Vintage Kitchen Canisters

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Industrial, shabby chic, and farmhouse styles are drawn to the timeless touch that a vintage kitchen canister set can bring to their homes. Use them as decor pieces and place them on shelves, or as functional pieces to store flour, sugar, and pasta. For farmhouse styles, stick with tin and metal canisters, and for shabby chic styles, choose porcelain and ceramic. No matter which material you choose, know you are keeping history alive and well in your kitchen.

6 Recommendations and 173 Ideas

Updated 31/05/2022
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Vintage Tin Canisters With Bar Pull Lid Handle

Vintage Tin Canisters With Bar Pull Lid Handle

August Grove®

These metal food canisters are resistant to chips and come in yellow, white, orange, and blue. The set of four is handmade with vintage prints and offers a cozy cottage feel.

Designer Advice:

The old and rustic look of these containers leans toward farmhouse style. They sit perfectly inside one another, making it easy to store them when you are not using them. Although they are labeled kitchen canisters, they are not food safe, but can no doubt be used in your garage to hold nails and screws.

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Translucent Vintage Kitchen Canister

Translucent Vintage Kitchen Canister

Rosdorf Park

Eco-friendly, this vintage kitchen container is made of glass and is topped with a resin lid to keep food fresh. It features rib detail on the sides, and a leaf pattern lid, and comes in purple, blue, clear, and gray.

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Vintage Kitchen Containers With Chalkboard

Vintage Kitchen Containers With Chalkboard

Sand & Stable™

Free of BPA and lead, these ceramic vintage canisters have an airtight seal and are food safe. Not only that, but they are dishwasher safe, resistant to stains, and come in a lovely ivory hue.

Designer Advice:

Containers that you can write on keep you organized and make it easy for you to remember what is inside them. One drawback to a chalkboard type is chalk can be rubbed off or smeared. If you like the look of handwritten labels in chalk and don't plan on changing them, use hairspray to seal the words and prevent smearing.

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Vintage Metal Canisters With Galvanized Finish

Vintage Metal Canisters With Galvanized Finish

August Grove®

Plain but detailed with a hammered finish are these vintage metal kitchen canisters that come as a set of three. They have fine fence-ribbed sides and oxidized black ball-capped lids that can be used indoors and outdoors.

$30.99 $36.99

Designer Advice:

Buying plain metal canisters gives you an empty canvas to work with. Use them as-is in industrial style or paint them however you like to match the hues inside your kitchen. Their smooth surface allows you to place sticker labels on the side to help you remember what you put inside of it.

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5
Feminine Vintage Cannisters

Feminine Vintage Cannisters

Royal Albert

Made of porcelain and painted with pink roses is this set of three vintage kitchen canisters. Its wavy top is accented with gold paint that is gorgeous in shabby chic and country styles.

$222.16 $232.38

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Small and Reflective Vintage Canister

Small and Reflective Vintage Canister

Rosdorf Park

Speckled with antique dots is this kitchen canister made of glass. It has a faded vine design on the side and is great for storing small items like candy or sugar packets for your tea.

$41.99 $39.99

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Vintage Kitchen Canisters

Buying Guide

Metal kitchen canisters are great for keeping flour, sugar, pasta and more safe from moisture, insects and rodents. They cannot be broken like glass canisters. Another plus is that they give you the opportunity to use them to beautify your home. You can match colors or color-coordinate them to the colors in your kitchen.

By the 1850s, tin canisters were standard in U.S. kitchens because traveling salesmen sold them filled with coffee or tea. Some of these canisters carried the company name. In the 1940s, enameled canisters were used widely. They often bore labels such as “flour” and “sugar” that identified their contents. In keeping with practical identification, many canisters with labels are available today.

Metal kitchen canisters are available in dark colors like espresso and deep blue, bright colors such as avocado green and fire engine red. They offer more choices by being available in shiny finishes or hammered finishes as well as in patterns and with floral motifs. Metal kitchen canisters are also available with reproductions of famous labels and styles of bygone days. Pieces of any era can be found in one or more of the following materials: stainless steel, galvanized tin, chrome or aluminum.

While some retro metal kitchen canisters come in very busy and colorful patterns that cover every inch of the storage vessel, others have a clean and very modern look. That’s because in the 1950s chrome accents were popular, as were the colors pink, aqua, turquoise, black, gray and copper. The materials used in making canisters of several eras are sometimes mixed. For instance, a set might have metal containers and wood tops.

You can place metal kitchen canisters on your kitchen counter, but they are not just for foodstuffs. Use them in your laundry room or bathroom. Parents can use them to store children’s crayons, marbles, game pieces and more. If you’re a hobbyist, a person who makes home repairs or someone who sews, use them to keep nails, screws, glue, pins, needles, thread and more. Remove the lid on them to keep tall items such as wooden spoons, rulers and paint brushes. Since they come in so many colors, you are sure to find one that complements the decor of your home.

Since historically they were always about food preservation, metal kitchen canisters have airtight seals. Some have push-down lids while others have latches. Still others have handles or knobs on their tops. Metal kitchen canisters usually come in sets of three, four or five. The pieces of most sets can be nestled inside each other to conserve space when not in use.

