Want to learn how to display your vintage collections and thrift store finds tastefully? If so, you’re in luck! There are plenty of ways to decorate your home with thrift store finds and vintage treasure collections that are budget-friendly and stylish.
We are sharing some pro tips to help you begin collecting vintage treasures and how to style them in a way that looks cohesive and curated.
So whether you’re a thrift store pro or a beginner, read for some great tips on decorating your home with thrift stores and vintage treasures!
Table of contents
- How To Style With Vintage Treasures Collectibles
- What is a Thrift Store Collection?
- Displaying Vintage Treasures on the Wall
- How to Display Smaller Thrift Store Collections
- Tablescapes With Vintage Treasures And Collections
- Cabinets and Hutches Perfect For Thrift Store Finds
- Unique Display Options for Collections
How To Style With Vintage Treasures Collectibles
There are so many options for displaying your collectibles; I’ll share those with you and some great visual inspiration.
I get many questions about what I do with my thrift store finds, and I honestly display almost everything I find. Maybe not all at the same time, but almost everything is something I use in my home decor.
I love to collect, but I don’t have collections like some of the ladies that inspire me. So today, I’ll be sharing some pro collectors with you and some of my meager collections.
Thrifting with the Gals
Do you love the thrill of the hunt? The ladies from Thrifting with the Gals are all sharing tips about using your thrift store finds today. In addition, Brooke from The Junk Parlor is joining us with her fabulous budget-friendly thrifting tips. Be sure to check the end of this post for all the links.
(Posts on The Ponds Farmhouse may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See the full disclosure details here.)
What is a Thrift Store Collection?
First, everything doesn’t have to come from thrift stores. You may find many items at yard sales, flea markets, estate sales, and antique shops. So, I’m referring to anything you have collected.
I have many collections, and I don’t always style everything together. However, my first pro tip is the smaller items look best when grouped and displayed together.
What Is A Collection?
I’ve been told that if you have three of any one item, it’s considered a collection. Because I love so many vintage items, it’s hard just to collect one thing. Therefore, I’ll share some of my largest collections.
- Vintage Baskets
- Old Dishes and Serving Pieces
- Ironstone
- Breadboards and cutting boards
- Vintage and Thrifted Copper
- Old Rolling Pins
- Milk Glass
- Vintage Garden Statuaries
- Brass and Silver Candlestick Holders
- Crocks
- Old Clocks
- Transferware Pitchers and platterss
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, but I know you’ll forgive me. What is your favorite thing to collect? Let’s see if we have any of your collections on display today.
Displaying Vintage Treasures on the Wall
A favorite way to display vintage treasure collections is on the wall. You can see beautiful collections of plates, platters, copper, breadboard, and more hanging on a wall for a lovely display.
Plates and Platters – Thrift Store Finds
Last week, I shared 5 Easy Bedroom Ideas for Spring.
For this update, I pulled all my thrifted blue & white transferware pitches, platters & plates to display together. You can see the impact of the entire collection on the room.
Several dishes and platters are displayed on the wall, while several transferware pitchers are nestled on the mantel among vintage books used as risers.
If your collection is small, consider framing the collection of plates with a vintage picture frame.
The frame allows you to display smaller pieces until your collection grows.
If you want to see more ways to use vintage frames, read 19 Ways To Up-cycle Vintage Frames.
My favorite plate display belongs to Jenny at Farmhouse Luv. The various blue and white transferware patterns are perfectly mixed and matched for a timeless style.
Click Images for Resources
Insider Tip – How To Hang Plates On A Wall
When displaying plates and platters on a wall, it’s important to choose hangers that are safe and will support the vintage treasures.
Here are some suggested plate hangers
- 10-14 inch heavy-duty brass plate hanger – Works well for heavy plates and platters.
- Package of Smaller Plate Hangers – Use these for smaller and lightweight plates.
- Adhesive Plate Hangers – Great lightweight display hangers with no visible hangers.
- Metal Plate Hanger -Perfect for rustic display with the hanger visible.
- Decorative Plate Hanger – Great for one plate display or several grouped together.
More Vintage Treasures and Collections Wall Display
One of my favorite wall collections belongs to Jenn at Down Shiloh Road.
I love how she displays her collection of vintage shifters. Check out the vintage treasure of ironstone in the corner cabinet as well.
A favorite collection of mine is vintage copper. I’ve continued to add to my collection with vintage french cookware to thrift store finds.
We recently added a DIY Copper Pot Hanger to allow the copper pot collection to be displayed above the kitchen window.
The pot hanging rack was an easy and budget-friendly option for displaying a curated collection of copper.
You can create a gallery wall. It’s a creative option for displaying vintage photos and old picture frames.
How to Display Smaller Thrift Store Collections
One of my favorite thrift store finds is kitchen vintage kitchen utensils. There are several ways to display smaller items, and here are some great tips.
One of my favorite collections is vintage rolling pins. Most of mine are thrift store finds.
This is an example of a collectible that completely loses its value when not grouped together.
By placing them in a vintage toolbox, they create one of my favorite vignettes.
Another stylish way to decorate with vintage treasure collections is to display them on a plate rack.
This DIY plate rack is perfect for displaying the budget-friendly breadboard, copper, and ironstone.
Amy at My Rustic House has beautifully displayed several smaller thrift store finds collectibles on her vintage Hoosier cabinet.
Notice the vintage spoons, smashers, scales, butter pats & ironstone collections that she has thrifted over the years.
Tablescapes With Vintage Treasures And Collections
Creating a pretty table setting is another of my favorite ways to display collections. It gives me an outlet for my obsession with dishes and vintage tableware. When you use collected pieces, the table is so much more unique and interesting.
Jadeite Collection
Emily at The Thrifted Table is an avid tableware collector. Her St. Paddy’s Day tablescape is stunning with her jadeite collection.
