Interiors: The Tea and Coffee Station.

I am always looking for new solutions around my home - uses of every nook and cranny to create a less chaotic and organised life. As I have ADHD having things laid out before me helps things not become fads and relegated to the back of a piled up cupboard. One of the first things I did when moving into this house was take down the higher kitchen cupboards ready for open shelving and lower units, like my Ikea Ivar hack. But since taking down some of the higher cupboards I’ve been moving things around from place to place until I found a solution for them.

I love a cup of tea - I’m a big fan of herbal teas and blends that I can make a latte from. So my collection of teas because one of the things without a home. I also just don’t take my supplements if I can’t see them. There was a wall by my leaded door that connects the kitchen to the pantry that I’ve had my eye on for months - I knew there was just enough space to create an organised space for teas, coffees, supplements, mugs, glasses and other related stuff. The kettle also lives in that corner of the kitchen so it absolutely made sense for it all to be there.

The before.

planning

I’d been chewing this project over in my head for months before I got started. I knew it wouldn't be a difficult project but I did want to get it right.

I took measurements of the wall and sketched out the layout - making sure the shelves were tall enough for things I wanted to store on them. I decided on the lower half of the selves being further apart than the top half.

Then, I stood in Wickes deliberating on the best timber for this project. As you know I like to try and use reclaimed materials but as this was so exact I decided to go new with it. I ended up choosing this redwood timber which was the perfect depth for my space.

prepping the wall

I really wanted some pretty wallpaper behind the shelves but I’m working with a budget of £100 per month for renovations at the moment and with the wood and some hardware I was out of pennies so I bought some pretty wrapping paper from Sostrene Green and fixed it to the wall with double sided tape. It looks really effective and while I will replace it in future it will do the job for now and the colours all match.

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Making the shelves.

I started by fastening the two vertical end pieces to the wall using fixing blocks at the top and bottom. Once I had these in place I could fix in the top and bottom pieces to make a frame.

It was then time to make some brackets for the shelves which were off cuts from the timber used for the shelves. I measured out where the battens were going to be fixed marking with a pencil and I used two screws to fix in place making sure I had drilled pilot holes for the screws in each one. Some did split so go carefully.

Once all the brackets were in place I started to fix the shelves in, securing with a few diagonal screws on each end screwed into pilot holes.

Once everything was in place I gave everything a light sand before starting to paint - this is optional but I just wanted everything to be super smooth.

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Finishing touches.

First off was the caulk - I just ran around every gap and crack and used my finger to smooth. Then came the paint - I matched it to my leaded door with Atelier Ellis’s Coming Up Roses which I love and can’t wait to team it with a darker colour for the pantry which will be behind this set up. I used their eggshell and gave it two coats straight onto the wood. I was worried that I should have primed first but the redwood is better than spruce because it doesn’t leak from knots.

Once I’d started filling the shelves I determined where I was going to out my cup hooks and also I had some brass hooks I’d picked up from an independent hardware store at some point that I fastened to the outside to hang cute tea strainers.

Usage.

I absolutely love this set up and can’t believe it’s been a few months since I had it. I never fail to take my supplements and love how all my mugs, glassware and teas are organised and on show - it really is one of the best additions to my house and I use it every day. The wrapping paper is holding up well and the paintwork looks gorgeous.

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What do you think? Have you got space fro something like this in your home? Let me know if you have a try at this!

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