Award-winning Irish design studio Zelouf & Bell has created an extraordinary bar cart for Asprey London, drawing inspiration from three different icons: the “Streamline Moderne” luxury ocean liner SS Normandie, launched in 1932; the famed Hotel Normandie in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Stephen Webster London’s Master & Serpent brooch.
Bar carts originated in the 19th century with the rise of cocktail culture – which required multiple spirits, garnishes, glassware and utensils to be on hand at once for the preparation of these alcoholic confections. Back then, these carts were nothing more than glorified tea trolleys but, with the explosion of partying in the roaring 1920s, they become a must in any household worth its dry martini. The decade that followed was a pretty sobering one, so it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that bar carts resurfaced as objects of desire, with designs following the trend of clean lines and functionality popular at that time. From then, bar carts have drifted in and out of fashion, but in recent years, their popularity is back on the rise alongside the nostalgic return of vinyl, film cameras and paper magazines.
For Asprey’s Master & Serpent Bar Cart, Zelouf & Bell has used luxurious, responsibly sourced materials to create a dream-like universe depicting warring king cobras slithering against a backdrop of highly figured hedge-green birdseye maple.
These menacing serpents, with their mother-of-pearl eyes and vivid green shell hoods, are etched and engraved in delicate grey-green sycamore – its swirly grain closely resembling the ripple motifs natural to these reptiles. The engraving is done on the back to create a subtle scale pattern. All this wildness is safely contained within the polished bronze custom hardware of the cart.
As the thicknesses of the pressure-dyed timbers and mother-of-pearl and shell vary, the marquetry surfaces were carefully sanded back, by hand, before the lacquer finish was applied, each coat hand-rubbed back between curing.
Burnished-bronze curved handles allow easy manoeuvring, with the cart gliding on concealed castors. Under the top tray, two curved pulls in grainy stingrays provide the necessary grip to open the shelves, which reveal an explosion of colour, and feature magnified snake scales in brilliant emerald-green shell marquetry.
The shelves serve as bar tops, almost doubling the cart’s length. Underneath, there is a discreet rack from which to hang champagne flutes or cocktail glasses. Whether you are mixing cocktails or enjoying a cigar and snifter of brandy, the ceremony of hosting will always be enhanced by a good bar cart. Asprey’s Master & Serpent Bar Cart is a statement feature of interior design that would add a good measure of glamour and functionality to any living room. That’s not to mention what an excellent conversation starter this masterpiece of craftmanship will provide. Issued in a limited edition of just six, this bar cart is sure to become a serious object of desire.
Author: Julia Pasarón
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