Creative Decorating with Vintage Cutting Boards And Breadboards

Do you have a collection of vintage cutting boards tucked away in a drawer? Or maybe you stumbled upon a charming breadboard at a flea market? Vintage cutting boards and breadboards boast a timeless charm and unique character, making them perfect for adding warmth and personality to your home decor. Plus, you can find a variety of sizes and shapes at thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, and more. Today, we will explore creative ways to transform these budget-friendly, functional pieces into stunning decorative elements, breathing new life into old treasures.

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Thrifting with the Gals

Today’s post is part of our monthly series, Thrifting with the Gals.

If you are new to our series, we are friends who share a love for vintage and thrifted decorating.

We all live in different parts of the country, but we come together once a month to share thrift store shopping ideas and tips on decorating with your treasures.

Here are the Gals:

• Ann from Dabbling and Decorating finds her treasures as she travels between Vermont and Maine. She decorates both homes with so many vintage treasures.
• Robyn from Robyn’s French Nest loves to travel and bring her vintage treasure to her lovely Florida Home.
• Lora from Lora Bloomquist Create and Ponder is thrifting and picking up amazing roadside finds to decorate her home in Minnesota.
• I am from North Carolina, and I love filling my farmhouse and beach cottage with thrift store finds. I focus on budget-friendly decorating and DIY projects.

Where To Shop For Vintage Cutting Boards and Breadboards?

You will find that Vintage cutting boards and breadboards are always on my thrift store must-have list. I don’t believe you can have too many of them. Most of mine have been lucky thrift stores and consignment shop finds. However, I have made a few investments in authentic French bread and cheese boards. The nice thing about having a mixture is that the authentic European antiques make the thrifted finds look expensive, too.

Here is where I’ve had the most success and a few other ideas.

• Thrift Stores
• Yard Sales
• Consignment Shops
• Flea Markets
• Barn Sales
• Antique Shops that specialize in European Antiques
• Etsy
• Ebay

What To Look For In Vintage Cutting Boards?

I love collecting vintage cutting boards. They are imbued with rustic charm and a rich history. Often crafted from hardwoods like maple, walnut, or cherry, they develop a warm patina and unique markings over time, reflecting years of use in the kitchen. These imperfections, along with nicks, dents, and even repairs, tell a story and add a touch of authenticity to your decor.

You can find a variety of shapes and sizes, from the classic rectangular board to round breadboards and animal-shaped boards.

What’s The Difference Between a Breadboard and a Cutting Board?

There is little difference between the appearance of a breadboard and a cutting board except for its intended use. While cutting boards are designed for a more general purpose, they are used for chopping, slicing, and preparing all sorts of food items, not just bread. However, breadboards are designed specifically for preparing, kneading, and slicing bread. They typically have a flat surface to hold the bread.

I love finding vintage breadboards that show signs of dough and flour embedded in the wood from years of use.

How To Decorate With Vintage Cutting Boards and Breadboards

With a little creativity, you can transform your vintage cutting boards and breadboards into beautiful and unique decorative elements for your home. Here are a few ideas and tips to consider.

• Make a stack of boards.
• Lean them against a wall or cabinet back.
• Add several breadboards to a wooden crate, toolbox, or wire bin.
• Hang them on a wall for a gallery wall.
• Add several to a plate rack.
• Display on open shelves or above cabinets.
• Hang from a peg rack.
• Gather several in a basket.
• Use cutting boards or breadboards as a base for a table centerpiece.
• Most are great for making charcuterie boards.

Stack Breadboards and Cutting Boards For Risers

One of the easiest ways to decorate with breadboards and cutting boards is to stack them to use as risers for centerpieces, vintage vignettes, etc.

These footed breadboards are stacked to create height on the kitchen island while displaying a few vintage pieces.

Add a stack of boards to display vintage bowls, vases, fruits and vegetables, etc. They will help to draw attention to the simplest of displays.

Lean Against The Wall

Vintage breadboards and cutting boards combine to create a rustic open-shelf vignette. The boards are propped against the brick wall below the shelving, and on the top shelf.

The boards serve as a backdrop for the other vintage decor styled on the shelves.

Centerpiece Ideas with Vintage Boards

I love using old breadboards and cutting boards as risers for table centerpieces. They help to anchor several decor objects for tabletop vignettes.

Plus, they add texture and rustic style to the centerpiece.

The round French cheese board is a favorite for creating dramatic seasonal centerpieces. It is footed, which allows for decorating around the base, and its large size accommodates several seasonal decor pieces.

This treasured piece gets a workout during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. It was used as a centerpiece on a Thanksgiving tablescape with dried flowers, a cornucopia filled with pumpkins, and a turkey planter. It served as the kitchen island centerpiece at Christmas with copper, brass, dried oranges, and greenery.

Hang Vintage Boards On The Wall

A rustic Easter tablescape includes stacked vintage boards on the table centerpiece and a gallery wall of vintage breadboards and cutting boards.

Style Plate Rack With Vintage Boards

One of my favorite places to display cutting boards is the DIY wall plate rack. We built the rack with deep shelves to hold more than just plates on the wall. I love stacking it full of ironstone, wooden bowls, dishes, and vintage boards.

The entire wall is the perfect canvas to display the rustic wooden boards mixed with whites.

Hang Cutting Boards on Peg Rail, Wall Hooks, Etc.

Hanging your board collection on a peg rack, wall hooks, or cabinet rods is simple in design. The collection of pig cutting boards makes an interesting display on the side of the DIY farmhouse kitchen island.

Whether you have a large collection or just a few boards, hanging them is aesthetically pleasing, and they are easily accessible when you need to chop some veggies. This peg rail shelf is a repurposed thrift store find, and you can see the tutorial at Peg Rail Shelf Tutorial.

Add To Baskets, Wooden Crates, Tool Boxes, Etc.

You can create stunning displays by adding several boards to baskets, crates, toolboxes, etc. Gathering your boards and filling your containers is an easy decorating idea.

You can add a combination of sizes and shapes to make the display more interesting and appealing. The antique encyclopedia box is filled with my collected boards.

Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets or Cupboards

An area that can be challenging to decorate is above kitchen cabinets. However, adding a variety of breadboards and cutting boards creates a rustic, texture-filled cabinet-top vignette, perfect for a rustic farmhouse-style home.

If you’d like more ideas for decorating above kitchen cabinets, read How to Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets with a Modern Farmhouse Style.

The footed cheese board is styled above the dining room cupboard when not in use. It is easily accessible if you want to add a charcuterie board for the holidays.

What Decor Can You Mix With Breadboards and Cutting Boards?

I have always been a fan of woods and whites in my farmhouse decor. Therefore, when styling the breadboards and cutting boards, I like to mix them with white vintage pieces. I use a variety of ironstone, milk glass, white dishes, pitchers, and vases. In addition, I throw in a few vintage kitchen utensils, such as rolling pins, cookie cutters, graters, and strainers.

Charcuterie Boards

Finally, your vintage boards will make creative charcuterie boards, so keep them handy for last-minute guests. Just be sure to clean them properly, and if in doubt, add a layer of wax paper or plastic wrap between your food and your vintage board.

Resources

Now it’s time to see what all the other gals have been up to this summer.

Robyn’s – Best Shopping In Indiana Antique Alley / Lora’s – Vintage Garden Decor Ideas

Ann’s- Thrifting At Sage Farm Antiques / Rachel – Decorating with Vintage Cutting Boards & Breadboard