I’m going to share the secrets to styling your home with antique and vintage furniture to create a beautiful, cohesive look. If you’re into finding treasures and want to avoid the dreaded mishmash look, stick around!
We finally have a break in the weather, and it’s been so gorgeous outside that we’ve been playing hooky from our chores to enjoy the beautiful September days. But now, it’s time to pull the house back together, and this week we’re doing a whole house reset. I’m starting this reset with a new-to-me set of wooden lockers from our local church, which got me thinking about how I style antique and vintage furniture in my home.
Before we dive in, if you’re new here, I’m Kathleen. Eight years ago, my husband and I bought a fixer-upper farmhouse in rural Central Kentucky, and we’ve been bringing it back to life ever since. Along the way, I’ve learned a ton about curating my personal style and creating the look I want—usually with DIY projects and a lot of secondhand finds. Whether it’s home decor, vintage clothing, or timeless wardrobe pieces, I’m here to talk about all things secondhand and vintage.
Rescuing Forgotten Pieces
This whole house reset starts in my dining room, and this is where my newest find comes in: an old set of wooden lockers rescued from going straight into a dumpster. Our church was remodeling, and these lockers, probably from the 1960s, were being tossed out. My heart couldn’t take the thought of them being wasted, so my husband and I jumped in, swooped them up, and brought them home.
They’ve found a temporary home in our dining room, in a nook where there used to be a built-in cabinet. The lockers are smaller than the original built-in, and while they’re not a perfect match for my fine, carved mantel, they serve an important purpose: storage!
Eventually, I might move them somewhere else in the house, but for now, they’re helping me start to rethink how I blend different styles of secondhand furniture and create a unified look. It’s too easy for a home filled with secondhand things to start looking like, well, a yard sale, isn’t it? So, let’s talk about how to avoid that.
Defining Your Own Style
If you’re buying secondhand furniture, it’s essential to define your own style. Early on, my husband and I were just grabbing pieces we liked and filling up spaces with no real plan. The result? A mish-mash of styles that made our home feel, well, not cohesive. We learned the hard way that liking something doesn’t always mean it belongs in your space.
Whether I’m at a yard sale or on Facebook Marketplace, I’ve discovered it’s much easier to say no to pieces that don’t work when I have a plan.
Here are some quick tips:
- Know your color palette – What’s the overall vibe you’re going for? Neutral? Warm? Cool? Dark? Light?
- Pick patterns and prints you love – This might be the hardest because there are so many good patterns out there! But the goal is to know what works together.
- Plan your room’s layout – It doesn’t have to be complicated, but I swear by taking measurements of your rooms. That way, when you find something, you actually know if it’ll fit! I always keep some measurements handy when I’m out and about.
If you’re into planning layouts, I’ve got more tips in my Living Room Layout playlist, so check that out if you want to go deeper into room planning and furniture placement.
Layering Antique and Vintage Pieces Into Your Home
One of my favorite things about secondhand furniture is how much character and history these pieces bring into a home. My house is filled with items from family: everything from my grandmother’s chairs to a sideboard that’s also a reproduction of a neoclassical Gustavian style. At first, I had no idea what that meant—it’s something I learned as I researched and fell in love with these pieces.
And that’s the beauty of it. Once you have that jumping-off point—a piece or style that really speaks to you—it’s easier to design everything else around it. For me, that’s been leaning into a Swedish Country style for the dining room, which echoes French Country with its carved wood and straight lines but has a distinct, minimalist twist. And remember: you don’t need inherited pieces to get started with vintage or antique furniture. There are plenty of places to score amazing finds.
Where to Find Antique & Vintage Furniture
If you’re wondering where to start hunting for these pieces, I’ve got you covered. Here are a few of my go-tos for secondhand furniture:
- Antique Shops – These are where you’ll find genuine antiques, but they’re also usually the priciest option.
- Peddler’s Malls / Antique Malls – You’ll get lots of vendors selling vintage and semi-old stuff, and there are usually hidden gems here. Not everything’s an antique, but it’s a treasure hunt!
- Facebook Marketplace – This is probably my favorite way to shop right now. The algorithm will learn what you like the more you save, and eventually, it’ll start showing you exactly what you’re looking for. Plus, you’ll get great deals when you shop locally—no shipping costs!
- Auctions – These can be in-person or online. While auctions take time (and sometimes a bit of nerve if it’s your first rodeo), you can score big here.
Don’t underestimate the cost of getting things shipped from online auctions. In my experience, you can often get better deals at local in-person auctions because you’re cutting out that shipping step.
Start with a Vision & Make It Work
One of the easiest ways to make your antique and vintage pieces flow together is to start with one focal piece for your room—a rug, a piece of art, or, in my case, furniture passed down from family. Let that one item guide the rest of your choices.
For example, in my dining room, I’ve already planned to redo the ceiling and walls once I remove the ’90s wallpaper (it’s hideous!). I’ve got this vision of a Swedish-inspired stencil on the walls, something large-scale like what I saw in a Swedish palace photo. But yeah, I’ve got to get past the grunt work of wallpaper removal before I get to the fun stuff like stenciling!
The key here is to have a vision, even if you’re not ready to tackle the whole project yet. That vision will help you make smart, intentional choices, whether you’re out thrifting or browsing online.
Wrapping Up
If you’re diving into the world of antique and vintage furniture, the excitement comes from knowing you’re creating a home that uniquely reflects your style. It’s part historical, part treasure hunt, and all about making it your own. Sure, it can be tricky to avoid the mish-mash look, but by defining your style, making a plan, and hunting smartly, you’ll create a home that tells a story.
Want more? Check out my guides to French and Swedish furniture shapes, and hop over to my playlists on Swedish, English, and French Country styles for even more inspiration.
So, how are you styling your own antique or vintage pieces? What’s the treasure you’ve found that sparked your home transformation? I’d love to hear what you’re working on in the comments.
Happy styling, friends!