DIY Metallic Accented Wooden Bowls

Add sophistication and style to plain, even worn-out, wooden bowls by touching them up with a modern bit of metallic. Choose your favorite metal – copper, gold, brass, chrome, nickel, whatever you like! – and turn your boring wooden bowls into something fit for a king. Or at least a living room shelf.

DIY Metallic Accented Wooden Bowls
Simple DIY Metallic Accented Wooden Bowls

This simple DIY is a favorite and is a lovely way to display fall harvest or candy items.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Project

Let’s begin this fast, easy, and satisfying DIY project, shall we?

Modern DIY Metallic Accented Wooden Bowls

DIY Level: Super Beginner

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Materials

Materials Needed:

  • Wooden bowl(s)
  • Painters’ tape
  • Metal spray paint of choice (shown is gold and copper)
  • Plastic grocery sack(s)
DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Add Tape

Take a clean, dry wooden bowl and some painters’ tape. Rip off enough tape to create your desired paint line along the inside bottom of the bowl. You’ll notice that the tape that goes up the wall a bit goes up at a slight angle. You want this line to be straight (unless you don’t, in which case you can tape it any way you want), so you’ll need to rip another small piece of painters’ tape to run up the bowl wall.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls- Align this small second piece of tape

Align this small second piece of tape with the bottom tape edge, then run it directly up the bowl’s wall so it creates a straight line from a bird’s eye view. Note: You only need to pay attention to the tape line that will be the paint line; don’t worry about the other side of your tape.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - turn bowl

Turn your bowl around. You’ll notice that the tape line, once again, goes off on a slight angle after arching over the bowl’s wall.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - another section of tape

Take another small section of tape to create the outer wall’s paint line. Align the top of the new piece of tape with the edge of your already positioned tape at the point just before the tape starts down the outer wall.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - tape down

From this point, lay the tape down the wall in a perfectly straight line, bird’s eye view, with the tape’s paint line on the inside of the bowl. Repeat for the opposite wall.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - run finger along tape

Run your fingernail over the paint line edge of all your tape to seal the edge.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - plastic bag

Take a plastic grocery sack and fold the handles inside. Slide the non-paint part of your bowl into the sack.

Rip a piece of tape

Rip a piece of tape long enough to secure the edge of the plastic sack. Be sure the original tape’s paint line stays exposed; the sack-holding tape should stay away from the edge at least 1/2″.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - not to be painted area

Basically, you’ve just tucked your not-to-be-painted wooden bowl area into the plastic sack and “zipped it up,” as it were. Double check to make sure there are no holes in your plastic sack, and that all the edges are secure so no paint spray gets in.

Place your bowl on some paper cup

Place your bowl on some paper cups for height, then spray paint the exposed section, working in light strokes.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - let paint dry

Let the paint dry completely.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - peel off paper

Carefully peel off your painters’ tape when the paint has dried. Peel the tape at about a 45-degree angle from the wood surface for best peeling results.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - crisp line

There should be a crisp line, if you used your fingernail to carefully seal the tape’s paint-edge and if you worked in multiple light coats of spray paint.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - gold accents

Here’s how the copper bowl turned out. (Note: I switched to a rustoleum hammered copper spray paint; you’ll notice the hammered effect here. If you want a smooth, truly metallic look, use Krylon’s metallic spray paints.)

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - straight line

The bird’s eye view of your bowl will reveal a straight line, including the walls. This is of course optional, based upon how you taped your wooden bowl, but I think the crisp effect is quite aesthetic.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Gold Accents for Dining

For a more dramatic effect, choose a metallic paint that is quite different from the tone of your wood. Notice how the cooler, almost champagne-colored gold stands out more than the copper against this reddish medium-toned wood.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - close-up of the copper + wood contrast

Here’s a close-up of the copper + wood contrast.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - contrast

Here’s a close-up of the gold + wood contrast. Don’t overlook a variety of metallic options; chrome would be quite stunning but in an icier way. Even iron-type spray paint could lend an old world charm. Do what you love!

DIY Metal Wood Bowls place on wall

These bowls can be displayed vertically as well as horizontally; they’re beautiful from every angle.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Project for Home

I think the simplicity of this home decorating accessory coupled with the metallic + wood elements make it a perfect accent for fall home décor.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Kitchen Island decor

Depending on the size of your wooden bowls, you can use them as dinner serving bowls or individual fruit/vegetable serving bowls. If you choose to do this, you’ll want to seal them with a food-safe sealer.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - storage apple

I guarantee you’ll eat more apples when they look so pretty on display in a metallic accented wooden bowl!

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Craft

We hope you enjoy creating these simple, perfect-for-fall metallic wooden bowls.

DIY Metal Wood Bowls - Closer

Happy DIYing!