Get the best vintage finds and use them well!

I think vintage is one of those styles that is more easily said than done. It really takes an eye capable of imagining a certain item in your home to tell whether or not it's a good fit, and I'm sure one gets better with practice! I found these tips particularly clever.


Be selective. Collecting should be about quality, not quantity. Remember to keep your collection fluid, not set in concrete. If better examples are found, sell off the poorer ones.


Question yourself. Do you love it? Is it a good example of its type? How rare is this particular one? Is it by a notable maker/designer? Is it in good, original condition?



tips and images via Home Life


A vintage window makes a stylish substitute for a transom in the passageway between the entry hall and the living room. Old windows are easily found and can be used to add architecture where it might be missing, or even to serve as affordable art.

The homeowner's favorite find is this bedroom door, which they mounted on a track like a barn door. The decal touts Dr. Swett's Early American Root Beer.

When a beloved vintage sign fell off the homeowners' truck and shattered on the highway, they had a quick-witted cabinetmaker turn the fragments into a backsplash.



tips and images via BHG