Sunday 12 July 2015

The Journey of a Bargain Bar Cart Trolley

It seemed I was being awarded for the decision to stay put in town for the month of July.
The weather thus far has been consistently warm and sunny and it got me into the tourist spirit.

Italian Fountains in Hyde Park
Even though I love to go around town something 
I rarely do anymore is go to Portobello market on a Saturday of all days!  
It attracts so many tourists that it is hard to navigate the narrow street.
But I thought I would go to the Spanish supermarket there for some pimientos padrones which are now in season.

I walked by Bill's which is crowded all day long but there was a queue to get in.
It's good but it isn't that good!

It was so pleasant to walk by cherry trees in Notting Hill.

The Spanish supermarket is a few blocks away from Golborne Road which is the area's vintage and bric a brac market.  It used to be a proper market where you could get bargains but as the price for the chairs below demonstrates - it is no longer the case.

£370 for a pair of half chairs!
Plus I need to upholster it after you scribbled on it!
Bargain guvnah.

I love wicker.
Soane Britain does a collection of rattan furniture which I adore and this contraption of covering plastic white chairs did tempt me due to its faint semblance.
It was on sale for less than a hundred pounds but I have no valid place to put it and it was coming away at certain places which means it would unravel in a few years time.

Plus I would have to find a way to cover up the white bits.
This is why comparisons to certain brands can be a false economy.

A few months ago I went to West Elm to inspect in real life a bar cart that looked like it would go in my house.
But the proportions were for American Mcmansions rather than London's edited proportions.  The bar cart was the size of a small dining table for most Londoners!
So when I found out this 1960's bar cart was going for under 50 pounds I had to have a punt.




It isn't pure brass but brass plated and it needed a good clean but 
I didn't have time to start to a comp online to see if I was getting ripped off or good value.

But I have been to enough shops and auctions to know that these don't always come up at this price range. The downside to a proper street stall is that you can't come back the next day and have a think about it - you need to make your decision in a finite time window.
Otherwise you will be haunted by the regret.

Wrong as it is, my litmus test was the following.
 What would this cost at Ikea?
Could I ( theoretically ) ebay it at cost?

The whole preppy/Lilly Pulitzer thing isn't a huge trend in London. It is peculiar considering most preppies in North America have bloodlines tracing back to Great Britain yet the design ethos doesn't reign supreme here. 

So a rather garish bar cart might not be too popular for Londoners.
Plus even if you liked the cart how would you get it home?

The roads were partly closed and diverted.
And as it was a sunny Saturday taxis were impossible to get.
 I was not going to schlepp it on a bus as was suggested by the seller.
So I rolled it home.


Past train tracks and comments that school boys thought were so funny when they asked me for tea and coffee.


Even though I walked the back streets I still managed to bump into an acquaintance.
Positive was that I put my bag on the trolley when it was starting to get heavy.


The looks of passing pedestrian were mixed.
Some were knowingly smiling at me thinking that I must have gotten a bargain at the market.
Others were judging me wondering why on earth 
I would bother wheeling this ugly cart around the neighborhood.



The wheels were still going strong so it proved it was in good condition but at this point it did more mileage than a bar trolley does on a flight from London to L.A.

But I finally got it home.
I gave it a good clean and played around where I would put it.


The place I had in mind when I bought it was an area that I was planning to get either a demi-lune table / console / bar cart.

The reason I rather appreciated 
the brightness of the green faux marble and 
the brass was to enliven a rather stern gallery wall of prints. 


But while I did try and play around with it and see how it would settle, the scale wasn't right.

As it wasn't a substantial financial outlay I thought it would be fun to try it in different place in the house so I am presently trying it out as a side table for what used to be my guest bedroom.

It's only been a day so I shall see if it works and 
if I am not sick of it by the end of the week.
I quite like matching side tables and Mr CSW is into symmetry 
so am unsure how the non matching side tables work.

But sometimes one has to take a chance and exit our design comfort zone.
I shall update you if I move it around again.
But I have enjoyed the "journey" this bar cart has taken me on! ;)

32 comments:

  1. Excellent finds!! Perfect for your home.

    I am envious of the trip they took back to your place.

    SSG xxx

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  2. I think it's lovely!

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    1. Thank you Helene - it's a little bit daring for me and more so Mr CSW though :)

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  3. I love the Portobello Rd Market, having been a few years ago.
    Great find. Use it for its original purpose, ie holding booze.

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    1. I was thinking that but I might let it all settle and see if the right bar trolley finds me!

