by Fan Winston - October 28, 2019

Archive Dive: In Praise of Rolling Storage (or 12 Times When a Metal Cart Saved the Day)

There are a multitude of reasons to admire metal storage carts. They tend to be inexpensive, they provide extra storage, they are readily moveable for easy cleaning. But the real reason to love carts is for their industrial good looks. Storage carts telegraph unfussiness, both the room’s and the owner’s. No matter how fancy the house, they seem to say, here, function and form are on equal footing. Below, 12 examples of carts doing double duty—as storage and as a style note.

Chef David Tanis New York Kitchen Photos by Heidi's Bridge — Above: Chef David Tanis stores mixing bowls and cutting boards on an industrial-style stainless steel restaurant cart with butcher block top. Photograph by and styling for Remodelista by Heidi’s Bridge, from Chef David Tanis’s Low-Tech, Economical, and Beautifully Soulful Kitchen in the East Village.

Fellow chef Alastair Hendy is also an admirer of wheeled storage. Here, the stainless steel restaurant trolley holds, among other things, an electric tea kettle and toaster. Photograph by Matthew Williams, from Revolution Road: A Ground-Breaking Kitchen in London. — Above: Fellow chef Alastair Hendy is also an admirer of wheeled storage. Here, the stainless steel restaurant trolley holds, among other things, an electric tea kettle and toaster. Photograph by Matthew Williams, from Revolution Road: A Ground-Breaking Kitchen in London.

Ceramics at The Lost Kitchen in Maine, Photo by Greta Rybus for Remodelista — Above: In the Lost Kitchen in Maine, a vintage cart holds mix-and-match teacups that chef-owner Erin French has collected over the years. Photograph by Greta Rybus for Remodelista, from The Lost Kitchen: A Glimpse Inside Maine’s Most Wildly In-Demand Restaurant.

An industrial cart used as a side table in interior designer Clarisse Prudent's Burgundy dining room. Photograph via The Socialite Family. — Above: Rugged mixes well with refined: In a dining room, a metal factory cart is put to use as a tea service table. Photograph by Constance Gennari, courtesy of The Socialite Family, from The Socialite Family Book: Lifestyles of the Young and Chic, French Edition.

Kitchen with Copper Pipes in Shaker Studio Airbnb in Paris by Ariel Claudet, Photo by Cyrille Lallement — Above: An Ikea Råskog Utility Cart tucked into a niche of a tiny kitchenette. Photograph by Cyrille Lallement, courtesy of Ariel Claudet, from In a Tiny Paris Flat, an Inspired and Inexpensive Storage Solution.

Lodder Keukens — Above: An open cart displays handmade pottery worth keeping on view. Photograph by Hendrick Biegs, from Kitchen of the Week: Arjan Lodder Keukens Kitchen in the Netherlands.

Rene and Nadine Redzepi Kitchen Cart with Tabelware in Copenhagen, Photo Courtesy of Dinesen — Above: Chefs Rene and Nadine Redzepi keep an old antique shelving system on wheels to hold an eclectic mix of ceramics. Photograph courtesy of Dinesen, from Expert Advice: Nadine Redzepi’s Secrets to a Well-Ordered Home Kitchen.

A vintage cart serves as the coffee station. Photograph by Laura Muthesius, courtesy of Our Food Stories, from Kitchen of the Week: A DIY Ikea Country Kitchen for Two Berlin Creatives. — Above: A vintage cart serves as the coffee station. Photograph by Laura Muthesius, courtesy of Our Food Stories, from Kitchen of the Week: A DIY Ikea Country Kitchen for Two Berlin Creatives.

Storage Cart Kitchen Organized Home Book, Image by Matthew Williams — Above: A refined storage cart sets the stage for a mini bar station in this Brooklyn kitchen. For more images, see Rehab Diary: A Hardworking Brooklyn Kitchen by Architect Annabelle Selldorf. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista: The Organized Home.

Ace Hotel Portland, Oregon En Suite Bath Sink — Above: At the Ace Hotel Portland, an ensuite bath is outfitted with a slim storage cart for toiletries and extra storage. Photograph courtesy of Ace Hotel Portland, from Steal This Look: Ace Hotel Bath.

justine hands cape cod summer cottage bath — Above: A white vintage cart looks perfectly at home in the simple bath of Justine’s Cape Cod cottage. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

Amanda-Pays-Corbin-Bernsen-laundry-room-shelving-built-from-scaffolding-Remodelista — Above: The vintage steel cart, a Rose Bowl buy, fits perfectly into the narrow space between the washer and dryer. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista, from Rehab Diary: Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen Air Their Dirty Laundry.

More artful storage roundups just ahead:

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