Pop quiz time! Which material meets the following criteria?

• It offers a modern home decor touch, while appearing to be several decades old.
• It blends in with any home decor style, while creating an eye-catching accent piece.

Sounds contradicting? Here’s the giveaway: we’re talking about galvanized metal. Galvanization or galvanizing is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. Ironically, most home décor accents that are made with galvanized metal feature a faux rust look!

All these contrasts are what makes galvanized metal a wonderful material to introduce to your home decor. Galvanization gives the metal a slightly uneven look, which lends a raw and natural vibe. A rusty look is totally vintage, but the metal base is all modern. See where we’re going?

Galvanized metal looks best when used sparingly so that it doesn’t create an overwhelmingly industrial appearance – such as in these rustic milk can vases pictured to the left. There’s also a sleeker, rust free version of milk can vases available.

Bring galvanized metal to your party with a charming beverage cooler tub. Here, the metal adds not just to the aesthetics but the overall durability and product design. Throw in a few bags of ice, then put your favorite bottled beverages in. The metal will help keep it chilled for hours and provides a leak proof surface.