17 Easy and Fun Ways to Decorate with Vintage Wooden Crates
Got old wooden crates laying around? These 17 easy ideas for Decorating with old wood crates will inspire your repurposing ideas. Simple DIY and display ideas for useful and pretty wood crate decor.
Before everything we consumed was packaged in cardboard or plastic, goods were shipped and sold in wooden crates. The crates usually displayed the contents of the box with a stamped or paper label. Vintage wooden crates in all shapes and sizes are a mainstay at estate sales and other secondhand shopping haunts. I love using them in my home decor! Today I’m going to share 17 Easy and Fun Ways to Decorate with Vintage Wooden Crates (and tips for making them look their best).
This post is part of a new blog hop dreamed up by my friend Cindy at County Road 407. A group of creative bloggers are sharing their love of vintage items and how they use them in their homes. You’re going to get so many fun ideas on this “A Lifestyle of Love” hop! If you’re visiting from Let’s Add Sprinkles I’m sure you enjoyed Katie’s garden-filled baskets!
For this round we’re all sharing how we use crates and/or baskets in our homes. I decided to focus on vintage wooden crates and show you a variety of ways I decorate with them for function and beauty!
Easy and Fun Ways to Decorate with Vintage Wooden Crates
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How to Clean and Seal Old Wooden Crates
Old wooden crates have often been shoved to the scary places of the house or garage. I usually find them in the basements of estate sales or in the garage, filled with greasy bolts or dirty lawn tools. When they come home with me, the first task is to get them cleaned of whatever was living in them, or stored in them!
First, if your old crate has a vintage label, make sure it stays on by adhering any frayed edges with THIS. You can also brush a layer over the top to seal.
Give them a good scrub with a general purpose cleaner like THIS. If they’re greasy, use THIS which does the job quickly. Rinse with hot water and let dry in the sunshine. Once thoroughly dry, smooth out any rough edges (I like THIS sander for smaller hands). Finally, brush 1-2 coats of THIS to make sure they’re sealed and can easily be dusted. It also punches up the vibrancy of the graphics and brings out the patina of the old wood.
Once the refreshing is done, the old crates are ready to use in your home decor!
The Easiest Way to Decorate with a Wooden Crate Box is to Add Foliage or Flowers
Big or small, adding flowers or greenery is the easiest way to enjoy vintage wooden crates. A couple sunflowers or faux succulents are all that’s needed for smaller crates to add a cute decorative touch to any spot.
Fill the bottom with floral syrofoam if you need, or for a larger crate, fill the space with crumbled newsprint or plastic bags.
Add Hardware to an Old Crate
To give these cheese boxes a little hardware bling, I glued on old metal screen handles and small hinges. Metal always gives old wood more interest:) Find decorative hinges HERE. If the nails are too long, simple glue on with THIS like I did.
Style a Seasonal Centerpiece in an Old Crate
Someone put a wood handle on this old crate at some point, which makes it a great tool caddy. Filled with evergreens, pinecones, yarn poms, bottle brush trees and a cardinal, it becomes a pretty seasonal centerpiece.
“Quick and Easy Christmas Crate Centerpiece”
This fruit crate has fun graphics and labels all around. Perfect summer centerpiece with fresh flowers and summer accents.
Wood Crates and Boxes Add Height to Displays & Vignettes
Small to medium wooden crates and boxes come in handy to add height in your decorating. As you are building a vignette, setting an accessory on a classic wood-toned square box is often just what it needs to fill out your space. Whenever I come across old recipe boxes or other small to medium-sized boxes, I scoop them up, because I know they’ll come in handy when I’m creating vignettes around my home.
Repurpose Wood Crates with Easy DIY
Vintage apple boxes and other larger fruit boxes can be the perfect perch for your coffee or glass of lemonade! If they’ve got a cute label on the end, even better! Sometimes there will even be a divider in the middle which can act as a shelf when you stand it on end.
This old crate I recently picked up was plain jane. Once it was sealed with a coat of poly, I treated it to a Grainsack Stripe stencil and a Farm Blend Feed stencil. {You can find them HERE} It’s the perfect small-space side table now!
For more grainsack/feedsack-inspired DIY projects, see “How to Make Your Own Feedsack-Inspired DIY Projects”
Old Wooden Crates and Boxes make Perfect Shelves
Hung on a wall or simply set on a piece of furniture, old wooden crates make perfect shelves. For sturdy hanging, definitely get them anchored into a stud. You can use just one or create a whole grouping of different sized crates for an amazing 3D display.
Place a large crate on a shelf for added display space. Or put a small box crate in a cupboard for a shadow box display inside the larger display.
Old Pop Bottle Crates Repurposed
The divided sections in old pop bottle crates add to fun display potential. They can hold vases of flowers when horizontal. Or be used as shelves when stood up vertically.
