Some attics may still remain untouched for decades, housing treasures from the past. One of the most useful items from past centuries is the tea caddy. These carts were once used for formal teas, with the delights of dainty sandwiches and pretty desserts alongside afternoon tea, served in dainty china cups.

You see, wheeled carts are not new; We just found so many more uses for this utilitarian piece of furniture. Young married couples of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s found the enamel kitchen cart most useful in kitchens that lacked storage space. Finally relegated to the garage and then to the dump, oh, they were just yelling, “rescue me!” A fresh coat of exterior paint and this utility cart, once scrapped, makes a great garden cart or display cart for brightly colored herb pots near the kitchen door or just pretty flower pots.

Look to IKEA for mobile islands and rolling carts, many will have locking wheels to stay in place when you need them and wheels to move them where you need them most. Simple carts can be painted and customized to meet your personal needs. For example, a simple bathroom can be brightened up with a flash of color on a freshly painted caddy containing bath accessories and towels.

Grandma’s old tea cart can be given new life as a bedside table, not only with the necessary bedside lamp, but also with plenty of books, reading glasses, handkerchiefs for sad stories, and a clock to wake you up to a new morning. If the old tea caddy is in good shape and looks good on you in its original form, great; but if not, paint it to suit you. If it’s not a museum-quality piece, have fun with the painting; even the most formal piece is fun in apple green or poppy red, set against a muted colored wall.

Tea caddies can find a home in any room with the space. Dining rooms are the expected place for such a piece, but I like to shake it up a bit. An entryway is another good place for a tea trolley, mail storage, keys and a welcome vase of fresh flowers from the garden.

A rolling cart is a great home office piece for your computer printer and paper and even files that are kept in brightly colored boxes.

Naturally, the rolling cart makes perfect sense outside by the pool to hold towels on the bottom shelf and a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade, tea, or whatever suits your palette on the top shelf. For safety reasons, be sure to use a heavy-duty plastic pitcher and glasses for the pool area.