keno eye: antique tea caddies

A hexagonal tea caddy is embellished with green and gilded rolled paper, also called paper filigree.

The Kenos prefer chic shagreen (sharkskin) or rolled-paper boxes such as the one shown here, but as lone stunners rather than part of a knickknack display. A single head-turner that doubles as storage space feels spare but stylish. Rest an antique walnut caddy with period patina on a mod glass-and-steel coffee table to warm up a minimalist space, suggest the brothers. “Antiques add a feeling of permanence in a fast-changing world,” says Leslie.

Tea caddy courtesy of Sallea Antiques; photograph by Doug Todd