I’m Using This Desk Organizer as a Spice Rack — It’s So Chic!

I try to keep things tidy in my kitchen, but honestly, having a well-stocked kitchen simply means there’s a lot of stuff to keep track of. Kitchen cabinets are great for storage, but it can be easy to forget what’s tucked away in there, especially smaller items like spices. 

One creative, useful, and visible way to contain them? None other than a vintage rolltop desk organizer, at least according to one decor content creator.

I got the idea to repurpose a vintage rolltop desk organizer for spices and kitchen tools from the DIY and home decor content creator MaCenna Lee. In a video, she finds an old wooden desk organizer at a thrift store and transforms it into chic kitchen storage. 

She stains, sands, and paints it, and lines the inside of the compartments with floral paper. Then, she places it on her kitchen counter and fills it with spice jars, cookbooks, and wooden utensils. It’s an impressive transformation; you’d think it was always meant for the kitchen!

If you want to truly keep to the spirit of this DIY spice rack, you should go to a thrift store or secondhand shop to find your very own unique vintage desk organizer. If you want to be even more ambitious, you can stain, sand, and customize it like Lee does, but if that feels too overwhelming, you could always add a little paint, some stickers, or just give it a good cleaning.

Hunting through a thrift store can be time-consuming, so if you want a bit of a shortcut, you can always shop online. Etsy has some nice options, like this mid-century wooden desk organizer for $125 and this teak wood vintage organizer with several interior compartments for $150. If you like the pull-out drawer and multi-tier, multi-compartment design of the desk organizer in Lee’s video, this vintage wooden mail organizer for $167.15 has a similar look.