Let’s not beat around the bush; we all like to indulge with a drink or two at home every now and then. Whether your poison is a fine Australian red or white wine, a simple gin and tonic or perhaps a cocktail such as a Negroni or an Old Fashioned, enjoying alcohol in the comfort of your own home is something not to be sneered at.
But most homes just have an ‘alcohol cupboard’. A space, usually in the kitchen, in which bottles of booze are hidden so as not to attract attention but can be easily flung open when you get home from work or when guests come round.
We’re telling you now, it’s time to celebrate your alcohol collection – especially if you have some limited edition or rare bottles of grog – and present it on a bar cart. Perhaps associated more with homes of yesteryear, bar carts are now seeing a resurgence, with several designers and furniture producers putting their stamp on the classical piece of furniture to create something that you will want to show off all year round.
Naturally, as with any piece of furniture, you’ll need to consider the size when shopping for bar carts. Too big and it will end up being in the way, too small and it might not be able to hold enough stuff. And make sure you go for a bar cart that reflects your tastes and will easily blend with the decor of your home.
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If you’re wanting to elevate your home and show off your alcohol collection, these are the best bar carts available.
Batch & Bottle
Price: From $300
Batch & Bottle, makers of pre-batched, ready to pour, super-premium cocktails, has joined forces with IsoKing, a cool furniture brand, to create a limited edition Batch & Bottle cocktail bar cart; which is easily one the best bar carts on the market.
Crafted with sustainable birchwood ply and steel, the bar cart comes flat-packed but is extremely easy to assemble thanks to pieces that simply slot together. Featuring an integrated food-grade bamboo chopping board, under-bar bottle racks to store your finest alcohol, adjustable width dowelling rails to hang cocktail glasses from, and side hooks to hang tea towels, Batch & Bottle’s bar cart is sophisticated-looking and will elevate both your home and your alcohol collection. But hurry, as these bar carts are selling out quickly!
Kartell
Price: From $2,030
Italian design company Kartell was founded in 1949 and 50 years later, became the first company in the world to use polycarbonate for pieces of furniture; a move that helped spawn the Louis Ghost chair, a piece that still resonates with many design aficionados today.
Their Trays Trolley, while not advertised specifically as a bar cart but more as a piece of furniture for the workspace or to keep a room tidy, offers plenty of space to display your bottles of spirits and wine. Designed by Italian designer Piero Lissoni (a frequent collaborator of Kartell’s) this simple yet stylish bar cart is available in glossy black or classic white and comes on a full set of castors to make wheeling it around the home a breeze.
Tait
Price: From $1,545
Australian furniture brand Tait was founded in Melbourne in 1992. The vision for the brand was to create pieces of furniture that could be used outdoors and be able to withstand some harsh Australian climates (and look good while doing so). The bulk of Tait’s collections are made up of elegant tables and chairs (usually with holes to help prevent holding water) but all products are designed for a genuine purpose.
Take their Trace Drinks Trolley for example. Part of Tait’s Trace Collection, this bar cart exhibits both retro styling (we can see it hosting a plethora of vodka martinis on top) and the use of modern materials in the form of stainless steel framing and timber for the large wheels. If you’re after a bar cart with a clean look that’s suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, this is one of the best bar carts available.
Vorsen
Price: From $800
Sydney-based designer furniture company Vorsen takes a lot of design inspiration from sleek and minimalist Scandinavian lines. Specialising in chairs and tables for various rooms and occasions – including bar carts – Vorsen knows how to bring a party to life.
The Outdoor Drinks Trolley is a prime example, sporting a wholly minimalist look, complete with a teak-finished handle and two wheels. Made from aluminium, this bar cart is perfect for use outside all year round; but will also look at home indoors.
Bent Design Studio
Price: From $795
Hailing from Melbourne, Bent Design Studio was founded to offer locally-made pieces from locally-sourced materials, resulting in lower selling prices. Sofas, dining tables, and outdoor furniture are to be expected within Bent’s collections, which make use of natural oak and aluminium.
Their Imola Outdoor Bar Cart is one of many bar carts Bent Design Studio offer but is definitely the best-looking bar cart in their bar carts range. With a large top surface and a bottle holder on the lower level, this bar cart will allow you to show off your booze in style.
USM
Price: From $1,345
USM is a hugely popular furniture design company from Switzerland. The Haller modular furniture system, which can be found in homes and offices around the world is so highly revered that it’s included in the permanent collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
The Haller Serving Cart takes the fundamental basics of the Haller system – the steel tube framing – and fashions it into an incredibly stylish bar cart that will look great in any room. Available in a range of colours and finishes, the Haller bar cart is a design classic that will remain relevant for years to come.
Artek
Price: From $2,340
Artek was founded in Finland in 1935 by Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino, alongside Marie Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl. Alvar exhibited a particular affinity for crafting furniture out of wood and some of the company’s products such as the Paimio chair and the Leg Stool 60 should look familiar even to those who don’t show a huge interest in furniture design.
The 901 Tea Trolley was designed by Alvar himself in 1936, with the same design being retained by the brand today. It’s a low table at just 56cm high, but thanks to a lightweight birch construction, it’s incredibly easy to move around. Alvar took inspiration from both British tea culture when designing the 901, as well as Japanese architecture. We feel the large birch wheels give it an extremely unique and cool look; hence its inclusion on our best bar carts guide.
Safavieh
Price: From $255
Safavieh has grown from a small family-owned rug producer to a global heavyweight in the home furnishing space. It continues to produce some of the finest oriental rugs around, alongside a range of grandeur furniture.
Such as the Aurelius Bar Cart, one of the more elegant bar carts on this list. The legs have a ‘barley twist’ design integrated into them and the shelves have been given a mirrored finish. The Aurelius bar cart is simply refined, and cannot be home to a six-pack of beers; this is one of the best bar carts to show off your champagne or fine spirits collection.
Southern Enterprises
Price: From $129
Southern Enterprises is perhaps more mainstream and mass-produced than some other furniture designers on this list, but that doesn’t make the products any less worth your consideration. The brand produces pieces for most rooms in the home, of course, including bar carts.
Their Dayne Bar Cart, which marries together rustic and industrial design influences, has been made with cast iron (used throughout for the frame and the wheels) and solid wood (used for the shelving). It’s a simple approach to bar carts design, but one that will complement a variety of rooms.
