I sort of like what looks to be the original colour: industrial green.

How about silver?

Zinc! I'd love to see that in a zinc texture. The matte charcoal with well-worn hints of white. If you can't find it in a spray, I've seen some great (easy) tutorials to get that color.

If that's not your style, there are a few great metal finishes by Rustoleum. I rehabbed a very old radiator with a bronze hammered metal. It looked great. I don't think the hammered effect would work as well on this surface, but the color was nice.

What's your favorite color? There's your answer.

Second mdorothy

Turquoise!

It really depends on where you are putting them and what else you have going on in the room. I'd probably lean towards some shade of blue or green.

I think they just need cleaned up and leave them as they are :)

Mint- slightly more on the green side rather than blue.

Pink and purple chevrons! :)

I got a vision of you giving AT in general look of haughty derision when saying "and no chevrons." haha

Seriously, though, I'd go with a color you have just a smidge of in the room you're using them in.

The first shelf reminds me of a Maerklin building set so I would pick one of the colors they used to use: navy blue, rusty red, or industrial green.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Boxed-Marklin-Metal-Building-Set-Toy-Germany-/250862721307

Leave it rusty. Spray some clear on it.

Paint the upright posts black, then go crazy with the shelf color... turquoise, apple green, or each shelf different. Let the room they'll be in help you decide.

Did you decide what room where they will live? Is there any accent colors in that rooms? Does it even matter? (To some it does.) If it were up to me I would go in the family of orange. But if you like yellow you could do a pale canary yellow?

I rather like the mottled metal surface as-is, so I'd paint it a polished milky mint, dove-grey or vanilla-cream light chocolate-milk color or ballet-pink (I know I know, but less pink, more nude), but leave a crisp stripe of unpainted metal running throughout the pieces. Then finish with some sort of shiny sealant.

Or mustard-yellow on the flat planes with black or charcoal edges (or vice versa).

Not sure why I didn't say what I really think you should do, I suppose because it won't be a crowd-pleaser, but I think you should leave most of the metal un-painted but run shots of neon pinstripes through them in unexpected ways, like lazer-thin neon yellow or hot red. And finish off with a clear coating.

I found a shelf almost exactly like this on the street, it was in very similar condition too. All i did was take my orbital sander too it and take off MOST of the rust and previous finish, then wiped it down with Windex.

Now it's my favorite curio ever!! I suggest you try that before anything else, the sanding will be a good first start if you eventually decide to paint it anyhow.

I never understand how we are supposed to answer these questions. Are you asking us what is our favourite colour? Why not show a picture of where it is going? And suggest what you are going to display on it? If you really just want random answers from the universe and don't care as long as it's not chevron, paint it with huge purple daisies.

Here's a suggestion from left field - how about getting them flocked? I have no idea how to do this, but an online search should turn up someone in your area who would do it. Even in black, it would not be boring or safe.

LOVE them...you lucky guy...wash, lightly sand, then see..Set in a bright and modern room, perhaps a nice bright white...they'd look killah..

I mean to say, set against a bright white background/space.

A quick light sanding and leave as-is!

This would make for an awesome bar set up. As for paint color you need to lay context for us.

I really liked the idea of replicating the vintage toy box. Maybe make the shelving a barn red, with a medium grey or charcoal frame in lieu of chrome tone. A classic but muted royal blue might work well, too. These look like they need to be "intentional" rather than "finds".

1. Sand them, get all the rust off. 2. Prime 3. Rustoleom Metallic Spray Paint (Silver or Copper?) 4. Sand Them by hand to roughen them up 5. Seal them...

I'm not for painting them a bright color, it would make them look too "IKEA" for me.

I think it's Rustoleum that has a nifty slightly pebble finished paint in Bronze (or maybe it's Old Bronze or Antique Bronze or something.) (Basically it's sort of a metallic version of burnt umber.)

It would retain some of the characteristics of the rusty shelf but with a modern sensibilty and a clean surface, in case you want that.

Turquoise. Then distress the paint a bit.

Kelly Green!!!

Mint green or turquoise!

Copper