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.

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

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

DIY Level: Super Beginner

Materials Needed:

Wooden bowl(s)Painters’ tapeMetal spray paint of choice (shown is gold and copper)Plastic grocery sack(s)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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″.

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 cups for height, then spray paint the exposed section, working in light strokes.

Let the paint dry completely.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Happy DIYing!