Tuscan Antique Cabinet: The 18th Century "Madia"

This featured Tuscan antique cabinet is one of our new favorites and we are excited to share it with you. In Italy, this piece of furniture would be referred to as a “madia.” It’s an antique cabinet from the 18th century that is not only beautiful, but has an interesting history and was hand crafted for a special purpose.

Tuscan Antique Cabinet- "Madia"  

What’s interesting about this rustic piece of furniture is how it was originally used in an Italian home. The madia cabinet was used for making homemade bread and pasta, which everyone knows was (and still is!) a fundamental part of the Italian lifestyle. It is uniquely decorative, yet was such a practical piece of furniture.

A photo of the open madia.

Natural wear from the lid being lifted.

The top of the cabinet lifts open and is where dough was kneaded. The doors underneath open for additional storage. On the left side of the lid, there is a lighter wood patina where the chestnut wood has worn from being lifted when being used. This kind of wear, in my opinion (and in the opinion of most antique lovers), is what gives an antique piece like this cabinet character and makes it so unique.

A styled version of the madia antique cabinet.

This cabinet can be used in many ways today. For example, it would be a great place to store linens in a dining area. Another great idea is to use this cabinet as a bar with the lid lifted. I also really like the idea of placing it in an entry, which is what we had in mind when we were having some fun at the store and styled it with an antique pot and painting. As you can see in the photo above, we thought a few flowers looked nice as well! 

An alternate styled version. 

Here's another styled version of the madia with some fruit and an antique pencil drawing. You can really do so much with this cabinet and it would look great in any type of home whether it's modern or rustic!