I made a bar cabinet out of a desk. It is roughly four feet high and has the drop down writing surface. Works great for mixing on. Below are double doors for storage. $25 at a second hand shop. I pried the 70's federal eagle off and did a custom paint job. If you go a similiar route just double check the height of liquor bottles against the height of the shelves.

I'll second a vote for vintage furniture. As much as I love Crate and Barrel for design inspiration, their cabinetry isn't so well made and won't last for the long haul. You can get cheaper and better with some salvage hunting and paint.

We actually made our bar out of a small bookshelf and pvc pipe (spray painted silver and cut down to the size of the shelf) for wine storage on the bottom shelf. Added hanging glass storage to the top shelf and keep the liquor in that area too.

If you are looking for something that is just assemble and stock you might also check Cost Plus. I know they always have quite a few options when I go into the store.

Try Antika in Greenwood (http://antikaantiques.com/). They specialize in vintage bar cabinets.

We received the item below as a wedding gift, and are very pleased with it. It is a good size, and is both sturdy and mobile.

http://www.amazon.com/Winsome-Wood-Entertainment-Cart-Espresso/dp/B000GLRG32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298504770&sr=8-1

my husband and i were looking for a bar cart for a few months and no new carts at any store or website had the feel we were looking for. so, we monitored craigslist religiously and went to a bunch of vintage/antique shops. we finally found just what we were looking for (even though we couldn't put into words what we were seeking) at an antique mall in michigan that we stopped at on a whim one weekend. it's really great for our space and is now our favorite thing in the apartment. the point of this story is, don't cave for one that you're not crazy about just because you're set on having one right now. it's so fun to hunt for something and then find the perfect thing!

Don't know how diy-ey either of you are, but check out today's post on a very easy redo of the ubiquitous TV armoire turned bar cabinet. We've made the same kind of shelves they do out of cardboard shoe boxes, so you can even go easier than what they did. But the mirror behind the shelves, and the paint job, and if you want it to roll around, castors from Home Despot seem like it could be pretty easy to customize to your look.

Curious, what were the critical dimensions for you on this cart? Footprint, or height, or footprint and height? I just happen to like C&B's Parker Spirits Cabinet (much cheaper) and the Steamer Bar Cabinet (a little more expensive) more than the one you linked, but their dimensions aren't that different. (And I think the Steamer Bar could be a strong contender, since it has casters....)

Is this at all representative of what you like? I am inferring that you like dark wood and clean lines, y/n?

(Like, would this fit in your place? Am not the seller, btw. XD)

Try ANTIKA on Greenwood Ave and 85th Street NW.

They have lovely mid-century bar carts of all shapes and sizes.

... oh, you are in Seattle. XD;; Nevermind that.....

Hey there -- original asker here :) Thanks so much for the responses so far!

We're definitely looking for something around half-wall height, since there's a thermostat (yuck) on the wall above where it will be. And we want to put decorative items on top of it.

We're also a litle limitted in width, since there's a breakfast bar to the right. We're drawn to the expandable top of the Kenton since it'll be compact for every day use but can be reconfigured for entertaining.

Dark wood is definitely preferable, but I'm no stranger to busting out wood stain.

We already have a wine cabinet on the other side of the room, so we're looking for something that is spirits oriented.

Thanks again for all the comments so far! I really appreciate the insight of the community here :)

Ballard Goodwill and Goodwill in Bellvue are both amazing. If I still lived in Seattle I would be at Ballard Goodwill daily.

Also estate sales run by fruit cocktail are usually pretty good, they have a website, some odd locations but their prices usually seem reasonable.

We bought a wine bar at World Market and use it for both wine and liquor. It holds an absolute TON and gets a ton of complements from our guests. Ours was from their Tao collection, which is no longer available, but the interior space is laid out exactly like their Verona bar.

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3910254

We have the Steamer Bar Cabinet from Crate and Barrel which is similar to this one and it is really amazing. It has a small footprint, but it has SO much storage space. It fits everything we need for our bar (every single type of bar glass, liquor bottles, wine bottles, bar accessories, appetizer plates and accessories, and then some). It also opens out into a full bar if you have a party and want to serve from behind it. It is also super sturdy, and it's on casters, but you can't see the casters, they are well hidden. This is a piece of furniture that I imagine we'll have forever. I can't recommend it enough.

I built my bar from a vinture Victrola radio cabinet. The previous owner had placed the amazing cabinet (electronics gutted) in the trash pile during a snow storm. Luckily I spotted it before the trash truck arrived. I covered the shelves with black vinyl, added a rack to hang glasses...

agree you absolutely don't need a specialty bar cabinet...I've used a large maple beside table and my old record player cabinet from when I was a kid...now I use a 70s walnut secretary. Anything that is tall enough to hold bottles works.

I'll second a vote for vintage furniture. As much as I love Crate and Barrel for design inspiration, their wine cabinet isn't so well made and won't last for the long haul. You can get cheaper and better with some salvage hunting and paint.