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Decorating with Vintage Finds

Vintage wooden boxes and jars.

Create a personalized blend of old and new

Incorporating vintage décor is a delightful way to add warmth, character and charm to any home, from traditional to modern. Thrift stores, flea markets and yard sales are all good places for finding classic items you’ll love. Or, maybe you already have vintage pieces that have been passed down through your family.  Of course, you don’t want to end up with your home looking stuffy or dated. When it comes to vintage, the key is carefully curating items so they look intentional and not like you’re adding things willy-nilly. Need some ideas for vintage décor to get you started? Browse through this list of treasures, along with suggestions for using them.

Apothecary Jars & Glass Bottles

Vintage apothecary or generic bottles are terrific accent pieces for almost any room. Arrange them on a kitchen shelf or display them on a bar cart or bookshelf in the living room. In the bathroom, apothecary jars are perfect for storing cotton balls or bath salts. 

Rung Ladders

A wooden rung ladder propped against a wall in a living room or bedroom is perfect for displaying quilts or keeping throw blankets at the ready. 

Green, teal, and blue apothecary jars of different shapes. Add pop to a room with green and blue glass.
Rung ladder with a quilt hanging over a rung. Display a pretty quilt on a rung ladder.

Postcards, Maps or Needlepoint

Matte and frame old postcards, maps or needlepoint, then hang them to liven up a ho-hum wall. 

Black and White Photos

Vintage photos—whether of your own family or of strangers—make for good conversation starters. Put them in frames and cluster together on a side table in your living room.

World map in a picture frame hanging on a wall above a brown leather sofa. Create a focal point on a wall with a framed map.
A black and white photo wall. Give old, intriguing photos new life.

Books and Magazines

Are you a bibliophile? Consider accessorizing with an array of old magazines on a coffee table or a stack of books on a fireplace mantel. 

Hard-sided Suitcases

Incorporate a bit of whimsy with one, or a few, hard-sided suitcases. Place a single suitcase on top of a stool next to a bed, and you have a unique nightstand. Or stack three of a kind (or different styles with a similar color palette) to create an interesting side table.

Old books stacked on a coffee table. Accessorize with a stack of well-worn books.
Three old hard-sided suitcases stack on each other. Stack suitcases for a unique side table.

Food Storage Tins

Give vintage flour, sugar or potato chip tins new life by using them as storage accessories. In the kitchen or pantry, they’re great for storing tea bags and coffee filters. Or keep a couple in your home office or craft room for corralling paperclips, rolls of tape, scissors and other supplies.

Kitchen Scales

And old kitchen scale with a well-worn patina definitely adds a touch of nostalgia to a space and is a fun accessory for holding a bowl of fruit or a small potted plant.

Old canned food cans. Use storage tins for keeping office supplies at the ready.
Old turquoise scale holding plants. Repurpose a kitchen scale as an offbeat plant stand.

Candlesticks

A mix of candlesticks from a by-gone era in brass, silver, glass or wood bring some contrast to a room. You don’t necessarily need to add candles to candlesticks, either. Display them in groups on their own or top them with seasonal décor—such as mini-pumpkins, for Halloween. 

Typewriters or Rotary Phones

A small typewriter or rotary phone definitely evokes a vintage vibe. Try placing one or the other on a console table in your entryway or as part of a vignette elsewhere in your home.

Wooden candlesticks. Dress up a mantle with a mix of candlesticks.
Old phone on a side table. Turn a rotary phone into a key piece of décor.

Vintage Tabletop Clocks

Just like typewriters and rotary phones, old clocks are reminders of days gone by. Display them individually, with other favorite finds, or nestle a mix of shapes and sizes together.

Old alarm clock on a desk. Acknowledge Father Time with a vintage clock.

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