Tuesday Tea | DIY Tea Shelf

We are still settling into our new tiny apartment in Beacon Falls. I love the old factory apartment buildings with their beautiful brick walls and unique characteristics. This place has a more modern kitchen and bathroom than our last mill apartment, however, the kitchen is very petite. To save some cabinet space, I designed a tea shelf for my little tea cup collection. I have been finding miscellaneous tea cups and their saucers from antique shops and flea markets for my upcoming wedding and bridesmaid luncheon. This little shelf has been on my wish list for a long time. If you love tea as much as I do, having a tiny tea station is ideal for morning bliss. It is not just functional, it is also very pretty to look at.

I have seen many tea set storage ideas online and I always wanted to place hooks under a cabinet to hang my teacups. I cannot make permanent changes, as that would be a bad idea for a rental. Two little holes in the wall are a lot easier to fill when we eventually move out, so a shelf was a logical and lovely solution. 

I found this neat little shelf at Target. You can find it yourself here: Threshold Picture Ledge Shelf, find your own shelf, refurbish an old one, or even make a shelf on your own. I chose this one because the size was perfect to fit six hooks and fit nicely under our kitchen cabinet. It was also very affordable. The whole project cost around $15 to complete.

These photographs were taken in my dark little kitchen at night, but they show you the basic steps to make your own tea shelf. I worked on the design and Matthew was kind enough to help me implement the plan. 

What you will need:

• A small shelf [Threshold Picture Ledge Shelf]
• Six hooks [Target Steel Hooks] 
• An electric screw driver or small drill
• Two screws to hang up the shelf when you are done
• White paint optional [small paint]
• A handsome assistant (also optional)
• Tea cups (or coffee mugs)

The first thing I had to do was take out the screws in the back to switch the little hook plate upside down. This shelf was designed to hold frames, but instead I am using the bottom as a shelf to hold tea cups and saucers above and the top ledge as the underside to hold the hooks. This only took me a minute or two. 

We measured out the distance for the hooks to place them evenly and marked them with dots. Next, Matthew took a thin drill bit to make little holes where the hooks were going to go in to make it easier and to help prevent the wood from splintering. 

I also found these hooks at Target, but you can also find them at any hardware store. I liked the rustic bronze look to these hooks.My handsome assistant, Matthew, helped me screw in all the hooks, hook side facing inwards so that the tea cups could hang side-by-side. To hang your shelf, evenly measure out two screws and make sure they are sturdy. I almost painted the shelf completely white, hooks and all, for a light and airy look. But when I saw it next to our rental kitchen cabinets it matched so well. I’m also really loving the rustic look of the unpainted wood and bronze hooks. Be creative and paint your shelf any way you imagine. Or keep it simple like this: