Tips for Decorating with ~VINTAGE~ - Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market

Hi, Junk in the Trunkers! I’m Liz from The Blue Eyed Owl. The girls asked me to pop over and talk a little bit about incorporating vintage into your home decor. I thought I would take you on a little “insta-tour” of some of my favorite vintage items in my own home and give you a few tips along the way.

1. Mix vintage with new, thrifted, and handmade items.

You don’t need to have all vintage items to have a vintage look in your home. This little corner has a vintage chair & tray, handmade coasters, a planter from Ikea, a table from West Elm, and a thrifted Crate & Barrel wine glass…cute kid too!

2. Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose.

I love this old industrial file cabinet, but have no use for a file cabinet since it’s 2013 and everything is paperless. I discovered it is the perfect size to store vinyl albums and my turntable so it is now a record cart!

3. Plants & Light

This is just a general home decor tip but probably the most important. Add a little life with green things and shine some light on your pretty vintage treasures.

4. Use vintage items for storage.

Modern storage furniture is not the prettiest. Vintage furniture is much more fun and serves the same purpose. In this picture you can see all my favorite storage secrets. A vintage cart displays my quilts and blankets, my painted industrial cabinets store a bunch of my vintage collections, ugly dvds, holiday items and more, and the stacked vintage suitcases double as holiday decor storage and a side table.

5. Use new stuff with a vintage style.

Our orange sofa is from Thrive. They make new furniture with a mid-century modern feel. Vintage is almost always better, but if you can’t find exactly what you like, you can find it new in a vintage style. This sofa also has the added perks of free delivery and a warranty.

6. Break the rules.

This room has a mid-century sofa, French Provencial sofa, antiques, retro, and modern items. I’m breaking all the rules and I don’t care. Use what you love!

7. Use your collections.

If you’re like me, you have a lot of little collections. Don’t let them sit in a drawer, use them! I use these flower frogs everywhere to hold pencils, display art, cards, and vintage flashcards.

8. Make it cozy.

I was afraid of vintage pillows and blankets for awhile but if you clean them properly they aren’t scary. They add the perfect cozy touch so that you can live in your home and still have style.

9. Use your favorite colors.

You can find vintage items in every color of the rainbow. This little vignette is my color inspiration for my home. Aqua, orange, yellows, pinks are my favorites. You can easily do darker colors, even black and white and still incorporate vintage into your home.