Ask most people what colour bar cart they want and the answer is "gold". Ask the next question, which gold, and the conversation slows down. Polished gold, brushed gold, aged brass, rose gold and the chrome-toned finishes of stainless steel all read as "metallic" in a product photograph and all behave quite differently once they are standing in your living room under Australian light.
This guide is about that second question. It explains what each finish actually is, which rooms and palettes each one suits, how the finishes in our range are described on their product pages, and how to care for a metallic finish so it looks the same in five years as it did on the day it arrived.
What a metallic finish usually is
Very few bar carts are made of solid brass or solid gold-coloured metal. Almost all are a steel or iron frame with a finish applied over it. That finish might be a plating, a powder coat, a titanium coating or a polish on the base metal itself. The distinction matters less for how the cart looks and far more for how it is cleaned, which we come to below.
On our product pages the frame material and finish are listed in the Specifications table. Some are explicit, for example The Astor, whose frame is listed as gold-electroplated stainless steel. Others name the finish without naming the process, such as The Collins in Gold Titanium. Where a product page does not say how a finish was applied, treat it as a coating for care purposes and check the product page rather than assuming.
Polished gold
The brightest and most reflective of the group. Polished gold catches every light source in a room and throws it back, which is why it photographs so well and why it is the default choice for a glamorous, Art Deco or Hollywood Regency scheme. The Orion is the clearest example in our range, a polished gold steel frame on a circular form with a choice of glass or mirrored shelves. Pair it with dark walls, velvet and smoked glass and it looks like a cocktail bar. Pair it with pale walls and it reads as jewellery.
The one caution is that polished gold shows everything: fingerprints, dust and water spots all sit on a mirror-bright surface. It suits a reader who enjoys keeping a piece gleaming, less so a busy family room.
Gold and brass detailing on a black frame
The most forgiving way to bring gold into a room is as an accent rather than a whole frame. A black powder-coated frame with gold or brass detailing gives you the warmth of the metal in small, deliberate doses, and black hides the handling that polished gold reveals.
The Savoy does this in the Art Deco idiom, with a black frame, brass detailing, smoked glass shelves and spoked brass statement wheels. The Sovereign does it in a more contemporary register, black frame, gold accents and black glass shelves, which is why it suits a modern apartment as readily as a period home. If your room already has black window frames or black tapware, this is the family of finishes to look at first.
Not every gold cart carries glass. The Ascot Vale in Gold Alabaster pairs a gold frame with a marble-look board finished with a gold lip, and The Double Bay in Gold Frost pairs a gold iron frame with a white board. A board shelf softens the metal in a way glass does not, which makes these the pieces to choose when you want gold in a relaxed room rather than a glamorous one.
Aged brass
Aged brass is gold with the shine taken down. It is softer, slightly darker and reads as older than polished gold, which makes it the natural choice for a Scandinavian, Hamptons or coastal interior where bright metal would feel out of place. It also sits well beside timber and pale stone, which polished gold tends to fight.
The Subiaco is offered in an aged brass frame with a white marble-look board, and the combination is a good illustration of how a muted metal lets the shelf material carry the piece. Its product page describes that pairing as suited to a bright coastal home, and the black-on-black alternative as the option for a dramatic modern interior. The same cart, two completely different rooms, and the finish is the only thing that changed.
Rose gold
Rose gold is gold with a warm pink cast. It is the most fashion-led of the metallic finishes and the one most tied to a particular palette: blush, dusty pink, soft grey, white and pale timber. In that palette it is lovely. Outside it, especially against strong primary colours or heavy dark timber, it can look like it has wandered in from another room.
The Collins is the cart to look at here, because it is the one piece in our range offered in three finishes side by side: Stainless Steel, Gold Titanium and Rose Gold, each on the same polished frame with tempered glass shelves. Its product page puts the choice simply: Stainless Steel for the modern minimalist, Gold Titanium for the glamour enthusiast, Rose Gold for the contemporary romantic.
Chrome tone and stainless steel
Silver-toned finishes are the quietest option and the easiest to place. Stainless steel and chrome-toned frames suit a contemporary kitchen, a monochrome scheme, an industrial loft or any room where the fittings are already silver. They also hide fingerprints better than polished gold because the reflections are cooler and less noticeable.
The Collins in Stainless Steel is our main silver-toned cart. If the rest of your home leans warm, a silver frame can feel cold, so look at your tapware and door hardware before choosing. Matching the cart's metal to the metals already in the room is the most reliable rule in this guide.
Caring for a metallic finish
This is where the plating question becomes practical. Unless a product page says the frame is solid brass, treat every gold, brass, rose gold and chrome-toned finish as a coating over another metal. Our care guide by material covers this in full. The short version:
- Dust with a dry microfibre cloth. That is most of the maintenance, and on a polished finish it is weekly rather than monthly.
- For marks, a barely damp cloth, then dry immediately. Water left to dry on gold or chrome leaves spots.
- Never use brass polish, metal polish, vinegar, lemon or anything abrasive. Polish is for solid brass. On a plated or coated finish it strips the gold and the damage cannot be undone.
- Spray the cloth, not the cart. Overspray runs into joints and caster housings.
- Wipe spills at once. Citrus and tonic in particular will mark a metallic finish if left overnight.
A short decision guide
- Dark, moody room or Art Deco scheme: black frame with gold or brass detailing, or polished gold. The Savoy, The Sovereign, The Orion.
- Scandinavian, Hamptons or coastal: aged brass or stainless steel. The Subiaco in aged brass, The Collins in Stainless Steel.
- Blush, grey and white palette: rose gold. The Collins in Rose Gold.
- Relaxed, retro, family living room: gold with a board shelf. The Double Bay in Gold Frost, The Ascot Vale in Gold Alabaster.
- Unsure: match the metal already in the room, and if there is none, aged brass is the finish that offends the fewest palettes.
For more on styling the warmest of these finishes, read our gold bar cart ideas, or browse the Gold collection to see every gold-toned piece together. Every cart ships with free delivery within Australia, and returns are accepted within 30 days from delivery with no restocking fee. Browse the full range of bar carts and drinks trolleys — delivery to New Zealand is listed on each product page and shown at checkout.
