Old English Biscuit Tins

Martha Stewart

I've always been inspired by this picture (above) that I saw in a Martha Stewart magazine. When I saw it, I had a tray with a Wedgwood Jasperware motif.

 I have collected a few through the years and then just last week I bought three more on Ebay. As you can see, I prefer the tins that replicate the Wedgwood Jasperware designs. They will make great storage pieces in my new space.

Biscuit tins were popular in the United Kingdom since that is where most were manufactured. They were made of tin plate and date back to the mid-eighteen hundreds. Tins were shaped like household objects like baskets and vases and were intended to be used well after the biscuits were eaten. Besides Wedgwood porcelain, they were decorated to replicate Chinese vases giving middle class homes a way to mimic styles found in grander homes.

Manufacturing of biscuit tins pretty much ended with WWI and even after the war, companies were reluctant to continue supplies. Knowing a bit of the history of collectibles always makes them more fun to have.

We did move some more furniture down into the new office space. Some of these pieces I custom made for the nook in our bedroom, where the office used to be. Most of it will be repainted.

Like the piano room, the plan here is to:

1.) Move all of the case goods in to see what will work- it's kind of like hardscaping a room.

2.) Re-paint everything that needs it- This is such a difficult step -I'm so eager to move everything else in.

3.) Move in the "stuff" 

4.) Add the "softscape to bring it all together. The finishing touches!

There will be tutorials and before & afters along the way!

Here's a piece I made that sat adjacent to my drafting board. I think I will deconstruct it a bit to better accommodate this space. Several of the pieces that we moved in, from the bedroom, are painted Benjamin Moore's Pelham Gray. They will all be painted white.






Even though all of my drafting is done on a computer now,  I still use my drafting table quite a bit and it definitely needs a spot. My dad made the bookcase and it was in my childhood room. It just needs a little trim and it will be very useful! I'm so happy to have a place for it :)


Is there a certain collectible 
that you like to look for when you are 
antiquing or rummaging through flea markets?

 BTW, The design journal that I was attempting this week lasted two days- not my best idea! In retrospect, it was really dumb to say that I have a busy week, I'll have little time to post, how about I post everyday! 
Suffice it to say, I've been busy working on the blueprints for the job I told you about in my last post.