7 Creative Ways to Decorate with Vintage Enamelware
Give those pots and pans (and trays and mugs!) a new life outside the kitchen cabinet.
Vintage enamelware is making a big comeback—and it’s not just for farmhouse kitchens anymore. From charming tiered planters to clever storage solutions and eye-catching wall displays, these colorful pieces are being repurposed in surprisingly stylish ways all over the home. Whether you love cottagecore charm, rustic decorating, or thrifted finds with character, enamelware is an easy way to add warmth and personality to your space.
The best part? Even chipped or worn pieces can become beautiful decor with a little creativity. Ahead, discover inspiring ways to decorate with vintage enamelware indoors and out.
Mug Medley Pendant Light
Add charm above a kitchen or breakfast nook table with a grouping of bulb-outfitted enamelware mugs hanging from cloth cords. Choose vintage-style bulbs to amp up the nostalgia. (For safety, we recommend having this wired at a local lighting or hardware store.)
Punctual Pan Clock
Could there be a more clever way to keep time in the kitchen?
To make: Drill a hole in the center of an enamelware pan, then insert a battery-operated quartz clock movement. Tie a piece of twine through the handle opening, and hang.
Outdoorsy Organizer
Presenting the perfect perch for garden tools.
To make: Cut a piece of wood to fit inside your enamelware basin; screw through the bowl and into the wood to secure. Once your caddy is attached to the wall, store a hose by wrapping it around the outside.
RELATED: 12 Ways to Perk Up Your Garden Shed Using Repurposed Vintage Finds
Memorable Memo Board
Enamelware’s magnetic properties make it perfect for displaying odds and ends. Simply hang a tray on a wall using Command Strips or double-sided Velcro, then step back and admire your resourcefulness.
Conical Candlesticks
Create a rustic centerpiece for your table with chippy vintage enamelware funnels turned upside down. Insert 1/2-inch-wide tapers into the funnels’ openings; trim as needed to fit.
Tiered Herb Planter
Grow herbs in style with this three-tiered enamelware planter.
To make: Gather three enamelware bowls in descending sizes (new enamelware bowls work too!), plus a one-inch dowel cut in two (length depends on desired height) and a round wood plaque, both painted white. Drill holes in the centers of the plaque and bowls, and in both ends of dowels. Insert a screw up through the plaque, through the largest bowl, and into a dowel. Use a double-ended screw to connect the middle bowl to the top of the first dowel and the bottom of the second dowel. Screw down through the top bowl into the dowel to finish.
Easy Storage Solution
Last but not least, one of our favorite ideas for repurposing enamelware requires no crafting at all. Give bins a second life as pantry storage containers. In this California farmhouse, an enamelware bread bin, along with old soda crates, mason jars, and other vintage containers, organizes the pantry in style.
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