Upcycle Old Crates into Tote Caddy’s
If old crates are a little big for your decor, repurpose them into fun tote caddy’s. Great for organization and decorating. Get the full how to on my post, “Repurposed Old Wood Crate Tote Caddy DIY”.
Use Old Crates and Wood Boxes for Organization & Storage
Function and vintage beauty can combine when you use old wooden crates for everyday storage. My spices are alphabetized in an old tack box and a couple old painted cheeseboxes in a kitchen cupboard. Brown grocery bags fit perfectly in an old Armour box in the pantry. And plastic bags can easily be grabbed out of an open-sided funky-shaped crate with an awesome orange label.
Place a Christmas Tree in An Old Crate
Old wooden crates have country farmhouse charm when you place a Christmas tree inside. Fill the rest of the space with a blanket or pinecones to hide the tree base. So much more fun than a tree skirt!
Many styles of decorating can benefit from repurposing old crates in different ways. Their classic shape and timeworn character add beauty however you use them. Definitely scoop them up whenever you are on the hunt!
For more of our Lifestyle of Love Series where we share how to use vintage finds, see HERE.
For more basket and/or crate ideas, definitely give our hostess with the most-est Cindy, at County Road 407 a visit! She has great vintage farmhouse style and always puts a smile on my face with her fun humor:)
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Lifestyle of Love: Baskets & Crates
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Love your web site. This is my first time browsing. I have so many things that have possibility but not the natural talent to display so have picked up many “maybes” from here.
thank you
Sandra
So glad you found your way here, Sandra!
I love all of your crates!!! And love how you have styled them all! Seriously sooooo cute!!!
-Emily
Thanks, Emily!
Lora, I just painted and stenciled a crate yesterday–you know what they say about great minds! You have so many charming crates and I love how you have used them! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm–pinning!
Yes, they are wonderful to have around for decorating and organizing, Cecilia!
Lora, I love old crates and have a few that need some restoring and love. Thanks for all the ideas.
Your welcome, Carol! And thanks so much for the feature!
There’s some great ideas here, Lora! I especially love how you turned the one into a fabulous farmhouse side table.
Thanks, Marie! It actually turned out cuter than I thought it would; kind of did it on a whim;) Sometimes it’s the easiest things; boy I overthink it!
Super cute ideas Lora! My favorite is that succulent planter crate with the handles. After seeing your crates I am anxious to get back to a local antiques shop because I passed over a cute crate with a tomato label a couple fo weeks ago. Grr! I knew I should have gotten it. Maybe it’s still there. Great tips for cleaning and sealing them too.
So fun hopping with you. Thanks for inspiring!
Glad you enjoyed it, Amber! Oooh, that tomato crate sounds awesome; good luck!
Lora, I love how you used all these different types of crates in your decor! I keep going back through and get new ideas each time!
Wonderful, Michelle! I’m sure you’ve got plenty to decorate with, too:)
Great idea about the Modge Podge Lora, love all your great ideas. I love old crates and have a few but always find myself scratching my head over what exactly to do with them. You have so many examples of functional ways. Paper and plastic bags can get away from me easily. Always love old fruit labels, so bright and fun!
Thanks, Debra. You’ve got a wonderful collection of vintage crates! I can always make room for one more;)
Oh my golly, so many fun ideas! I am always in awe of your collections and ideas. You amaze me! Now I want to put little handles on one of my crates. It would be so much easier to carry around. Some of them are full and heavy! Thanks so much for joining us. Pinned
Yes, Cindy, adding handles adds to their beauty and function! Thanks:)
I have a few that i have collected but didn’t know exactly what to do, you always have the best ideas, thanks Lora.
So happy you got some new ways to enjoy them, Marlene!
You have an amazing collection of crates. I can clearly see that ours are not living their best life. This post is an inspiration! I love your styling.
I love that idea, Katie…”not living their best life”. I may have to steal that quote;) Thanks!
Such charm and nostalgia! I absolutely adore this tutorial. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Laura!
I enjoyed seeing your crates Lora. Great tips to take care of them too. I love sealing all the age into pieces I find. After all that’s what drws me to them.
Cindy
Yes, Cindy, you can’t fake that character with store-bought versions!
I so much enjoyed seeing all of your vintage crates and how you use them for practical purposes and for home decor. I always enjoy visiting your blog as I adore your vintage style decorating.
Thanks so much, Paula. I just can’t say no to a cool old crate with great graphics;)
I had no idea how to stop the edges from fraying like that, Lora, thank you so much for including how to clean and restore vintage crates in this series. I love the way you’ve styled yours throughout the different seasons and all over the house. They’re all so fantastic and charming. Hope your weekend is a fun one, CoCo
Glad you went away with a helpful tip, CoCo! Always love seeing your beautiful inspiration, too:)