How to Age Terracotta with Coffee (Easy Vintage Look!)

There used to be a time that I liked everything new...well, to look new. I've always been a sucker for good deals and second hand scores. But, I did love those clean crisp lines that new brought. Fast forward, now it's like I'm trying to get rid of anything that looks too new haha. Totally in jest, but still it's kind of true. These days I’m all about that perfectly imperfect, timeworn look...especially when it comes to decorating with terracotta pots and vintage-inspired decor.

Years ago, I shared how to make terracotta pots look vintage or old using some paint and a little secret sauce (you can see the tutorial for that here). Today, I’m sharing another easy DIY method to age terracotta pots naturally so they look like they’ve been sitting outside in the garden for years collecting patina and character. Think aged terracotta planters with that perfectly weathered, antique look...without waiting decades for nature to do its thing. Sounds appeasing?

Well, the appeasing part of this DIY aged terracotta technique is that it takes something yummy to do it. Coffee! Yep, this simple coffee method creates a beautiful vintage terracotta finish with hardly any effort. It’s one of the easiest ways to make new terracotta pots look old, rustic, and naturally weathered for cottage style, farmhouse, or vintage-inspired decor. And it’s soooo easy to do. So let’s get started.

Supplies Needed:

Your leftover morning coffee - cold or hot

Terracotta pots

Dish that will fit the coffee and the pot. 

Place the terracotta pot into the bowl/cup of coffee.

As you can see, it doesn't need to be full immersed. The porous nature of the terracotta will bring the coffee up. 

Leave it in for a couple of hours. The coffee will start to darken the top. You can do this upside down to get a different effect!

Here's a before and after of the new and the now "old".

Here's how it turned out. I love the older look it gave the terracotta. It was was pretty before, but now it just has so much more character.

Here's a before again, styled similarly.

What do you think? I'm excited to try this with even bigger pots! Let me know if you try this in the comments. 

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