Not your average high tea company
The front garden set Rita’s North London terrace apart in an otherwise unremarkable street – but not for reasons you’d expect. My Nan loved nothing more than scouring op-shops for vintage tea sets and teapots, and the lack of storage space in her tiny home did nothing to curb her expansive collection. Instead every garden bed was bursting with high tea sets, with all manner of plants sprouting from them. It was every young girl’s idea of heaven – an open invitation to her very own Mad Hatter’s tea party.
I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d be the proud owner of a high tea company. And today it’s not my bare feet skipping across the lawn to join the Mad Hatter, but a pair of knock-out heels striding across the floor of my Beecroft Studio as I prepare my next clients’ to-die-for dinner party. Tonight, as I make final, millimetre adjustments to the vintage silverware and crystal champagne flutes, I’ll catch the girl of the moment walking through the door. Her face lights up at the sight of her guests’ place settings and the realisation that this event – her event – is beyond her wildest dreams.
It’s this. This is the moment that sets my heart on fire.
High tea, Reimagined
Hi! I’m Hayley, events expert, soirée savant and visionary behind The Vintage Kitchen – Sydney’s original and largest high tea company and timeless tableware supplier. I party with stylists, event planners and private clients throughout Sydney who know vintage doesn’t mean dusty; appreciate classic elegance and attention to detail and who believe life’s too precious not to celebrate any and every occasion in style – without the stress and within budget.
I help to create weddings that wow, beautiful baby showers, engagement parties, bridal kitchen teas and pop-up-picnics that will leave you with nothing more to do than shine as host. Milestone birthdays, wedding anniversaries, high teas and dinner parties worth writing home about. You got the guest list? I’ll have the table set before you can say “Pass the bubbly.”
And I’ve entertained quite the guest at my table… Baz Luhrmann, Tiffany Co., Airbnb, Uber, The Australian Defence Force, Atlassian, Grew & Co, The Lane, Marie Claire, Donna Hay and Westfield to name but a few.
Let’s raise a teacup
From intimate, at home picnics and high teas to sprawling settings for 300 guests of grandiose affairs. We offer don’t-lift-a-finger service down to design-your-own Pinterest worthy tables. The Vintage Kitchen boasts vintage and classic inspired china, high tea sets, antique silver and gold cutlery, silverware, exquisite crystal glassware, vintage plates and serving ware, right down to the linens, cutlery and vintage champagne buckets. No detail is overlooked. But it’s not a matter of checking items off your “to hire” list. Our one-stop-shop eliminates the stress of hosting your guests, from entrée to exit.
Tonight, as you sashay past the tiered cake stands, stacked high with sweets and nostalgia, and pause take in your guests, the laughter and the magic unfolding around you – let’s raise a glass: To celebrations worth revelling in; champagne worth sharing; memories worth treasuring.
Because when we pass up the chance to make an occasion memorable?
We sacrifice the moments that make life remarkable.