The Gorgeous Table Centerpiece You Can Create Using An Unexpected Kitchen Essential

For most people, the function of a metal colander is pretty straightforward: You use it to drain the water off your favorite pasta after you finish cooking it. However, for the clever DIYers amongst us, it's so much more than that. With a little ingenuity and some decorative trappings, it morphs from a spaghetti strainer into a gorgeous dining table centerpiece. Essentially, the colander replaces the bowl or vase the centerpiece sits in. The swap makes sense from a stylistic standpoint if your decorating tastes lean toward rustic or farmhouse styles. They feature vintage and antique accessories, and often, these disparate items get repurposed, but this method isn't as random as it might seem. 

Usually, the shape or quality of the item being remade determines what it becomes next. In the case of the colander, it's shaped like a bowl or a wide vase, making it a logical item to turn into a centerpiece from a functional perspective. However, since it has holes in it, you'll need to be careful about what you put into the sieve to prevent leaks since you can't pour water directly into the colander. 

This is especially important if you plan on using flowers or greenery. Items that don't require water, like seasonal fruit or candle displays flanked by moss or pine cones, work well as display items for this reason. If you're set on having flowers, consider using a bouquet of faux flowers as a buffer. This blocks the holes so that you can pour water in to keep the fresh flowers alive without detracting from the features — the holes — that make it such an interesting piece to decorate with.

There are more colander types than there are decorating styles, giving you a number of different options when it comes to choosing the best sieve to use for your centerpiece. Antique and vintage replicas of these items often include features like legs or a stand, creating more stability and visual interest. Some, like the double-strainer basket set from BeFare, also sport cool colors like pink, which amp up the piece's retro vibe.

Copper colanders work with the most popular styles of interior decorating, including rustic, farmhouse, and industrial, and are the kind of decorative piece that augments the effects of other copper accessories, like a large pot collection or a stove hood. Their bold color adds pops of brightness to a table without looking out of place, due to the natural material they're made from. Their hue also complements the likes of white mini pumpkins or gourds. 

Finally, some colanders almost seem to have been designed with decorating in mind. These, like the Sberna Deruta Italy ceramic colander strainer from eBay, have painted sides or they sport holes that were punched in more decorative shapes, like stars or triangles. When using these as the base for your centerpiece, you'll want to consider what you put into them in the same way you would when arranging a centerpiece in a painted vase. In other words, it won't just be what you place into the colander that determines its decorative appeal but also how the specific items fit with the decorative elements of the bowl itself too.