New Uses for Grandma’s Tea Cart

There may still be some attics left untouched for decades, housing treasures from the past. One of the most useful items from centuries past is the tea cart. These carts were once used for formal teas, with the delights of dainty sandwiches and pretty desserts alongside the afternoon tea, served in delicate china cups.

You see, wheeled cars are not new; We just found so many more uses for this utilitarian piece of furniture. Young married couples in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s found the enamel kitchen cart more useful in kitchens that lacked storage space. Finally relegated to the garage and then to the dump, oh, they were just yelling, “rescue me!” A fresh coat of exterior paint and this utility cart, once disposed of, makes a great garden cart or display cart for brightly colored herb pots near the kitchen door or just pretty flower pots.

Look around IKEA for mobile islands and carts on wheels, many will have locking wheels to stay in place when you need them and wheels to move them where you need them most. Plain carts can be painted and customized to suit your personal needs. For example, a simple bathroom can be brightened up with a flash of color in a freshly painted cart containing bath accessories and towels.

Grandma’s old tea cart can be given new life as a bedside table, containing not only the necessary bedside lamp, but also plenty of books, reading glasses, tissues for sad stories, and a clock to wake you up to a new morning. If the old tea caddy is in good shape and looks good on you in its original form, great; but if not, paint it to your measure. If it’s not a museum-quality piece, have fun with the painting; even the most formal piece is playful in apple green or poppy red, set against a muted colored wall.

Tea carts can find a home in any room with the space. Dining rooms are the expected place for such a piece, but I like to shake it up a bit. An entryway is another good place for a tea cart, to store mail, keys, and a welcome vase of fresh flowers from the garden.

A rolling cart is a great home office piece for your computer printer and paper and even files that are kept in brightly colored boxes.

Naturally, the rolling cart makes a lot of sense outside by the pool to hold towels on the bottom shelf and a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade, tea, or whatever suits your palette on the top shelf. For safety reasons, be sure to use a sturdy plastic pitcher and cups for the pool area.