Even though we now have cabinets with lots of shelves in our kitchens that’s no reason to ditch storage containers for that room. Even if you don’t need them for your kitchen, you don’t have to think too hard to find other places in your home where you can use metal kitchen canisters.

Best Ideas

Vintage owl canister set

Vintage pink plastic canister set from the 1960s. Canisters are labeled in descending order of size, Flour, Sugar, Coffee, Tea. Knife, fork, and spoon stylized decoration on the sides of each. The lids are topped off with clear plastic knobs.

Metal kitchen canisters

A stunning set of four kitchen canister pieces that are made from durable and strong metal to ensure years of use and would easily fit in with all of your kitchen decor thanks to the vintage look and appeal that they give off.

Set 2 Vintage Style Metal Flour Sugar Canister Farmhouse Country Kitchen Bins

Set 2 Vintage Style Metal Flour Sugar Canister Farmhouse Country Kitchen Bins

Add these amazing kitchen bins to always make sure that your sugar and flour are stored neatly and organized to perfection, while the vintage and slightly distressed finish of the metal containers add a certain amount of appeal to your decor.

Avocado green 70s metal kitchen canister

Avocado green 70s metal kitchen canister

Organize your pantry to the maximum with these kitchen canisters that come in a set of four and make for a charming and retro-styled addition for your interior, especially with their design straight from the 70s and the beautiful avocado green finish.

Metal kitchen canisters 2

Expand storage and get your kitchen organized with these beautiful and functional metal canisters. Available in a variety of sizes, these pieces are designed to provide ample storage bin capacity for all your small kitchen stuff. They are also available in a wide range of colors.

Aqua kitchen canisters

Should have bought this set on Etsy when I had the chance! Love!!! Lincoln Beautyware Set of Six Vintage Aqua Chrome Kitchen Storage -

Kitchen canisters ceramic

Three canisters set in Italian style. Cast aluminium base (chocolate brown) features Fleur De Lis motif. The canisters themselves are ceramic, finished smoothly and slightly polished, sporting cream hue.

Metal canister sets

I love these cute vintage kitchen canisters, so lovely and useful. I' definitely put my tea bags and coffee in these.

Originals Plain Flour Tin

Originals Plain Flour Tin

Vintage metal canisters

Love, love, love the cabinets. Also the old bread box used for stuff the usually lies on the counter.

Vintage Copper Kitchen Canisters Set Of

Vintage Copper Kitchen Canisters Set Of

A captivating decoration for kitchens and dining rooms, in shape of a gorgeous set of four canisters. Emanating with vintage flavor and durable construction, each of those cuties is made of copper and beauitfully-polished for extra appearance.

Metal kitchen canisters 2

piece stainless steel amazon com oggi 4 piece stainless steel canister ...

Metal canisters

The vintage metal canisters presented on the picture were refreshed by their owner: all canisters were spray painted - now they're light blue - and hand lettered. In their new form, they successfully brighten the kitchen up.

White ceramic utensil holder

Store your kitchen utensils neatly in a decorous ceramic holder in ecru. Decorous cast aluminium base showcases matching bronze finish and swirly floral motif. The ceramic receptacle is dishwasher safe.

Metal kitchen canisters 1

... French Enamel Pots Red Clay Colored Metal Kitchen Canisters with Lids

Metal kitchen canisters 12

Metal Canisters With Chalkboard, Set of 3 - From -

Mod stainless steel canister set vintage kitchen canisters

Mod stainless steel canister set, vintage kitchen canisters

Large canister sets

This set of large canisters makes an ideal kitchen addition. Its cream color will provide a festive touch to your daily stuff. Crafted of low-maintenance earthenware and dishwasher safe. Each canister sits in a metal rack that measures: 6.6 x 6.6 x 2.75".

Farmhouse Canisters (Set of 3)

Farmhouse Canisters (Set of 3)

French Country Canister Set ~ Kitchen Storage Canisters E2~ Decorative Containers ~ White Retro Enamel

This great set of kitchen containers is a practical solution for your home. Curiously they made from high quality stainless been smooth glaze. The product is made in a retro style by helping to give an interesting atmosphere throughout the kitchen.

Metal kitchen canisters

Tall Galvanized Canisters, set of 3 - Tall Galvanized Canisters to set on your hutch or sideboard bring an irresistible farm house appeal to your home. Remember the set your grandma had? Brings you back to her house, doesn't it?

Vintage art deco aluminum canister set

Vintage art deco aluminum canister set

Set of two canisters intended to storage spices. They are made of metal (stylised on the rock) and has copper lids. Smaller caninsters are dedicated to tea and coffee, bigger to flour. They will play them role perfectly in your kitchen.

3 Piece Provincial Canister Vase Set

3 Piece Provincial Canister Vase Set

A set of three well-made canisters which are attractive pieces that are specially designed to store tea, coffee and sugar. They are constructed of high-quality materials like ceramic, mango wood and metal.

Reserved for caos1 vintage galvanized

Reserved for caos1 vintage galvanized

Rustic kitchens need decorations that bring vintage accents into the play. Just like this eye-catchy canister set made of galvanized metal. Each of those tins has a large black sign, and a deep lid with a convenient handle.