When a space looks cool, it’s my sacred duty as a décor writer to pick apart why — is it the lighting, a color, a sick piece of furniture? Recently, I’ve been noticing a common factor: When there’s a little blip of a steel dish on a coffee table or a metal vase with a liquid-mirror finish, I’m in. Metal housewares aren’t revolutionary — decorative silverware has been a status symbol basically forever — but there’s something newly exciting about pared-down shapes in a cool, shiny metal.
The great thing about this trend is that, although silver is expensive, steel and aluminum are dirt cheap and can have a really similar finish. (Plus, they stay shiny without you needing to pull out your anti-tarnish mitts.) I’ve seen a lot of fancy metal housewares (I yearn for this $88 Gohar World dessert coupe and this $150 incense orb from design store/café Dae), but you can absolutely fit out your home with chic little metal trays by going where the stainless steel is cheap: the restaurant-supply store.
I’ve gone through thousands of online restaurant-store SKUs to find the cheap metalware that could sneak its way onto a fancy boutique shelf. I’d also recommend checking out your local restaurant-supply stores in person — it’ll spark new ideas, and you’ll save money on shipping. The prices at online restaurant-supply stores are incredible, but shipping is expensive — I usually do one big order to make the shipping cost worth it. If you trust your organizational prowess, you can sign up for a one-month free trial of Webstaurant Store’s premium service and get free shipping. It costs $99, so just make sure to cancel before you’re charged.
A spoon-shaped spoon rest that helps “keep your back- and front-of-house surfaces clean,” per the product description.
I could stare at the flange edges of this tray for hours.
This small plate or dish has rolled edges and is made of sturdy 18-gauge aluminum.
Although it’s engineered to hold tacos, this stainless-steel accordion holder could display a lot of other things — zines, photos, or small prints and artworks.
This ashtray is very similar to a sold-out one at Lichen, one of my favorite New York design stores.
You could use it to display a treasured family photo — or a card that says “quiche.”
A double-walled stainless-steel serving bowl for your keys and knickknacks (or an ice-cream sundae).
Designed to hold onion rings (the spiral “showcases each ring to emphasize quantity”) but could be a great candleholder or a minimalist vase for a dried floral arrangement.
I love the scale of the wide, flat lip on this pizza-pan separator — it would make a great display tray on a coffee table. (And if one day you need pizza pans separated, you’re set.)
Here’s a slightly smaller, ultrashiny steel wine coaster with a nice flat lip that could serve as a catchall.
A chrome cover will make your Target candles look like spa décor.
Vintage silver clamshell dishes are amazing — but 12 new ones for less than $20 is hard to beat.
A high-shine aluminum wine-cooler insert could double as a flower vase or toothbrush holder.
I prefer industrial shelves to something from a furniture retailer — they’re cheaper, simpler, and more durable. I especially like the triangle-shaped brackets of this steel shelf.
A surprisingly chic toilet brush and caddy from the “plungers and restroom cleaning brushes” section.
Actual designer metal housewares
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