DIY Kitchen Decor: Repurposing and Upcycling Kitchen Utensils & Tools

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With Thanksgiving coming up, I know a lot of us are going to be spending a lot more time in our kitchens. Not only will we be in there doing a lot of the prep work and cooking, but if you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you’re bound to have some of your guests follow their noses and step into the kitchen.

I know, you already have a picture in your head of how you want it to look and how it’ll actually be. In probability, there will be dirty dishes piled a mile high in the sink, a drop or two of gravy on the floor, and trash spilling out of the trash can. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Make the kitchen some place that you’ll enjoy working, by not only keeping it clean, but also decorating it in a unique yet charming way. Upcycle your old kitchen utensils and tools into beautiful farmhouse decor.

In today’s blog post, I’ll be briefly summarizing five different ways to upcycle kitchen utensils and tools to turn them into the perfect decor for your home this Thanksgiving.

#1: Rolling Pin Hanging Decor

This is the one that started me on this journey. I found some old rolling pins at a thrift store and thought, hmm, this certainly has potential! To keep mine simple, I painted my rolling pin white and printed out the letters for HOME from vinyl. This could be done with a stencil as well, but do keep in mind that it’s hard to write on a rounded surface. Once that’s done, drill a triangle hook into the back and decorate with your ribbon. In four easy steps, this project is DONE and ready to hang!

#2: Lick The Spoon Upcycle

Once I saw how well painting the wooden rolling pins worked, I moved on to other wood. Specifically, I found some wooden spoons. They are so cheap in thrift stores, but they’re also available in a larger size at Dollar Tree (my kryptonite store). Paint it a color of your choosing, then either stencil the phrase on the spoon or use vinyl like I did. Add a bow, drill a hole through the handle if it’s not already there, and you can just hang it on a nail. Super easy, super cute, and super affordable.

#3 Cheese Grater Flower/Towel Holder

I have to admit that I saw this one somewhere in the vast depths of the internet, and that’s what sparked this one. It’s such a clever idea, and multi-functional too. I hammered two nails into the back of a slab of wood to hang the grater on, since I didn’t want to risk having the grater damage a wall. Once the grater was securely through the nails, all that was left was to put a saw hook on the back of the wood slab so that could hang on the wall. And, of course, decorating ensued. This one may be my favorite, since the flowers and towel can be changed out for each season. With winter approaching, you may even want to check out Amazon’s selection of winter flowers and winter towels!

#4 Colander Wall Hanging

This is another craft that’s great for any season. All I did was wrap jute twine around the top handle (leaving a spot for the handle to be hung on a nail) and then used hot glue to attach fall flowers to it.

#5 Potato Masher Candle Holder

This one is the simplest so far: all there is to do is wrap the top in jute twine like the last one. Put your small candle on it and it’s ready to go! I may have just used a small one from my basement, but I found these succulent cactus candles on Amazon and thought they looked ADORABLE!

BONUS: VINEGAR VASE

Once I got going with kitchen upcycling, I couldn’t stop at five! So, #6 is an easy one. Just take off the cap on the vinegar bottle , insert your wheat bunches, and add a ribbon bow. It’s SO SIMPLE and yet so homey!

I nearly had this post finished and then I realized I forgot about the kitchen upcycle I had already posted on the blog! That’s right, the splatter screen pumpkin. Click here for the original post, and also take a moment to see another one I made since I posted that original tutorial.

So, in a list that promised five kitchen utensil upcycles, you actually got seven! And yet, I know there are SO many more options out there. Have any ideas I didn’t think of? Or, do you have your own spin on repurposing some of my ideas? Be sure to share them in the comments to inspire others!

Happy DIYing!