Handcrafted Tea Hutches: Where History Meets Modern Design

Introducing the Clovelea Furniture Collection

Admittedly, a tea hutch is a rather specific and perhaps nostalgic piece of furniture.  In a world where most kitchens are fitted with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, and most people are grabbing and going with their coffee, where is there room for such a specialized and freestanding piece?  A hutch really requires space.  It has presence as its inherent height commands a bit of attention. And it's precisely this bold character that makes it a heroine in the story of Studio Hinterland.

The History of the Tea Hutch

Historically, the hutch started showing up in kitchens in the 18th century in England and France as a functional storage piece that also had a tabletop surface for food preparation or service.  Upper and lower cabinets housing drawers and shelves would keep cookware and utensils dust-free and safe from tiny unwanted intruders.  The hutch was indeed a multifunctional addition to any modern kitchen.  The fancier the hutch, the fancier its contents.  With glass doors, you could now keep your precious items safe, like your fine porcelain, while also displaying them - a common style in the 19th century as the Victorians loved to show off the good stuff.

Making Space for Charm in Modern Kitchens and Dining Rooms 

And so the Clovelea Tea Hutch arrives on the scene in a moment when unfitted kitchens are making a comeback.  The eclectic and charming aesthetic of unfitted kitchens are striking a cord for those looking to create homes that are unconventional while also being just as functional.  The hutch is finding its home in modern kitchens and dining rooms again!

The Charming Backstory of the Clovelea Tea Hutch

Our hutch is indeed fancy - with brass details, leaded paned glass panels and beautifully crafted maple.  A long, slender bar runs the length to hang your most lovely tea cups.  Certainly, the Hutch could be used to store and display whatever your needs are. However, the "tea hutch" designation stems from why the piece was created in the first place and for whom….  And the creation of the Clovelea Tea Hutch is actually the story of the creation of Studio Hinterland… 

The Start of Studio Hinterland

In the Spring of 2023, Jennifer Salvemini was introduced to Nina Schmidbaur through friend and fellow Community Hinterland Member, Brenna Chase.  With wide eyes and a nervous smile, Nina told Jenn the story of Clovelea, her long-standing obsession with the giant Queen Anne mansion just outside of the Saugerties village, and her big plans for it.  Nina was now the proud proprietor of Clovelea and already neck deep in renovating the building, operating as the general contractor, and managing all of the arduous processes around permitting, zoning, preservation, and the actual day-to-day construction.  As a licensed therapist, Nina dreamed of a therapeutic collective, a place dedicated to multiple modalities of healing with a focus on mothers and children but open to all.  Her ambitions for Clovelea mirrored much of what Jennifer had envisioned for Hinterland.  But first, the task of getting this enormous building functional and brought back to its original grandeur.  

Crazy recognizing crazy, Jennifer was instantly drawn to the Clovelea project and mission.  Hinterland was emerging as a hub for female identifying creatives to support each other in all facets of life while working together on collaborative installations. Hinterland, with its various members and their multitude of skills and talents was becoming a buzzy space for generative, cross-field co-creating.  Finding a way to offer Clovelea a creative hand (or 20) gave Hinterland a terrific opportunity to collaborate on something truly special. 

Studio Hinterland's Clovelea Tea Hutch

The tea hutch features leaded paned glass panels, clover-shaped hardware, and funny little bobble details on the legs.  This unique element was directly taken from the fireplace mantel originally to the space, and was then applied in various scales and materials to the legs throughout the collection. Working intimately with our resident, Alison Zavracky, we developed our very first collection!  Surprises are in the details throughout, as we've used classic materials including polished brass and maple along with a forgotten early 20th century favorite , mica, to create these timeless pieces.

Shop Studio Hinterland

The Clovelea Collection marks the beginning of Studio Hinterland's journey in creating 'referentially modern' home goods that honor the past while embracing contemporary design. From the restoration of a Queen Anne mansion to the creation of a distinctive furniture collection, the Clovelea story exemplifies Studio Hinterland's mission to craft pieces that transcend time. Our all-female team of designers and artisans has carefully woven historical elements into a thoroughly modern collection. 

We invite you to experience these pieces firsthand, either through our online collection or by visiting our showroom.