From Saint Petersburg to your tea room
Sandry Law, our Head of Procurement based in Kunming, travels the old tea routes for exceptional wares — not only tea leaves but the vessels and surfaces that cradle them. On a sourcing trip to Saint Petersburg, she discovered a small atelier run by Dmitri Volkov, a third-generation cabinetmaker who built custom tables for local tea enthusiasts blending Russian black teas with gongfu rituals. Dmitri’s use of Baltic black walnut — slow-grown, kiln-dried for stability — paired with a copper tray forged by a metalsmith in the same courtyard, struck Sandry as the perfect marriage of utility and quiet luxury. After months of back‑and‑forth on dimensions, the curve of the rim, and the exact gauge of copper, the 120 cm table became the first international piece in tea.furniture’s collection. Each table is signed and numbered, bearing the maker’s mark and a short provenance card. Sandry personally inspected the first ten units, ensuring the drainage slot aligned to the millimetre and the oil‑and‑wax finish felt like warm silk. The result is a table that doesn’t just hold your teaware — it anchors the entire room.