The Vintage Item At The Thrift Store That Keeps Towels Off The Kitchen Floor

The next time you're shopping at a thrift store or antique mall, swing by one of the aisles that's filled with kitchenware. You might be surprised by the variety of old dishes, crockery, and utensils available. Plus, every item is oozing with the sort of rustic charm that only comes from years of loving use. As you shop, keep your eyes peeled for kitchen gadgets and tools that you can upcycle into useful kitchen décor. There's one tool in particular you may find useful for linen organization: a vintage pastry cutter. Attach it to the side of a cabinet or kitchen island and hang your kitchen towel on it. 

The U-shaped blunt blade of a vintage pastry cutter combined with the wooden handle makes it an ideal dish towel hanger. The towel slides neatly through the loop, while the pastry cutter itself is solid enough that it won't bend or warp with repeated use. Why purchase a brand new towel hook when you could instead take a pleasant stroll down the memory lane that is your local thrift store? Plus, upcycling an old kitchen tool is the sustainable choice. If you can't find a pastry cutter, consider other creative ways to style your kitchen towels with vintage kitchen essentials. Look for items like potato mashers, meat hooks, large cookie cutters, and cheese graters. With a little ingenuity, almost anything can become a towel holder!

Few kitchen designers factor fancy towel rails into their designs — hangers for kitchen towels are a frequently overlooked feature which must be purchased separately. That's why so many of us end up slinging towels over the nearest cabinet door knob or sliding it through the oven door handle. In fact, there are lots of clever spots to use thrifted towel bars to organize your kitchen. Take note of where you typically hang your towel now. It can give you a clue for the best place to mount your thrifted pastry cutter towel holder. Typically, however, the best location for a kitchen towel hanger is near where you wash your hands (the sink), cook (the stovetop), or prepare ingredients. Hang the pastry cutter by screwing or nailing it to the wall — like the backsplash near your sink — or the side of a kitchen cabinet or kitchen island.

Since pastry cutters have a thinner profile than most purpose-designed towel racks, your rustic upcycle shouldn't stick out too far once installed. This makes this vintage find well-suited for areas of the kitchen that see lots of foot traffic. Savvy placement matters more than you may think; a conveniently placed towel rack can make even the smallest kitchen more functional. Once you know where you're hanging your towel, you're free to consider style. Vintage kitchen tools often have an automatic farmhouse vibe, so they fit right into cottagecore, rustic, Bohemian, and maximalist kitchens. Pair them with thrifted linen kitchen towels adorned with cute 1990s strawberries, vibrant diagonal lattice, or pretty vintage florals. If you know when your pastry cutter was manufactured, you could even use linens from the same era.