The Small Luxuries That Change Everything
A Sunday pot of tea, flowers from the garden and things with a story.
· 4 min read · Tania Cottew
Most Sundays, before I start my day, I make myself a pot of decaf tea in my little floral teapot for one.
Usually it is Earl Grey. Sometimes Ginger & Lemon, or Kawakawa and Spearmint.
It is a small thing, but it is something I enjoy. And when I put the teapot on Mum's tray, beside the crystal vase Nana gave me when I was sixteen, there is more there than a pot of tea.
Looking at these things together, I realise that none of them is particularly new. They have arrived at different times in my life, and each has its own story.
A tray that came home I bought this tea tray for Mum years ago, when she became a paraplegic. Last year, after she passed on, it came back to me. So it is not simply a pretty tray with roses on it. It is something I chose for her, which is now part of my own home. There is a particular feeling about using things that have belonged to someone you love. You do not need to turn every occasion into a ceremony, but you know the history is there. An ordinary object can hold quite a lot.
A little crystal vase My Nana gave me this crystal vase when I was sixteen. I still have it, and the flowers in it are growing wild in our garden. There is something rather lovely about that combination: a crystal vase I have kept for years, filled with flowers that have not cost anything. You do not always need a large bouquet. A few little stems can be enough, especially when you put them somewhere you will actually see them. In this case, they sit beside the teapot. Small enough not to take over, but lovely to look at.
Tea for one I bought the little floral teapot for one about ten years ago, after we got back from Europe. It has a matching egg cup too. I like the idea that something made for one person can still be beautiful. We can make things lovely when we have visitors, but we are allowed to enjoy those details when it is just us as well. A pretty cup does not need a special guest to justify coming out of the cupboard. Nor does a matching egg cup need a grand breakfast. Sometimes the pleasure is simply in choosing to use what you already have.
The chaise that was cheap, until it wasn't The Art Deco chaise underneath this arrangement was a bargain when we bought it. Then we restored it. That part was not quite such a bargain! The cushions were bought back in 2013 to go with it, and they are still here. I cannot honestly include the restoration under "elegance without spending a fortune". But I can say that these things have been with us for years. They have not needed replacing every time a different colour or style became fashionable. And the chaise makes a lovely setting for a tray, a little teapot and Nana's vase.
You do not need to buy the whole picture That is really what I mean by small luxuries. Not going out and buying a completely new collection of beautiful things. Not making every corner of the house perfect. Perhaps you already have a cup you particularly like, a tray tucked away somewhere or a little vase that has not been used for a while. You could start there. Pick a few flowers, if you have them. Put the cup on the tray. Give the things you love a place in an ordinary day. Some of mine were gifts. Some I bought years ago. One came back to me after Mum died. Together, they make something that feels personal, rather than something copied from a shop display. The flowers cost nothing. The pleasure comes from bringing it all together. And none of it needs to wait for visitors.