Every House Had One — The Vintage Kitchen Staple To Use For Stylish Countertop Storage

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Keeping items up and off your kitchen countertops can help give your home a clean, modern aesthetic. One of the obvious storage spaces in the kitchen you are missing out on, the exterior refrigerator, might not work for your setup. If that's the case, try thinking a little outside, or rather inside, the box. Vintage recipe boxes can be a great little place to put small items that might otherwise clutter a countertop. At one point in time, every home probably had at least one recipe tin or box, which were often filled with instructions for favorite dishes made by mothers, grandmothers, or other relatives. Even if you decide to not store recipe cards inside, you can carry on the tradition by showcasing your quirky style with this fun vintage find.

While you can reuse an old shoebox for DIY kitchen storage, a recipe box or tin is instantaneously more stylish. Keep an eye out for used recipe boxes made out of wood or metal at thrift stores and antique booths. A popular Betty Crocker wooden recipe card box first graced American kitchens in the 1920s, so you might find quaint wood options. However, the metal versions with hinged lids come in hundreds of designs. Finding one to match your kitchen's style can be a fun challenge for a thrifting enthusiast. Once you have secured the perfect recipe box, you can bring it home and give it any cosmetic updates it needs before being displayed.

Some vintage recipe boxes that already feature patterns, whether they are kitchen herbs, floral designs, or butterfly gardens, may fit right into your space. But if you nab one of the designs from the 1970s, which are characterized by bold colors and prints, it might make more of an eye-catching statement piece. Depending on where you find your recipe card box, you may need to clear out old belongings or vintage recipes before using your recipe box as kitchen countertop storage. You might also decide to update its style. If the box or tin is battered or a little plain, spruce it up with some paint or decorative elements. Metal tins are often rusted, so it might be less of a hassle to worth with a wooden recipe box. 

There are numerous ways to repurpose thrift store items into stylish kitchen storage, and a small, compact recipe box is a great example. Designed to fit index card-sized recipe cards, these boxes or tins can be nestled next to storage jars or other countertop decor. Their small size also makes recipe tins somewhat stackable. You can display multiple vintage designs on your countertops, assigning each box a different storage purpose.

And when it comes to storage uses, the options may seem endless. You can use an empty recipe card box to store tea bags and honey stir sticks for your afternoon break. Or, if you are more of a coffee person, use it as a convenient spot for your sugar packets and alternative sweeteners. If you find one with a dessert theme, perhaps you can store all your small baking essentials, like food coloring, piping bags, and baking tips, inside.