How to Decorate a Vintage Rolling Cart

Preparing the Cart

• By virtue of age, vintage rolling carts often aren’t in the best condition. This has its own appeal, but work is still required to get your cart ready to decorate. To maintain the current look, apply a clear matte sealant to any wood or metal after a thorough cleaning with mild detergent and a soft scrub brush. This creates a protective layer between the rust, splintering and peeling paint that are giving the cart its unique look without actually altering it. To refinish the cart, remove any rust with a thorough scrubbing or a chemical remover or convert the rust with a spray-on rust converter. Use spray paint to redo any metal or plastic and standard paint or stain to refinish wood.

Basic Decorating Tips

• When decorating an item with as much character as a vintage rolling cart, it's easy to let the cart speak for itself, using it to house framed pictures, a few books or other basics. But adding a few dramatic pieces takes the cart to another level. A large vintage tin can filled with a tall array of branches adds height to the top shelf, giving the cart more visual importance in the room. Layering items across the entire depth of the shelf, rather than just placing them in one row, keeps the eye moving constantly, drawing interest. For example, cluster three candles toward the center of the shelf, lean a favorite canvas on the back against a wall, and stage a larger figurine off in a corner with a few shorter framed pictures scattered about. Maintain this variation on each subsequent shelf. A base of books on the lowest shelf, a tall bouquet of branches on the highest shelf to the right, and a mid-size vintage vase toward the left of the center shelf is evenly weighted without appearing too symmetrical, keeping the overall look of the cart fresh and interesting.

Bar Cart

• Decorative glasses, mixed drink tools and a collection of spirits transform a vintage rolling cart into an eye-catching -- and perfectly functional -- bar cart. To keep things decorative rather than just utilitarian, use the uppermost level of the cart to house decorative glasses arranged atop a serving tray, a vintage shaker, your collection of shot glasses and, if there’s room, one purely aesthetic piece. For example, add color to a heavily worn vintage bar cart with a neon-coral painted figurine or lean a vintage poster mounted on canvas on the back of the top shelf against the wall. On the middle shelf, showcase your collection of spirits, breaking up the oft-overwhelming look of too many bottles with a decorative ice bucket or a stack of books dedicated to mixed drinks. The lower shelf, if present, can house a woven basket filled with smaller, non-decorative pieces such as toothpicks for olives or showcase figurines, a low-light potted plant, extra serving glasses or quirky bottles of sparkling water and specialty sodas.

Kitchen Cart

• Display a collection of antique china or fun thrift market finds atop your vintage rolling cart and park it in a prominent place in your kitchen. Colorful mixing bowls, collectible glasses or your collection of attention-grabbing teapots are perfect for this, adding an ornamental touch to your kitchen without looking out of place. Add in potted plants or herbs for dimension and color and mix in other vintage finds to tie the look together. An array of old glass soda bottles, mason jars or tin cans are all stunning and inexpensive pieces that bring life to a vintage rolling cart.