The Bar Cart

Late one night on my way home, I found a discarded Ikea table frame on the side of a street, and took it home. Naked, cheap, silver and topless, this derelict frame somehow retained its functional wheels, and happily received a fresh coat of black spraypaint.

A month or two later, I noticed a sizeable pile of weathered, outrageously thick timber within a large renovation dumpster a street south of my home. Of course, I hauled as much as I could salvage in one night, and brought it all the way up to my rooftop lair. It was there on my workbench that I dried, lightly sanded, measured, cut, secured and waxed these ancient planks, once the backbones of a sturdy German roof.

The top and bottom shelves retain some of their original paint, and are otherwise permanently darkened by time, soot and the elements, sealed with finishing wax. At three inches thick, they give the bar cart a heavy, solid presence in any space.

On the far left side, I utilized an excess of material as an overhang, drilled a large hole and placed a large, lipped jar for use as a vase, ice bucket, bottle chiller or bar paraphernalia vessel.

Secured to the frame and the top shelf are 18mm copper pipes and fittings, specially cut and arranged into a tight frame, crowned with handles. Some have obviously been painted to match the black base.

This simple structure has since become a revered addition to our living room, and gladly accepts, stores and dispenses almost all of the household hooch.

PROST!

UPDATE: December 2020

Although I am currently not accepting any additional projects until at least March 2021, I have since created three more variants of this initial design for various customers within the EU.

Sparren Bar Carts II, III and IV are all sold, but more images of them are available on the Dankomade site.