Painted Vintage Kitchen Shelf

Made for a house that liked to entertain, it climbs in open tiers so a whole spread could be set out at once, the fruit and the cheese and the dessert all lifted into view. Found in Belgium and dating to the 20th century, it rises in three levels, a two-drawer console on fluted legs with a slatted shelf below, topped by two open tiers on turned posts and little finials, all under a soft coat of old paint. A server like this stood ready for a crowd, the drawers and low shelf for what you needed close and the open tiers for the good dishes above. Sylvie fills it in the kitchen with her pitchers, bowls, and baskets, the tiers stacked with everything she likes to keep in reach and in view.