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I was talking to my brother, Rob, this afternoon and mentioned that I was going to be writing about tea towels today. I told him that I was doing research and that tea towels have been around for over 300 years. His response? Don’t you think it’s time for new ones? Click here for the >>> ba dum ching sound.
It’s true though, tea towels have been a part of our kitchens (that we actually know of) since the 18th century. They were originally used to catch any drips from the teapot when serving (hence the name) and have morphed into either decorative towels that hang in the kitchen to towels that we use to dry dishes. I separate my towels into two categories. The dish drying kind – my kitchen towels, and the “DON’T YOU DARE USE THAT TOWEL, IT’S MY GOOD TEA TOWEL” ones that hang on the front of my oven door and provide color and a certain art to the room.
Vincent Van Gogh used tea towels as his canvas
It’s true. As a starving artist, Van Gogh got creative and we know for certain that at least five of his paintings are painted on tea towels as the canvas. They say that if you look very closely at The Large Plane Trees, Wheatfields in a Mountainous Landscape, and Daubigny’s Garden that you can see the red rectangles behind the paint.
I remember kitchens with tea towel curtains
My mother used to sew all of our curtains and a lot of our clothes, it was so common in the 1950s for the housewife to make their own and tea towels were a FAVORITE for kitchen curtains. A simple pocket sewn in on top and VOILA, you had unique cafe style kitchen curtains, and if you had 2 more hanging on your oven door, everything matched!
I always have a tea towel or two on display
For me, they have become an art display, giving my kitchen that dash of color it needs, a memory of favorite places, a traditional look that reminds me of being in my husband’s restaurant kitchen, or a bit of whimsy. They are my favorite way to switch out the look and feel of my kitchen. I use them over baskets of baked goods to keep them warm, as large napkins when I have guests over, and as place mats under simple plates at dinner. I am in the “don’t you dare dry my dishes with my tea towels” camp. I have dish towels for that (yes, they are very different).
Tea Towels to bring Whimsy into your kitchen
I recently ran across these gnome and daisy tea towels from Garnet Hill. I have always loved Garnet Hill for my bedding and clothes, but I hadn’t explored their kitchen linen before this. Crafted from an absorbent blend of cotton and linen that feels as good as it functions, this cotton and linen mix set of tea towels has an adorable garden gnome to keep watch over your kitchen and comes with a coordinating daisy design that’s straight from his garden.
They are great side by side or just hanging as a single towel as they are large enough to hang unfolded as 22″ x 28″. Each of these towels have self-fabric hanger loop on top right corner if you prefer to hang them on a hook.
- Price: $39 for the set
- Available at: Garnet Hill
Tea Towels that make you feel like you’re in a French Restaurant Kitchen
I love the classics. Having married into the restaurant business, I still use the large wooden bowls for salad and the white china that came in boxes of 24. When I cook I wear a simple white chef’s apron, one that’s worn in and soft from years of wear, folded over at the waist, and adorned with spills and wipes from my hands or wiping around the top of the stove as I’m cooking. When I’m feeling classic I want the classic blue and white look of Atelier Saucier’s Hickory Striped towels.
These are the towels that cross form and function and at the same time bring the emotional attachment that I have to the clanging of the pots and pans, the yelling of the chef, and hearing “order up” as I worked the front house. The standards. The Frank Sinatra singing in the background, the piece of jewelry that my grandmother brought over when she was a child, and the comforting meal of a meatloaf dinner. That’s the word. COMFORTING. These blue and white striped towels will give your kitchen the look of comfort that you love. Made of 100% premium reclaimed fabric they come in pairs measuring a generous 18” x 30”.
- Price: $48 for the pair
- Available at: Atelier Saucier
Classic, Collectible, and Refined
Straight from grand-mère’s kitchen, the classic jacquard is the first thing that comes to mind when I conjure up tea towels in my memory, and Le Jacquard Français (available at Fig Linens) has been creating these classics for over 130 years. I have strolled through the little shops that surround the square in Aix-en-Provence, stopping to sit by the fountain or at a café enjoying a café allongé or a Coca while admiring the beautiful linens that I purchased. These are the classics.
When I was young, I lived on the outskirts of Paris. I had no money. I taught American Modern Dance in the basement of a church, riding the metro into the city daily. I ate well on leftovers from the occasional date, enjoying a swim in the Butte-aux-Cailles pool to cool down, and strolling the Marais. I lived poor, but I had the best time of my life. These are the tea towels that remind me how important it is to reach for those dreams. Woven of 100% cotton, this yellow Promenade Parisien is best displayed alone at 24″x31″ as it needs no accompaniment.
- Price: $27
- Available at: Fig Linens
Vintage and Collectibles
I could easily be a hoarder. I love collecting things that mean a lot to me, especially soft goods. I have vintage kimono, old lace, vintage travel scarves, and a few tea towels. I also love new ones that are different and speak to the vintage feel that I love. I’ll never be a minimalist. That’s not me.
I’ve always loved Catstudio products and I have a couple of their tea towels that I’ve picked up over the years. They are worn, a little stained, and well-loved. They also remind me of the two places I’ve always considered to be “home”. I hang them either together or separately when I long to be back in either Paris or Providence and always know that I have a little bit of “home” with me wherever I’ve landed. One day I’ll pick up a Florida one (having lived here for the past 16 or so years).
- Price: $23
- Available at: Catstudio
Do you have tea towels that you absolutely love? I’d love to see pictures of them…
