How to style with vintage and antique finds

Hi everyone! We are enjoying some beautiful and wintry weather here in the NC mountains, so I’m soaking it all up because I truly love this time of year.

One of the things I love most is how much light we have in the house without leaves on the trees, and one of my favorite sunny spots is this inherited buffet.

 

People frequently ask me about styling with vintage and antique items, and also ask how I put vignettes together so I thought I would talk about that today and share some different vignettes on one of my favorite spots to decorate.

First, let me just say that I experiment a lot. I move things around and try outside the box kinds of things I think would not work together then keep trying until I get the look I want.

 

 

For winter, I really love the silver and wood combination so I started with a large silver tray my mother gave me for the center, then added a combination of silver plate and glass. I like to break up the silver with some glass or crystal because I feel like it lightens things up, and also keeps the look from being too traditional or serious.

 

 

On the sides, I kept a silver and crystal lamp that I rotate with a brass lamp usually during summer, and a wagon wheel hub filled with magnolia. One of my favorite things to do is bring the outside in, and the magnolia is perfect for winter because it’s green, but it doesn’t say “Christmas.” I have a vase inside the hub to hold water.

 

 

Above the buffet, I have a window from the old house that I backed with fabric. I use this window a lot and interchange it with a couple different pieces throughout the year as well. I can hang art on it, in this case a painting by a late relative, leave it bare or hang Christmas cards on a string like I did this past Christmas. It’s really versatile and can be really neutral as well. I also always use a floral table runner to bring color and pattern to this area. For me, this is the perfect winter look for this spot.

 

 

Here are some other ways I have styled this buffet using basically the same things and rotating the art and lamps.

The wagon wheel hub also works perfectly as a plant stand, so a unique piece like this can really add some whimsy, but is also functional.

 

 

 

In the summer, I usually always switch out to the brass lamp, also inherited, a painting by my late uncle, and in this case, pretty minimal accessories. At least for me!

 

 

Here, I have changed out the art to another old favorite that I rotate, brass candlesticks, brass tray, and the same crystal from earlier. I always add some sort of table runner to tie everything together.

 

 

Here is a look I created for fall that utilized some of the many books I have and a collection of depression glass my mother gave me. I foraged the bittersweet, grew the pumpkins/gourds and gathered the pine cones here. I also added some old photos propped up against the books for more interest.

 

 

Here is a simpler look with the same art, ivy, Native art I collect and a woven Native table runner. I should also mention, I have the antique book/printing press underneath because I really have nowhere else to put it, and it works fine there.

 

 

And finally, here is a Christmas look that could certainly be geared to any season with birthday cards, etc., hung with burlap twine on the old window.

 

 

These are just a few looks for the same spot using mostly the same items rotated in and out with a few seasonal accessories added.

I always have something green on the left, a lamp on the right and something collected on a tray or a grouping of related items in the middle.

I change out the runner for different looks, and rotate the art around as well.

All these looks are super easy, and I’m always trying something new using things I have here.

I really do think that’s the important part — trying something and trying again if you don’t like it. For me, there is a lot of joy in trying something new – especially using things I have, and that way I don’t get tired of the same things because moving them around gives me a fresh, new look.

 

Be sure to follow along on all my social for more☺️☺️

 

 

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