Do you own any wooden bowls? If you do, then I consider you very fortunate. I have a thing for wooden bowls and wooden dough bowls. Put simply, I have never seen one I didn’t like. Although I’m not at the hoarder level – yet – I do own my share of them. There are lots of uses for antique wooden bowls today, and if you own one (or more), then you might just like some ideas on how to use them.
I have several old round wooden bowls, and a few new ones. There is always one in the kitchen, and it holds our fresh fruit and veggies. Sometimes it is on the counter, and sometimes it is a centerpiece for the kitchen table.
This small one holding lemons made an appearance when I was photographing this project for a blog post.
Another of my round bowls holds wooden apples in the winter, and pumpkins and gourds in the fall. The more rustic the bowls are, the better I like them, and they are great for holding seasonal items and adding some character to a room.
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Another good use for wooden bowls is holding Japanese fishing floats in the summer months like Joan’s at For the Love of a House.
One of the dough bowls that I own was an impulse buy a few years ago when I stopped in at a local antique shop. I didn’t realize until later that it is really the size of a small row boat!!! Just kidding, but it is huge. It spends a lot of time resting against the wall in the kitchen. You can see it there in the background.
I stuffed it full of faux greenery for a Christmas centerpiece, and it played its role very well.
I was lucky enough to find a hand-crafted wooden bowl on our recent trip to Africa. When buying a souvenir while traveling, I always make sure whatever I purchase will fit into our home’s decor and not end up in a closet or a drawer just taking up space. This bowl is a good size for the great room table, but I have a feeling it will get moved around a lot, just like the others.
Jordan has two cute wooden bowls. One even came from Amazon, and here’s the link: (wooden bowls.) It is holding some painted seeds that she purchased in Africa. Don’t those seeds look like painted wooden balls? They are the size of croquet balls.
This dough bowl came from Ballard Design. Jordan was patient and waited a long time before finding an old one. We were together shopping at a Ballard’s outlet one day, and there it was on sale for 50 per cent off. She keeps it mostly on her dining room table with seasonal items in it.
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Kim, at Savvy Southern Style has a great wooden bowl that she is using to hold some of her French linens. She decorates in the farmhouse style, and the bowl fits right in with her decor.
Here is Jordan’s bowl from Amazon again. She used it for lemons in her last house, and I bet those lemons will make an appearance at this house, too.
If you check Pinterest, you can find lots of styles and uses for wooden bowls. Do you have any, and if so, how do you use them?
Take care.
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I have one wooden dough bowl & I was so excited when I got it. It’s a family heirloom & my mother gave it to me when she realized just how much I loved it.
It was hand-carved by my great grandfather sometime in the 1860’s for his bride. My mother remembered going to their house (her grandparents) as a child & it would always be full of bread dough set to rise.
I use it as a centerpiece on my table or on top of my china cabinet. I’ve also used it on my mantle. This year, in late winter, I added some potted spring bulbs & sheet moss for some spring blooms in late winter.
Jen,
That is so cool that your wooden bowl was hand carved by your great grandfather. I love the idea of the spring bulbs, you just gave me an idea!
Cheers!
Love these wooden bowls…and love how you utilize and decorate each and every one….I especially love the spheres from Africa…and those leopard candlesticks are the best!
I love, love, love wooden dough bowls. We just inherited one from my husband’s aunt. It belonged to my husband’s grandmother so we were thrilled to get it. We have it on the coffee table in the den and it is filled with beach sand from various beaches we had visited along with seashells from many beach trips.
Kathy,
That is a great idea with the sand and seashells from your trips in the dough bowl!
Cheers