Design Detail: Industrious Casters
Just Add Wheels to Create a Floating Kitchen Island, Table or Social Salon
Once a staple of factory equipment, these industrial little furniture accessories have opened up a world of creative furniture uses. Those little wheels attached to the legs of tables allow us to easily glide otherwise heavy furniture (and the contents within) along for the ride — in the kitchen, breakfast nook, office and living room. Let's take a look:
A rolling cart is terrific in the kitchen. It becomes a floating island carrying utensils, cooking equipment, recipe books, and ingredients from the pantry to the stove to the table. A stainless steel finish can be easily cleaned.
A rolling cart with a butcher-block top is just as welcome in the kitchen environment. The top creates an additional surface for food prep where counter space is at a premium.
Here the rolling cart is brought to center stage: Instead of being an accompanying piece to the kitchen island, it IS the kitchen island. With an impressive light fixture above, it is quite the statement piece. Just remember to make sure the casters are lockable and will will stay put once you are seated at the "table."
I like to see a metal rolling cart used as an unconventional console table in a casual living room. The drawers and shelf space allow for unexpected display opportunities.
Here's another metal cart used as a side table in a different living room. The higher tabletop and rust patina suggest this piece had a previous life before it arrived in this plush living room. And that untold story adds an interesting context to an otherwise neutral space.
A bright yellow metal cart on casters adds a splash of color and playfulness. It's as if now that it has performed its duties on the factory floor, it can cheerfully retire to the comforts of a living room where its only job is to house a vase of sunflowers.
This Restoration Hardware-style of industrial-cart coffee table has been popular for a couple of years, with many knock-offs now found. The mechanics of the oversized casters are key to the design, recreating a rough factory look which is a cool juxtaposition to the refined interior.
Of course, we all love our castors on a small bar cart that can be unobtrusively pushed from room to room to add charm and spirit(s) to any decor.
What about casters on other furniture pieces such as beds and night stands? How many times have you reconfigured a child's room as she grows and her needs change? Wouldn't having her furniture on castors make that so much easier?
On sofas, castors allow us to easily reconfigure the seating arrangement as the social venue allows. I love the idea of changing one living room from a den with a lounge-y sectional to a formal salon with two loveseats facing each other — just because the seating units are on castors. Brilliant.
Next: More wheels in home design
Next: More wheels in home design