Tea caddy lamps are made from tea caddies; transportable receptacles used to store tea. The word caddy supposedly derives from the word for Chinese pound, which is Kati. These receptacles are traditionally porcelain, pewter, ceramic, among other materials, and were displayed in drawing rooms, parlors, and other places where people would take their tea.
Though traditional tea caddies went out of style, many people now use the receptacles as trendy bases for lamps. A tea caddy can usually hold 7 to 12 ounces of dried tea leaves and has dimensions of 6” x 6” x 6” or slightly larger. With a lamp extension, your tea caddy lamp’s height will probably be double the height of the caddy. Make sure the lamp part isn’t larger than the tea caddy base, as this will make it top-heavy and unstable.
A tea caddy isn’t as big as a tea chest, which holds much more tea. You can easily place a tea caddy lamp on side tables or use a pair of them on a buffet table.