A touch of nature in your home...

Today I wanted to feature an unusual item which might just catch your eye should you get down to the vaults for a look around.

Nature in design. Image via.

Found in many shapes and styles, its use might not be immediately obvious. People often ponder what these curious, yet charming objects might be.
Click through to read on and find out what it is...


As was frequently the way, The Victorians often came up with unusual solutions to everyday problems. This unique little item would have been one such thing.

Victorian silver plate spoon warmer. Click here to view on our website.

The Victorian dining room was a chilly place to be and no well dressed table would be complete without… a spoon warmer.

The spoon warmer, most often made in silver plate, would be found on the table alongside the many other accoutrements of the day.

The scullery maids made huge efforts in attempting to keep their masters' food warm. It could be a long trip from the kitchen to the dining room and, once there, the best hope you might have of enjoying a hot meal would be ensuring not only that the food was hot, but the serving things were warmed up too. Heating the plates was necessary and sometimes the cutlery would need attention as well.

Enter the spoon warmer.

Once the hot water filled the chamber, it kept the spoons warm, so as to not cool down your sauce or gravy on the way to the plate. Nobody likes congealed gravy!

The spoon warmer was just one of many clever methods enabling a host to serve up a palatable and memorable meal. Those Victorians really did think of everything.

This handsome example above, made circa 1870, is Nautilus shaped, as fashion of the day dictated.

Standing on the rocks, it has fine textured detailing and a hinged opening, allowing the spoons to be easily placed inside.

Today such a unique item would most likely find use as an unusual and eye-catching vessel for flowers or perhaps to hold the cotton balls in your nautical themed bathroom. Of course, you could always use it to heat up spoons too.

Victorian silver plate spoon warmer. Click here to view on our website.