Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Organizing Tea and Coffee Vintage Wall Cupboard

This wall cupboard has history. It is a remnant from a kitchen from a long gone home in the Cariboo.  DH's mom found it in a thrift shop in Williams Lake in the 1960's and used it in three of her homes. About 15 years ago she wanted some work done (painting, a lot of painting) in her home and she traded our help for this old cupboard. It moved around from room to room here too but when we did our kitchen reno it got a permanent home. It is now a "built-in" cabinet.

 The finish is stripped off (a very long time ago) white paint with no additional finish. Leaded glass door. We added the green glass handle. I love the trim detail and the age of this piece.

 I've been storing tea, small coffee supplies, cookbooks, wine glasses, extra mugs, teapots, and anything else that could be squeezed on the shelves of this cupboard.

Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage and Brenda of This Cozy House are posting every week about living in a small house (Defending the Small House). Tuesday they posted about being organized (Defending the Small House # 7 - Controlling Clutter). Baskets, shelves, hidden storage, using space to the max, letting things go, grouping favourites, and putting items back in to their storage space without fail are just a few things they discussed.

I decided to remove everything from the cabinet and only return tea (and 4 cookbooks). Liberated a small basket to hold the small bags of loose tea. Removed all the glasses. Removed a few mugs too.

I love burlap, and I cut a length to wrap around the spider plant pot and only put back 4 of the 9 items that were being stored on top of this cupboard. I removed a licence plate, a tin of furniture stain, a rocking horse ceramic part of a lamp and a small bag of non-slip sand used when painting the steps (and the lego pieces and marbles from inside the Medalta Beater Jar).


Before and after (that is the shredder underneath) pictures. Don't know why I didn't take a before with everything in/on the cupboard before emptying. It was a good idea to take a look at everything and dedicate this as a tea cupboard (with one small coffee cone/filters and little containers of ground coffee).
Thanks for visiting.
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20 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 11, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    I am in love with this idea! Teas and coffee are used so often that they deserve their own special place. You did a nice job. Love the burlap around that Spider plant pot too. Nice touch.

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  2. Elizabeth and Gary January 11, 2012 at 8:25 AM

    Hi Joy,
    Oh my goodness, I love your cabinet..its just the perfect size and I love that you are using it for tea...a lovely idea and it looks pretty too!.
    My husband and I have been cleaning out too and it feels great and the best way to start a new year.
    Have a sweet day, Elizabeth

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  3. Vintage HomeJanuary 11, 2012 at 9:07 AM

    Great job Joy! The cupboard is amazing...love the patina...Brenda & Claudia have great blogs! This entry is a great example all of us could adopt! Thanks for showing!

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  4. Maureen WyattJanuary 11, 2012 at 9:15 AM

    I love that the cabinet, itself, is worthy of display and that makes the contents seem special. Off to check out the blogs you mentioned. ~ Maureen

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  5. Honey at 2805January 11, 2012 at 9:34 AM

    Your cabinet is fabulous and the the display makes a lovely vignette. It probably feels a bit liberated from the excess items you removed. Very nice!

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  6. Donna HeberJanuary 11, 2012 at 10:06 AM

    Hi Joy,

    Now you know I love your tea/coffee cupboard! What a fabulous place to keep your teapots and tea things. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  7. AnneJanuary 11, 2012 at 11:31 AM

    I would love a cupboard like that, its gorgeous.

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  8. Granny SueJanuary 11, 2012 at 1:45 PM

    I am glad I live in a small house because I am positive I would fill a large house quite quickly and still have no space! The points made by the bloggers are well taken. Putting things away is vital to keep clutter at bay and keep the house feeling serene. Designated places for things is important too. And multi-purposing things so that they can be ornamental and useful is key, I think.

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  9. DIYbyDesignJanuary 11, 2012 at 3:50 PM

    That's such an awesome cabinet. This time of year is the perfect time to organize and declutter. Thanks for sharing at DIYbyDesign.

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  10. LindaJanuary 11, 2012 at 6:40 PM

    I LOVE your cupboard!!

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  11. NaniJanuary 11, 2012 at 8:42 PM

    So sweet and I LOVE my coffee!! :)

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  12. Heirloom treasuresJanuary 12, 2012 at 12:53 AM

    I love the idea of a tea cupboard. It is a gorgeous little gem and nice finish. I might just copy this idea.

    I have just published my first book. "How to Organize your Home in Seven Easy Steps", a little book for working mums.

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  13. savvycityfarmerJanuary 12, 2012 at 5:04 AM

    I LOVE this piece ... if it's ever missing, you'll know I snuck in ...

    did I mention I love it?
    thanks for linking

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  14. Thoughtfully Blended HeartsJanuary 12, 2012 at 8:17 AM

    Love your cute cabinet...

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  15. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2012 at 9:17 AM

    Great cupboard Joy, love that green depression glass handle!

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  16. KathyJanuary 12, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    Perfect! I love the idea of a cabinet dedicated to tea! This is a fabulous one and I love the green handle! Wrapping your plant's pot is inspired! Thank you for sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  17. KellyJanuary 12, 2012 at 7:02 PM

    I agree with everyone regarding a separate place to display and organize your teas and coffees! It's one of the things I just started doing as well, although I've only gotten my teas organized. Still trying to figure out the coffee part of the whole deal and trying to incorporate them together! Great idea with the cabinet though! Love it!

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  18. shannon i olsonJanuary 13, 2012 at 7:38 AM

    I love this! what a perfect touch...with function, the very best kind!

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  19. ToodieJanuary 15, 2012 at 12:07 PM

    I want one! I'm a huge tea drinker and collect teapots as well so I REALLY WANT ONE! Thanks so much for sharing with us.

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  20. AudreyFebruary 14, 2012 at 5:30 PM

    Great little cabinet Joy and it looks so good that it is built in. You make everything look so pretty.

    Blessings.
    Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures.
    http://audreyzumwalt.blogspot.com/

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Thanks for visiting. I read and appreciate all your comments. Joy

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