Vintage shopping is truly one of my favorite pastimes. To me, nothing beats the thrill of the hunt and the unexpected joy of discovering something truly amazing (and for a great price while also finding new life in an existing object instead of buying something new). I’ve heard from a few of my Instagram followers recently that they struggle to know how to decorate with vintage decor pieces they source. And trust me, I get it. There have definitely been times when I feel like I’ve found the score of the century… and then I get it home and am like UH WUT NOW. But I’m here to tell you that even if you are in that exact situation right this minute, you shouldn’t lose the joy you have for that item… instead, try any of these ideas to incorporate vintage style into your home.
How to Decorate Your Home & Embrace Vintage Style
1. Create a grouping based on color palette
A great example of this is one of the cubbies in our built-ins. I fell HARD for this vintage printed metal tin. The sailing motif actually gives me life. Plus, the tin was really affordable. But I really struggled with where I wanted to put it. I knew it needed to be accessible because it holds my extra palo santo sticks, but the color palette was a bit jauntier than what I normally gravitate towards.
On a whim, I pulled vintage books into a stack that mimicked the colors in the print on the tin… and it works! I also center-stacked the items in the vignette simplify it, with the pink book at the top to draw your eye in and up to the tin itself.
2. Hang art on a bookshelf
If you’re like me and practically hoard vintage artwork and paintings, the collection can get out of hand pretty quickly… and it isn’t always easy to find a spot to hang the pieces! I recommend thinking “inside the box…” aka inside your bookshelves or built-ins. I love love love having a tiny painting above a vignette in our built-ins. You could also hang artwork on the front of a shelf, on one of the supports. I’ve seen this done in so many high-end decor magazines and it always looks so chic.
Put a bow on it
As soon as I saw this Instagram post, I knew I had to replicate the look of it in our cabin. The vintage painting above our bar cart (also vintage) is great, but it felt like it was lacking. It needed… something. So I made a small bow with long tails and used a small bit of poster putty to fasten it above the artwork. I used putty because I didn’t want to put another hole in the wall. Tuck in the tails behind the art, making sure they are long enough to show at the bottom, and voila! This moment in our cabin is one of my absolute favorites.
Use small dishes and bowls as functional storage
Listen, I love brand new storage bins and baskets… but sometimes nothing is better than using a tiny dish to gather items! For example, I used a small oval-shaped dish as a place to corral our coasters on a side table. Another example is the tiny orange bowl holding matches in our built-ins. This orange bowl SPOKE to me while thrifting and it makes me so happy to look at it every day while also knowing it has a purpose in our home!
Do you have any other recommendations for how to decorate with vintage decor pieces?? I’d love to know! Leave a comment and let me know.
