The Once-Popular Vintage Kitchen Item That's Making A Stylish Comeback In 2026

For those of us who prefer timeless design elements over quickly passing trends, it's heartening to see once-popular kitchen items that we may still have in our cupboards gaining in popularity. Whether you're all about the latest fashions, trying to hone a trend-proof design aesthetic for your kitchen, or prefer décor that is also functional, you'll be happy to know that you can add copper molds to your list of stylish vintage kitchen items that are making a comeback in 2026. Copper molds are made from reddish-gold metal that offers a warm shine. This attractive cookware can be used to make sweet jelled dishes, aspics, or cakes, but whatever their functional use, they also serve as beautiful decorations in the cooking space.

Vintage copper molds often have hooks on them, making them easy to use as stylish décor items in the kitchen, since they are easy to display on walls or hang from shelves. It's no surprise they are making a comeback as a trend for 2026, firstly because they fit in perfectly with a shifting color palette, but also because these once-popular kitchen items have ornate designs that make them timelessly beautiful. 

There is a wide variety of different types of vintage copper molds, with some shaped like fish, roosters, or cats. Others have flower motifs or more abstract designs. With copper molds of varying shapes and patterns, they can easily fit into kitchens with different styles or themes.

Decorating with copper kitchen items fits with the stylish, warmer décor color trend for 2026, a welcome departure from the stark whites and grays that have dominated for far too long. The move towards warmer tones is reflected not only in the paint colors of the year for 2026, where khaki, olive green, and earthy reds and browns are stepping into the spotlight, but also on the accessory front. The once-popular metals brass and bronze are also making a comeback, so it's not surprising that vintage copper molds are gaining in popularity, since they look right at home within this rich color palette.

If you'd like to incorporate this trend into your kitchen in 2026, this vintage cookware will brighten up your cooking space when hung from the wall in a stylish arrangement — think a grouping of three or five molds over a doorway, or a larger collection featured gallery-style. Of course, the copper molds that are having a comeback will look perfect when hung side by side with copper sauce pans, one of the vintage items in your kitchen that could be worth a fortune. And in many cases, adding a bit of copper is one of the tricks you can use to give your overly modern kitchen more vintage charm – just be aware of the risk of clashing color tones if you throw too much warmth into your once-popular, stark white and gray kitchen.