Milk Glass: Budget Vintage Treasures
Are you a fan of Vintage Milk Glass? You may find that you are after seeing these 10 stunning Milk Glass Centerpiece Ideas for Spring and Summer.
The budget-friendly table centerpiece ideas are almost exclusively thrifted.
Milk Glass isn’t just for Spring and Summer. One of my favorite tablescapes is filled with vintage treasure for a Christmas Dinner Table.
Vintage Clock Collection
My friend Michele at Vintage Home Design used her collection of clocks to ring in the New Year with this fun New Year’s Eve Tablescape Centerpiece.
Cabinets and Hutches Perfect For Thrift Store Finds
Another perfect way to display your collectibles is to gather them all together in a great vintage hutch or cabinet. Here are some stunning displays that will take your breath away and make you want to join us for Thrifting With the Gals every month.
Just look at this stunning collection of Jadiete from Katie at Baker’s Nest.
Debra at Vintage Crushin introduced me to Ironstone and how to know if it’s the real deal.
She loves budget-friendly thrift store shopping.
Look at her many vintage treasures, so beautifully displayed.
Lindy at Lindy’s Blue Rabbit Cottage has been collecting Blue & White Dishes since she was 5 years old, with her first tea set, and it’s proudly displayed here.
What’s more beautiful than a primitive cabinet filled with vintage canning jars? Shelby at Exceeding Joy perfectly displays her vintage treasure collection.
Also, check out the old crock collection.
The antique honey pine hutch creates a warm display area for this hodge-podge collection of ironstone dishes and pitchers.
Most of my finds are budget pieces, and some are stained and well-used.
Check out Decorating with Antique Furniture in A Modern Farmhouse for a full view of the hutch.
Insider Tip – Group Collectibles
The one thing you will notice is that the vintage treasure collections are grouped together and, therefore, have more visual impact.
Display groups of three or more items to create stylish and timeless vignettes within your home.
I hope these tips inspire you to pull your collections out of the closet and display them proudly.
Unique Display Options for Collections
Another place where I like to display collections is above my kitchen cabinets. It’s a safe place for valuable antiques and seldom-used items, and I like to switch it out seasonally. It’s also a perfect spot for fragile items.
Right now, I have several of my wooden pieces on display with my French dough bowl filled with dried hydrangeas. Although they are a few years old, they will continue to look great while they are out of reach of busy hands and sunlight.
You can see more at How To Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets For Modern Farmhouse Style.
Resources
More Thrift Store & Vintage Treasures Inspiration
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the collections and collectors who inspire me when I’m out Thrifting with the Gals. Now it’s time to see what tips and tricks my friends are sharing with you this week. Next up is Ann at Dabbling & Decorating from Maine. Click on the highlighted names to link to each post.
Stacy Ling at Bricks N Blooms / Kim at Shiplap & Shells / Rachel – The Ponds Farmhouse / Ann – Dabbling & Decorating / Kristin – White Arrows Home / Brooke – The Junk Parlor
If you enjoy learning more about decorating with thrift store finds, check out 9 Unique Vintage Bedroom Ideas or Where to Shop
Pin It To Remember It
Did you find some great ideas you’d like to save for future reference? Hover over the images you’d like to save and pin to your favorite Pinterest Boards when you see the PIN button.
Stephanie
Wednesday 15th of November 2023
Hello - do you know the blue paint color in the first picture? Thank you 😊
Rachel
Thursday 16th of November 2023
Stephanie, I don't see a blue paint in the first picture. The only blue paint is on a image from a friends home. I linked to her account in the post. You can reach out to her and see if she has the paint color.
Suecia DeAnda
Thursday 21st of September 2023
Hello Rachel. Going to downsize my home and going through a lot of things that I’ve collected and inherited a lot I don’t mean to keep and unfortunately today’s kids are really not interested in Yesterdays treasures of history. However, I don’t know what to do with that talking in the small town that I live in with some antique dealers. They just want to give you Harley anything for it for it and unfortunately I know it’s worth a little. My phones are limited. I have to make some money. Can you help me maybe by guiding me in the right direction if possible. Thank you so much for everything that you do and all your postings it’s giving me a lot to think about especially knowing that I have some of the things that I have seen through here blogs to help others which you have helped me tremendously. My husband is the type that it if we don’t need it get rid of it and he doesn’t understand the value of the history and the meaning of things unfortunately. He’s not attached to anything of the past. If it was up to him, it would go to the dump immediately. And it’s created a lot of problems I know the value of having nothing accumulate in things by inheriting buying Thrifting garage, selling estate selling, etc. etc. and especially in my previous job which was in the nursing field working privately with the elderly I got to learn a lot about the history of things and the meaning and the value. Thank you Rachel be safe, and I appreciate all you do.
Rachel
Sunday 24th of September 2023
I'd begin by posting larger items on Facebook Market Place. You may also check into a consignment shop that would allow you to set your prices. If you have a lot of items, you may consider renting a space in a vintage shop or consignment shop until your item sell. This last option allows you to price your items as you desire. I hope this helps.
Ivory
Monday 24th of May 2021
I love how you placed each of your fines in your home. You gave me ideas for placing my own fines and family heirlooms. I have to get moving. Thanks for sharing
[email protected]
Tuesday 25th of May 2021
Ivory, Thank you for your encouragement. I appreciate your compliments.
Ana Ochoa
Saturday 24th of April 2021
Oh my! So many stunning collections!
[email protected]
Monday 26th of April 2021
Ana, I really appreciate this.
Shawna
Thursday 22nd of April 2021
You have such beautiful collections Rachel! This was such a fun post to read.
[email protected]
Monday 26th of April 2021
Shawna, I really appreciate your comments.