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  4. You are a trooper!!!! What a cool find - luvvvvv it! Yes, Portobello is crazy crowded, so we always try to be there at 8:00 AM. Easier to find parking, too. As for that half chair - good luck!! Cheers, L

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    1. You are the expert so I feel assured Loi! Are you sure I can't get you to do something with those half chairs though? x

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  5. Leslie in Oregon13 July 2015 at 02:59

    I love the story of the journey of you and your new bar cart. Have fun with it!

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    1. Thanks Leslie - it might just move from room to room!

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  6. I loved this post and love this bar cart ! Well done xxx

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  7. I enjoyed the journey too. It looks charming as a bedside table.

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    1. The wheels are sturdy also it works as a table so one must make do and the best of everything right?!

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  8. YOU PUSH IT GIRL!I love that YOU walked HOME with it and it held up!I think it is delightful........
    GOOD SCORE On your part!I agree with you about the chairs.......GOOD GRIEF!

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    1. My biceps were a bit tender the next day so can't imagine without wheels!! Those chairs... He couldn't give them away!!!

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  9. Wow wonderful find for that price Naomi! I love that you pushed it home too. I think you'll find so many uses, but it is cute the way you styled it by the bedside. Love finding treasures!

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    1. It's useful and there's no huge commitment so fun to play with. I think it was a tea trolley here instead of bar cart though xx

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  10. Did you get any custard tarts from the Portuguese cafes and was there any thing interesting in the dog's bollocks?
    Cheers
    Herts

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    1. The street was heaving so no but I do love them. Funny enough there was a brass coffee table that could be division four but I have no need otherwise I would have bought it!!

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  11. Youre so funny, I can just imagine the stares you got as you wheeled this little find home. I'm sure you didn't care and just felt smug knowing you had a bargain and could visualise where you were going to put it. It does look like hallway furniture but works equally well as a bedside cabinet - enjoy it! xx

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    1. The trolley got marmite reactions he he but it was so sunny and hot that halfway through I pondered on if it was a bargain!! Xx

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  12. Good for you! I had to smile, I've been looking at the West Elm cart too. Our city kitchen is a distance from the dining room, and I've thought for a long time that some kind of serving cart would be helpful, especially as we get older and start to drop things. Problem is I can't figure out where the cart would live when it's not actually serving. Oh, these first world problems.

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    1. I still want a proper bar cart. But the good condition ones are so expensive. I wish west elm did petite size furniture otherwise it won't stay in business too long! Hope you get a find somewhere over the summer!

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  13. The photos of the bar cart on the way home are sooo funny and I feel like I was with you. What a fun thing to do and I like it as a side table, you've accessorized it very well, you have a terrific eye Naomi.
    London seems so expensive these days, those broken half-chairs with the scrawled price on the fabric, insanity. XO

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    1. At that price he's having a laugh BC I doubt he could give them away!!! I think that's why the bar cart seemed even more of a bargain after that! Xx

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  14. Oh, what a fun post this turned out to be! Whenever I'm in London, I always make a point of visiting the market each Saturday as that is the only day most of the antiques stalls/shops are opened. I never fail but to find some treasure to take home, but unlike you, I am unable to wheel it home.

    I think the cart looks quite marvelous next to the bed. I'm all about symmetry but for bedside tables, who cares! Throw caution to the wind and you end up with something as useful as your cart. Bravo!

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    1. The better stalls are on a Friday at portobello and it's less crowded but I love a walk through too. I'm usually so careful and let things rest a while so am better at an auction than flea market!

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  15. I love the thought of you wheeling that cart around London! That's a wonderful story. I've been looking for a bar cart that fits my 1920s (read: tiny) home and will have to keep my eyes open for a find like yours.

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    1. I am sure North America has good stock but the Brits love a drink but carts aren't ubiquitous and mine is technically a tea trolley!

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  16. Londoners are used to seeing strange sites on the streets - I moved house using the Tube only at one point. That was interesting…! But at least the bar cart had wheels! You should keep an eye out for art deco tray mobiles (as they were known in Oz) as they are a good scale and generally fairly elegant. I see them at auction here all the time, so surely there would be some at auction in London? I do like the cart next to the bed and quite like mismatched bedsides - I had that for years, and while it was through necessity (my hall table couldn't be accommodated elsewhere and I couldn't afford a matched set of tables at any rate) it looked good I thought! xx

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    1. Interesting there's a lot in Oz because many don't come up here and when they do they are in the 300 range which is why I had to snap it up at that price! There was one other proper bar cart trolley but the brass needed replaying and or massive cleaning the wheel was broken and the tray needed a new one at the same price. It's a bit of fun! Xx

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