After years of use, our baking ware can get pretty dirty and at some point, we need to upgrade them with new ones. However, just because they can’t be used in the kitchen anymore doesn’t mean they aren’t still good for something.
Check out these 55 ways to repurpose those old dishes and transform them into something totally new and functional- like a lampshade or even wall decor.
Click through and become inspired!
1. Cake Pan Lamp Shade
Pans can retain a lot of heat along with a lot of wear and tear. Enough heat, wear, and tear to even transform cake pans into a lampshade. For this DIY all you need to find are some cake pans, wire hangers, and gold spray paint which, for a new lamp shade, is pretty cheap!
Through every day use our baking sheets can become brown and quite honestly disgusting. But when it’s time to update them with new ones, instead of throwing them in the trash try adding some new decorations like mosaic pieces. Now you have a brand new serving tray.
Here we have another repurposed cake pan transformed for the holidays. All you need to do is take a few cake pans and attach them to some wood to make the snowman’s head and body. Then take a metal piece for the chalkboard, adding some other materials to decorate as you would like and then you have a tiny cute snowman that can wish seasons greetings!
You can even create some more chic looking storage with old baking pans. Remove the bottom, add a few shelves in the middle, and now you have transformed your old baking pan into an Anthropologie knockoff shelf. Now not only have you upcycled an old rustic dish, but created more storage and saved money!
Get DIY Instructions to Anthropologie Knockoff Shelf: here.
Tiered stands make a serving station so much easier to navigate and allow for more space on the table, as well as help to separate the food. Just like they did with this DIY tiered stand that repurposed cake pans allows for not only bread, cheese, and grapes but drinks in the middle to pair with those foods. Even adding another repurposing touch by putting the cheese in a mug.
A new magnetic makeup board might just be the new best thing! All you need to do to create this is an old cookie sheet, spray paint, and vinyl. With this magnetic makeup board, it allows to clear up some counter space and looks pretty cool too.
Repurposing cake pans can make for some beautiful decor especially depending on what you fill them with. For this easy DIY take some old mini cake pans and fill them with flowers! Place these in the middle of your table and it can double as an easy discussion topic.
Now you can use your old pans that once fed people to now feed the birds. They transformed the bottom of this pan into the feeder and with a little work made the lid into a roof. Then you fill the feeder and wait.
Find instructions for DIY Frying Pan to Bird Feeder: here
Turns out muffin pans are also the perfect size for herb starter pots. You can spray-paint the muffin pan to decorate the pan but that is optional. Then with some unbleached muffin papers, you are ready to start your mini garden!
Once these pans were in the center of the table filled with bread and with a few changes can be transformed into a beautiful centerpiece. Just add some spray paint and four wooden beads to be used as feet. Fill with rocks and flowers and now you have a new floral centerpiece!
You can also transform your own baking pan into an unconventional piece of art! All you have to do is spray paint it to the color of your desire then place the photograph or art piece inside. Then once you add some glue and a wall hook you have a new quirky wall frame.
As you click through these slides you’ll see just how any old pan, tin, or sheet can be made into something chic. Just like these cake tins transforming into floating shelves. This tin is sturdy enough and safe enough for a variety of items so you can place in it either flowers in a vase just as they did.
If you’ve somehow acquired an assortment of baking tins here’s another way you can repurpose a large one into something chic. All you need is some plastic, gorilla glue, gravel stones, and herbs!
Get instructions to the Baking Tin Herb Planter: here.
Baking trays can be made into the most decorative pieces all depending on your imagination. Such as this one who took glue and some gold foil. Transforming into a very elegant serving tray.
Another holiday-themed transformation with this bundt pan to candy cane wreath. With the holidays, we usually end up with more pans than we started with and then don’t end up using the next year. With this DIY they add a poinsettia in the middle with scalloped ribbon on the edges for finishing touches.
Drawers have a way of becoming cluttered very quickly. With vintage bakeware, it can be an easy way of organizing that allows for more storage and is a cheap option too! These also have deep holes for more storage and vary in size.
Give those old cookie sheets a makeover to a magnetic memo board perfect for your home office or kitchen! You could even make one for every room depending on how many cookie sheets you have and how you would like to decorate them.
