Vintage Book Knife Block

3 Materials
$5
10 Minutes
Easy

I don't know about you but I've always hated the look of knife blocks. They're so practical though and nearly every kitchen has one but other than painting them a trendy color, there typically isn't much you can do with them.


And then!


Surfing on Instagram one day inspiration struck and my custom vintage book knife block was born!

Let me show you how I made it...

First I took a small collection of some similarly colored vintage books and arranged them in a pleasing pattern.

Then I took some jute twine and wrapped it around the books twice, knotting it in the front and leaving long tails.

I tied the tails into a bow and then on the end of each tail I threaded on some pretty beads, knotting the twine between each bead so that they were separated a little bit. It looks really cute with the beads tight together too, it's just a matter of personal preference. Make sure to knot the end of the tail well so the beads don't come off.

After placing it on my kitchen countertop where I wanted it, I simply slid my knives into the books between the pages. Its so cute and perfectly fits with my vintage style!


NOTE: Because these are genuine vintage books, I always make sure my knives are very dry before I put them into the books. I don't want to damage the books.

ALSO, I am not suggesting that highly valuable vintage books be used in case damage does occur to some pages over time. There are plenty of old books, that have lots of character and charm, which are not highly valuable vintage books that could be used for this DIY. I recommend researching the books you plan to use before deciding.

Resources for this project:
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Tara @ Stilettos and Shiplap
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Jan49858422 Jan49858422 on Oct 31, 2020

    Yes Tigala. just wondering how you keep the pages from tearing. I have some very sharp knives that are made to be so sharp to cut paper! I’d use books that don’t matter and can be replaced. Neat idea though.

  • Debbie Collins Debbie Collins on Oct 31, 2020

    Aren’t vintage books unsanitary for kitchen knives

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  • Doreen Kennedy Doreen Kennedy on Oct 31, 2022

    Looks so cute. Just wish i were a neater cook. Haha

  • Munique Robinson Munique Robinson on May 24, 2023

    I agree with the idea of putting the knife sheath INTO the book first & might try this (if I can find a shelf to keep them on so my toddler doesn't get into the books or blades) Then it protects book and blade. My favorite knife block was one of those ones with the black dowels that sharpened your blades as you pulled them in and out but didn't have specific slots. Unfortunately it was lost in one of our MANY moves.

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