5 Ways to Style a Wood Bowl That DON'T Scream Farmhouse

I always look for wood bowls at the thrift store and buy them if the price is right and they aren't too damaged. A wood bowl might scream farmhouse decor to some, which is a style I tend to steer away from. But, I think a wood bowl is and can be more of a traditional and classic decor item, it just all depends on how you style it. Wood is warm and adds organic texture and feel to any home style. This recent, large wood bowl (some might call it a small dough bowl) was a definite YES purchase from the thrift store.

The wood bowl needed some clean up before I could use it. I started using very hot water and Dawn dish soap. When it was thoroughly dry, I then scrubbed the bowl with coarse salt and a lemon. This removed some of the stains and scratches, but not all of them.

I then rubbed coconut oil all over the bowl, really working it into the wood. Coconut oil doesn't get rancid nd is of course, food safe. The oil protects the wood and covers more of the bowl's blemishes. Not all of the scratches and spots disappeared which is fine, they help to show the bowl's age and give it character.

Now, if you were going to style the bowl in a farmhouse style, you would probably fill it with white or wicker orbs or maybe gingham or French striped linens. 

Let me show FIVE other ideas that are more contemporary and fit my home style more.

Think about using a wood bowl to display an unconventional collection. 

I love collecting brass candlesticks and like to use them in the winter with candles. Rather than store them away the rest of the year, they create an interesting visual display jumbled together in the large wood bowl.

Using a washed rug as a table runner adds to the funky and fresh table decor. Other fun, weird collections to display in a wood bowl might be used lightbulbs, vintage toys, cream pitchers, vintage silverware, smaller wood bowls, alarm clocks, old cameras. Think of a collection that you might normally arrange on a shelf.

Fill a wood bowl with natural objects for a fresh look. Moss and driftwood bring the outdoors in and creates an organic feel.

The natural elements, a planter full of driftwood, all sitting on a velvety, textural curtain panel table runner create a boho aesthetic.

Corral items in a family room in a wood bowl for a cleaner, less cluttered look.

Books (bird watching books in this case because, yes, I have reached bird watching age), coasters and a small plant gathered in one location on an end table create a cohesive display.

This is a great place to keep remotes too so you know where to find them (as long as you train your family to return them to the bowl).

Create a decorative vignette in a wood bowl and display it on a small wood chair. This one holds a vintage tablecloth,  a brass owl, and alabaster grapes. Owls were all the rage five years ago. They were also popular in the late seventies and early eighties and my parents were owl collectors. I only have this one, but it is a nod to my childhood home.

Decorative objects aren't just for shelves and table tops. Setting them in a bowl on a chair is a surprising and unique way to share favorite finds in a spot that needs a little something.

A bowl of fruit may not be that new, but setting the bowl on a bar is contemporary idea.

Also, place things in the bowl of lemons that you would use with them--a cutting board and knife, a zester and reamer. 

It gives the bowl more interest and makes it more purposeful rather than simply decorative.

Five BONUS wood bowl ideas that I didn't picture include:

1. Fill a wood bowl with loose photos and set on a coffee table for a great conversation starter with guests.

2. Add small, brain teaser puzzles to a wood bowl and set it in a guest bedroom. You can use a rubric's cube, wood shape puzzles, twisted metal brain teasers.

3. Keep a large wood bowl on a counter in the bathroom to hold washcloths, soaps, lotions.

4. Keep small stuffed animals in a wood bowl in a child's space. The wood is warmer and more homey than a plastic storage box.

5. Keep a wood bowl on an entry table or bench for mittens and hats. 

Don't automatically think farmhouse when you see a wood bowl, keep your eyes open for them at the thrift store, and utilize them in a variety of ways in your home.