Upcycle Coffee Cans And Scrap Wood Into A Darling Home Decor Piece On A Budget

Stylish rustic décor can be expensive from home retailers, particularly hanging containers that decorate or offer storage on your walls. These units often feature cubbies, bins, or pockets for housing everything from plants and greenery to mail and bathroom toiletries conveniently and compactly. A creative YouTube tutorial from Our Upcycled Life, however, shows you how to easily turn a sheet of scrap wood and two empty coffee tins into an adorable planter or organizer with both style and utility.

With many options for customization and making it look just right for your home, this DIY is a cute way to repurpose empty coffee cans to avoid throwing them out. In the video, the DIYer uses it as a rustic planter for faux greenery and plants. This clever DIY also offers a pretty place to stash mail in your entryway or hold small utensils for mounted kitchen storage. Use it for storing washcloths or hair tools and accessories next to the sink as a handy bathroom organizing solution. It would also work great for home office storage, keeping coffee bar accessories above the coffee bar, or holding objects like remotes and game controllers near the television. 

To create this fun wall unit, begin by preparing your scrap wood piece. Any size will work as/is or cut to the desired dimensions of your finished product. The wood plank and the size of the coffee cans you are using will determine the overall dimensions of your DIY project. Remove the labels and the bottom of the can with an opener before crushing the can flat into a pocket shape. You can use a vice if you have access to one, or use your hands and a mallet. Make sure the seam of the can falls on the back, where it will be hidden by the wood. Add a small punched or drilled hole in the top along the seam. This is where you will use a screw to attach the can directly to the wood.

The customization options for this pocket organizer are many. The tutorial primes and paints the cans and uses vinyl transfers to create fun messages on them. You could also add hand-painted accents, stenciling, wood or die-cut appliques, or decorative stickers. For a bit of pattern or texture, decoupage the cans with ephemera or napkins.  Or you could cover them in peel-and-stick wallpaper. The scrap wood plank is also a great spot to add decorative details with wood burning tools or paint. For a coffee bar or kitchen, you could also hunt down some vintage cans and display their original labels.