This DIY cookbook holder is a recipe for success

08 Jul 2025

A cookbook stand can be useful when cooking as it enables you to have the page open while cooking. Ours is made from a wooden paddle board, a handle and a couple of small pieces of pine. This is also a nice idea for a gift to someone who loves to cook – and if you know their favourite colour then you can pick up that Resene testpot to make it even more personal. 

You will need:

• One large paddle board (ours is 60cm high and 20cm wide)
• 1x handle
• Two small pieces of pine for the stand at back and front lip
• Paintbrush
• Resene Quick Dry primer
• Screws
• Resene testpots in your chosen colours. We used Resene Norway and Resene Pale Leaf

Step 1: Give the board a coat of Resene Quick Dry. This will help achieve a smoother finish for your topcoats.

Step 2: Paint the board in two coats of your chosen Resene colour. We used Resene Norway.

Step 3: Using a drop saw, cut out your angled piece of wood for the back of the board.

Step 4: Paint the small piece of wood for the lip plus the angled piece of wood for the stand in another of your chosen Resene colours. We used Resene Pale Leaf.

Step 5: Glue or screw the angled piece of wood to the back of the board, and glue the small lip piece of wood to the front of the board at the bottom.

Step 6: Screw the handle onto the lip piece of wood and add your cookbook. It’s time to get cooking!

Top tip: If you’d prefer a more natural look finish but don’t want to sand, you can apply one of the Resene Colorwood We Speak Beach collection. This will give your cookbook stand a timeless beachy washed look.

Wall painted in Resene Spanish White and table in Resene Half Rice Cake. Tea towel and wooden spoon from Kmart.

project Vanessa Nouwens

images Bryce Carleton

Published: 08 Jul 2025