similar size and look for $100 less. I’m guessing the wood isn’t sustainably sourced. The lines on this one also seem a tad chunkier.

This Target cart is a good alternative for only $130. But the lines on this one also seemed a bit chunky to me.

West Elm, also had this art deco-inspired number. I love the gold color of this cart. But it was too glam a vibe for me with its glass shelf and mirrored bottom shelf. (Also, a practical issue: it’s so easy to see dust on glass and mirrored surfaces. That would drive me nuts.)

Target also has its own glamorous bar cart version. This cart is rose gold with glass shelves and a curved handle. I came across very few rose gold colored carts, so if you love rose gold, you might want to consider this.

 

There’s also a version in a more yellow gold and wood shelves, which is more my personal style.

In the end, the winner for me was Target with this simple brass and wood cart. I like the muted gold color and the thin, clean lines. At $130, the price was also right for my budget. If I didn’t know this was from Target, I’d think it was more expensive than it was. In fact, on Instagram I even saw a midcentury modern furniture store in Los Angeles trying to pass this off as a vintage and asking more than retail for it.

Happy to be done with my search, I displayed the cart in my living room with its whiskey (and other spirits) wares. But then the Mister told me that it was actually a bad place to store whiskey because it’s a no-no to expose whiskey to the sun. Doh! Why didn’t he mention this earlier? Maybe I would have looked for a cabinet instead. (But I wouldn’t have been happy, because you can’t wheel cabinets around.)

What to do? I solved our problem with some cardboard, tape, and pretty wrapping paper from Target. Now I get the cart I want, and he gets his whiskey kept out of direct sunlight. Behold: my DIY whiskey shield!

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