All you need for this DIY is a baking sheet, a frame, magnets, and glue. Once you frame the baking sheet then you attach flat magnets to the backs of spice jars. Now you have a new magnetic seasoning wrack to spice up your kitchen.
Tiered stands are perfect for showing off your food, notions, and crafts. Simply take your trashure, the treasure that was almost trash, pair them with some wood pieces, and create your tiered stand. Now what was once almost trash is a new functional treasure you built.
Here’s an easy dollar store DIY decor tiered tray you can make without any power tools needed. All you need is pie tins, glue, and candlestick holders. Depending on the holiday you can even specify the colors.
We’ve seen how you can turn bread pans into centerpieces but you can also make magnificent centerpieces from springform pans. With some metallic paint, a candle, some glue, and some garland those springform pans turn into a beautiful centerpiece.
For the instructions to this quick and easy centerpiece click: here
For this DIY all you need to transform this dessert pan into a clock are the hands to the clock. As well as, some paint to transform the clock to fit your home.
Here is another interesting way people have upcycled their vintage bakeware items for the holidays. They’ve taken old baking pans and transformed them into a gift box! Makes for a great centerpiece or even a great gift.
Turns out even old bundt cakes can be made into the perfect planters. To add more pizazz to your planter you can stack two to give it the tiered look. To add even more pizazz add paint and polish!
Transform your wall with some jello molds! Usually, they have some pretty cool designs and the best part is they don’t cost much. You can edit their style with some simple spray paint to fit your home and then they are ready to go up on the wall.
With a little creativity and imagination you can repurpose anything. Such as these people did with their old pots, pans and kettles! Added a fountain pump some rocks for weight and voila something new made from something old.
You can even take those rustic pans into the living room to help organize. Even using them as a centerpiece on a table. For this room, they used their pan to organize some books and plants and we have to say it looks quite nice!
Advent calendars are one of those special things that help build the excitement to Christmas. Especially, since you are rewarded with a special treat each day! With this DIY advent calendar, you can save some of the trash that is left from regular advent calendars by instead recycling your cupcake pan.
While painting keeping the paint separate can be a tricky task. An easy solution is transforming that old cupcake tin into a painting tray. Now all the colors can be kept separate safely and this is a start to avoiding the potential messy craft time.
Here we have another baking pan serving tray that was repurposed to match the aesthetic of the house. To do this in your home all you need to do is take an old baking tray and use some spray adhesive or paint to transform the tray.
Turn an old cookie sheet into a serving tray instructions: here
We’ve seen as many people have taken their old pans and transformed them into tiered trays. With this, they took the pans and took them up a notch adding rolling pins. Making them an even more unique decorative piece.
Another organizing hack is taking an old muffin tin and transforming it into a sleek jewelry organizer. With this muffin tin, there’s space for rings, bracelets, earrings, and any other jewelry piece needed. With this upcycled muffin tin jewelry organizer you’ll be less likely to misplace those small pieces.
Create a simple jewelry tree with items from the thrift store and a baking pan. Once you find a mug tree nail the old baking pan to the top. Then the mug/jewelry tree will be ready to store all your jewelry needs.
Often the kitchen can become quite messy. With this DIY you can use an old bread pan to organize the clutter quickly. It even doubles as a nice decorative touch.
Jewelry can be an absolute pain sometimes to keep separated, organized, and untangled. With this DIY tiered stand that repurposes old pans, it provides an easy organizer. With this stand, it makes it easy to hang earrings off the side, as well as, unique to other jewelry stands this one is magnetic.
So many people have transformed their serving trays into a new functional piece of their house. For this upcycle Looking For Adventure Art on Youtube transformed her tray into a new magnetic chalkboard that can now hold grocery lists, reminders, recipes, and more.
Throughout this slideshow we’ve seen tiered stands, serving trays, and even wall decor made from kitchen dishes but you can even use those old dishes to make lights too! The first step is taking your old cake tins and add some spray paint and you are on your way to some brand new lighting decor.
With each new slide we see just how imperative it is to keep old pans and tins to upcycle those materials into something new. Here we again have a pie tin that was upcycled to now become a cake stand. A lot of times all these transformations take are some paint, glue, and of course as always a little imagination, and voila!
Sometimes vintages things make for the best decorations. Like this vintage cake tin caddy shows. Upgraded with some paint and painted words it is good as new and makes for great decor.
