The Antique Kitchen Item You Should Never Leave Behind At Thrift Stores

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Shopping for your kitchen in thrift stores is massively underrated, but there are lots of amazing treasures that are waiting to be found for every room in the home. There are certain pieces of vintage decor you should definitely snag if you see them at a thrift store – antique crockery being one of them. 

While old crockery can be covered in outdated designs, it's the vessel yourself you're after. It's quite easy to remove the design from a piece of crockery if it isn't to your taste. Begin by applying a paint stripping gel, like Citristrip from Amazon with an old paintbrush. Cover your pot in plastic wrap, leave it for at least half an hour to work its magic, then use a cloth or a sponge to gently wipe the painted decoration away. Different types of decoration may take longer to be removed — test this by gently rubbing the plastic wrap back and forth to see if the paint has yet lifted. 

Now that you're left with a plain ceramic pot, there are many things you can do to make use of it in your kitchen. The size of your pot will determine what you can store in it. If it's a tall, thin pot, consider using it as a chic and functional utensils holder. Smaller pots are great for storing seasonings, like salt or pepper. What about turning it into a stunning DIY planter? Simply drill a hole in the bottom of your pot to allow for drainage. 

Antique crockery can be extremely valuable, especially if it has been made by certain artisans. So, finding them for a fraction of the price in a thrift store is an affordable kitchen hack. The money that you have saved can go towards decorating them to suit your own kitchen. For example, if you're feeling crafty, you can use pottery paint to draw your own creative design on to the pot. Or, use metallic spray paint to give your vintage crockery a contemporary makeover.