Turn Thrifted Bakeware Into Cute Home Decor With A Simple DIY

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Make a stop-off at any second-hand store near you, and you're bound to see an assortment of old (in some cases, vintage) bakeware. Think pieces like egg beaters with a hand crank, metal colanders, and beat-up muffin tins. It can be tempting to take them home and try to recreate those nostalgic baking sessions you used to have with your grandma. However, there's an even better argument for making them into folksy pieces of retro kitchen decor. When you do, they're out where you can see them all day, every day. Talk about kicking the nostalgia factor up a notch.

This cute DIY is as simple or elaborate as you make it. At its most basic level, you'll need the old bakeware pieces of your choice.  Items like miniature muffin tins and metal colanders on legs would look interesting on their own, without the coat of spray paint you'll add to them to make them look more colorful and folksy. However, once they have a coat of paint, they can be all the more stylish and fun. 

Aside from those pieces, you'll want to pick up some Rust-Oleum Gloss Seaside Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Spray Paint – or some other retro color, like red. A metal scrubber, some scissors, and some twine are the tools you need to make your soon-to-be kitchen decor items look all the more retro and beat-up. Lastly, some old newspapers or a flattened piece of cardboard need to be among your crafting supplies to keep your work area tidy.

If you've purchased the bakeware from a second-hand store or a yard sale, give it a good scrubbing with soap and water before you paint it. Allow it to dry completely. Next, you'll spray paint all of the pieces you have. (Be sure to cover your work area with cardboard or newspaper.) You have a couple of choices here. For a matching set, paint all the bakeware one color. Otherwise, consider painting each piece a different color, like turquoise and fire engine red. This is a good option if you're using them to recreate a vintage style, like 1950s diner decor. 

To ensure that the bakeware is completely covered with the paint, give each piece two coats. Let it dry before you distress the pieces. Tools like AQEENURA Steel Wool Scrubbers give the painted bakeware their distressed look. You'll rub the steel wool all over the pieces in different spots to resemble ware and tear.

Now, you're ready to set up a display. If you're hanging the pieces, cut some twine, tie it onto the bakeware, and then hang them up. But your painted vintage bakeware are the perfect items to decorate with when you're looking for rustic decor ideas even if you don't hang them up. For example, if you're making a tabletop display, consider creating a floral display in the colander. Or set the painted colander on a Samhita Acacia Wood Cutting Board with Handle, and then flank the colander with a cute VOSAREA French Style Shabby Chic Milk Can Vase to create visual interest.