White Kitchen with Copper Accents to Create a Vintage Aesthetic

A way to add character and warmth to your white kitchen is with copper. These copper kitchen decor ideas are simple and beautiful, whether your copper is new or antique. I will show you four places where I have added copper accents in my kitchen design. This will give you an idea of creating a kitchen with copper accents in your home.

The color and patina of copper add so much character and style to kitchen decor, especially if you have a white kitchen.  If you love vintage or antique styles, you will love adding this warm metal to your decor.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission if you purchase using the links below at no extra cost to you. All opinions are all my own.

Decorating with Copper in your Kitchen

Before we dive into adding copper accents to your kitchen, let's discuss the pros and cons of using copper in your home decor. If you love the look of aged copper when it turns a dark amber color, you can skip this part, but if you love the look of the rosy bright copper color, then this accessory will need to be cleaned on a weekly or monthly basis.

Keeping your copper clean is easy if you know my tricks. You can check out my post on how to keep your copper shiny the easy way. But for now, let's talk about several reasons why copper makes a great decoration.

Copper is great to cook with, making it a perfect, useful decoration in your kitchen.  I love using decor that can be used every day! And if you have a white kitchen, then copper is a great way to create warm and cozy feeling. But you might be asking, is copper in style?

Is copper in style for kitchen?

Copper is a timeless metal that can easily be used in modern kitchen designs and traditional home decor. Because copper is fabulous cookware to prepare food with it will never go out of style. So if you are considering copper for decoration or cooking go ahead and use it for your decor.

Now that we know a little about copper and that it is timeless, let's start looking at copper accent ideas.

Best Copper Kitchen Accent Ideas

In our kitchen, we have copper in four places. One place is very obvious and, in some ways, helps anchor the room. In three other places, my copper accessories are minimal but the effect goes a long way. Here are four copper accent ideas.

• Copper pots, pans, and mugs over the stove
• Copper on shelves and hooks
• Copper hardware on appliances
• Copper wall decor

Copper Cookware over Stove

If there is one place you can use copper to make a statement, it is with cookware hanging over your stove or on a pot rack. The best part about copper cookware accents is that you can display it as a decoration or, if you cook with copper, you now have a great place to store it.

I found this copper at an antique/thrift store a months ago.  It was an inexpensive purchase which was perfect because I wasn’t sure I wanted copper over my stove as a decoration, so it was a the perfect way to test out what would be a great first step.

I found two frying pans, and we had these antique mugs that belonged to my husband's parents.  So to try out if I like the copper hanging over my stove, I used command hooks as a temporary solution.  After a week, I found I loved copper, so I decided on a more permanent option.

Hanging the Copper Cookware

When I shared on Instagram about testing the copper idea on my stove, I couldn't believe how many people liked this post. Many people liked the idea of using command hooks so they wouldn't have to drill into their ceramic tile and I also found the idea of copper accents was a popular choice.

Next, I shopped for a pot holder rack and found this silver one at Ikea, but I wanted a copper color.  So I spray painted it with Behr antique copper spray paint.

I love this paint!  This one can of paint has done several projects now.

Next, we hung the pot holder, and I set the copper pans on the hooks.  If you are like me and are not sure you will love having copper or anything hang on your tile wall over your stove, try the command hook idea first. I lived with my temporary copper idea for weeks before I made a longer-term commitment. Now I'm convinced it was the perfect addition to my kitchen.

Now a hanging pot rack over your stove is one way to decorate with copper pots or copper pans in your kitchen, but here is another simple and nostalgic idea.

Copper Kitchen Accents on Shelves or Hooks

Another place for copper is on shelves or hanging on hooks or, in my case, a dish rack.  This handmade dish rack is a DIY project I made with my brother-in-law and I love that this piece has a story.  I designed the rack, and we made it together.  Actually, he did most of the making, and I helped.  LOL!

Anyways, consider hanging or setting copper on shelves or a dish rack. Perhaps you have a beautiful statement piece such as a copper bowl, copper canisters, or moscow mule mugs. If you have white cabinets or open shelving, the copper will display beautifully. It is a good design to repeat patterns in a room.  Here is where I repeated the copper color with a favorite piece of mine, am antique copper ladle.

One thing to consider. Copper stands out when placed against something white or light-colored. It would have almost disappeared if I had put copper on my shelf. But hanging it against a white or light-colored wall will help the copper show more. Copper would also be lovely on a white marble countertop.

For more information about the paint colors in my kitchen, check out my Life on Summerhill paint colors post. And my small french country kitchen tour has lots of information, too.

Now you could stop by placing copper in two spots in your kitchen, and these two places would be enough, depending on how much copper you want to include. But here are a few more copper detail ideas. 

Copper Accents on Appliances

Look for appliances that have copper handles or details. On my stove, which is a GE cafe range and refrigerator, is a copper ring on the gold handles.  It is very small, but great designs are in the details.  I love these shiny copper accents. They are the perfect finishing touches with an elegant look. Gold and copper look great together, especially if your gold has a warm tone.

There are many appliances with copper details like copper knobs; some have more than mine which is just a touch of copper. And if you are going for a vintage aesthetic in your kitchen, then appliances with copper is worth checking into.

Also, consider a copper hood. I wanted copper to be an accent, so I didn't use copper on my hood, but if you adore copper, you will love the look of a copper range hood.

Kitchen Copper Accents on Walls

Here are fun and inexpensive ways to add copper to your kitchen by decorating your walls with copper. I do not regularly have any copper wall decor in my kitchen except for the copper cookware hanging over my stove and antique ladle. But this fall, I decided to add copper decorations.

I went to my favorite vintage stores and found a copper plate and copper flue plate. After I got home, I simply tied them with a jute cord and hung them on the hooks in my kitchen sitting area. Now I have fall decorations made of copper.

If you want to add copper to your kitchen for fall, another idea is to shop for copper molds or wall art with copper; then, you have a great way to add it to your walls. You can hang them on a gallery wall or place a few pieces with other art or accessories.

I recently saw the cutest bunny mold made of copper, and I am seriously thinking about adding it to the walls in my kitchen, or maybe I could hanging over my stove.

You may even consider a copper backsplash or light fixtures such as copper pendant lights.

That wraps up my best ideas for adding copper accents to a kitchen. Remember, white kitchens are great for copper details. The white makes the copper stand out and shine.

Here is a photo of my whole kitchen so you can see how it came together.

Conclusion

So what do you think? Are you ready to try copper accents in your kitchen, or did you inherit some copper, and now you are trying to figure out what to do with them? There are so many beautiful copper cookware items you can buy, new or old. Etsy is a great place to shop for new and antique copper cookware and copper molds.

If you want new copper cookware, shop at William and Sonoma. They have the most beautiful copper cookware that would be great for cooking food and beautiful hanging on your pot rack. Plus, you know it is safe to cook on for your friends and family.

Now I would love to know if you already have copper accents in your kitchen. If so, please share about your copper and how you display it in the heart of your home. I would love to hear your copper decor idea. I hope you have found this post helpful, and I hope you are having a wonderful day.

Happy Decorating!