Vintage

More is More: How to Display Your Most Treasured Collections
For those collecting maximalists among us—who can’t have just one globe, camera, or milk glass goblet, but seem to amass them by the dozen—here are some creative ways to organize and live with the things you love. All of these ideas keep your most cherished items in sight, incorporating them seamlessly into your decor. This is probably going to become your new favorite spot in your home.
Katie Holdefehr
Jun 27, 2016
Andrea’s Salvaged Home in Western Australia
Name: Andrea Crickmore Location: Byford, Western Australia Size: 200 square meters (2,153 square feet) Years lived in: 3 years; Owned I didn’t even have to get to the door of Andrea’s home to know that it was going to be something completely different from any other home I have photographed before.
Hayley Kessner
Mar 6, 2016
A Healthy Dose of Drama: Kitchens that Use Antique Furniture in Lieu of Wall-Hung Cabinets
Gisbert Pöppler via Dustjacket Attic Kitchen cabinets: they’re necessary, but let’s face it—they aren’t always the most interesting pieces of furniture. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case! Here are imaginative kitchens that make use of large, antique pieces of furniture in addition to regular kitchen cabinets. They’re drama-filled, glamorous, and practical. Read on to find out why you may want to give this trend a try.
Carolyn Purnell
Feb 29, 2016
Lauren’s Antique Urban Fantasy Mix
Name: Lauren Pirie Location: Bloorcourt — Toronto, Ontario Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented When I first entered Lauren’s apartment, I was immediately captivated by all of the art that covers the wall of the long corridor; Lauren’s work is truly enigmatic and delicate. The corridor then led me to the kitchen/living room/studio space.
Marie-Lyne Quirion
Feb 25, 2016
Natalie & Nate’s Rustic St. Louis Collaboration
Name: Natalie Slyman and Nate Bethel Location: St. Louis, Missouri Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Natalie and Nate are one of those couples whose styles go together so effortlessly. They met while working at the same resale shop, and they’ve been together over six years.
Kristan Lieb
Feb 5, 2016
Bec & Kit’s Musical and Creative Retro-Style Home in Australia
Name: Bec Smith and Kit Warhurst, their 3 1/2-year-old Alfie, and Peggy the cat Location: Preston — Melbourne, Australia Size: 122 square meters (1,313 square feet) Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Bec and Kit moved slightly north of Melbourne five years ago after many years of renting in the inner-city. Their new location has afforded them a great family home filled with the treasures they’ve collected over their years together.
Natalie Jeffcott
Dec 14, 2015
Joanna & Kevin’s Constantly Changing, Yesteryear-Inspired Apartment
Name: Joanna and Kevin Miller Location: Toronto, Ontario Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; Rented Joanna and Kevin met through their passion for swing dancing. Kevin is a musician (you will see his instruments displayed throughout the apartment) and Joanna is a designer and decorator. When she’s not dreaming up new ideas for her own space, Joanna works at Home Smith, a local interior design boutique in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighborhood.
Lauren Kolyn
Dec 10, 2015
A Colorful, Thrifty Toronto Home
Name: Catherine Cachia and Lionel McDonald, their daughter, Winnie, and Griffey the dog Location: East Danforth — Toronto, Ontario Size: Approximately 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Instagram and mid-century modern couches brought Catherine and I together. Last summer, she left a comment on one of my pictures saying we had the exact same couch. I thought that was a big coincidence for a considerably vintage piece of furniture. Was she also in Ontario?
Carmen Chavarri
Dec 6, 2015
Lauren & Breeze’s Best Friend Duplex
Name: Lauren & Breeze Location: The St. Roch Neighborhood — New Orleans, Louisiana It’s not very often that you hear about two friends buying a home together. In fact, most people would warn against the idea. But that’s exactly what my best friend, Breeze, and I did last May. We both were in love with the city of New Orleans. NOLA was pure magic for us. We had talked about buying a home, fixing it up and decorating it together. It was our dream.
Nora Taylor
Nov 13, 2015
Before & After: A Roadside Find Goes Mid Century
This is one of my favorite furniture flip stories. I found this chrome mid-century modern chair left for dead on the roadside. It was covered with rust, mildew and grime. For a long time, it sat in my garage and just lingered. It took me a long while for inspiration to strike. I live in the country, and happen to have kind of a thing for cowhide. I had wanted a sleek, modern looking cowhide and chrome chairs for years. You know those kind of chairs?
Nora Taylor
Nov 13, 2015
Living in the Past: Homes that Embrace Vintage with Open Arms
Dawn’s Fabulous 50s Suburban Home Most people interested in decor know the power of vintage items. They’ve studied the classics, or they’ve got a couple of storied items in their own homes. But there are some homes that don’t just dabble in vintage or mix it in: they embrace it in its entirety, throwing themselves full-on into previous eras. I already had this post planned before the recent hubbub surrounding this Vox article, in which Sarah A.
Carolyn Purnell
Sep 21, 2015
Danielle’s Modern Vintage Industrial Home
Name: Danielle Location: Hochelaga-Maisonneuve; Montreal, Canada Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned When I first entered Danielle’s condo, I immediately noticed the calm and peaceful ambiance. Maybe the cooled air inside had something to do with it, on a can’t stand the heat and humidity sort of day! But regardless of temperature, Danielle’s place is seriously awesome. Although the condo is a garden level unit, it remains lit all day by the large windows.
Marie-Lyne Quirion
Sep 21, 2015
A Dreamy, Rustic, Eclectic 1729 Yorkshire Farmhouse
Catherine & Michael Frawley
Aug 31, 2015
A Collector’s Hollywood Bachelor Pad
Name: Sweatson Klank Location: Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; Rented As soon as you walk into Sweatson’s home, the living area is spacious, inviting and warm. My first observation is that Sweatson is an artist who has a knack for collecting things.
Monica Wang
Jul 3, 2015
Savannah’s Eclectic Emotional Home
Name: Savannah Farris-Gilbert Location: Los Angeles, CA Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; rent Interior Designer Savannah Farris-Gilbert grew up in Los Angeles, raised by designers and artists. She believes there is an ease about growing up in LA and in the way in which people here interact with space. “Shoes were always kicked off my the door, there were always rugs underfoot, sun streaming through windows, the outside was very much a part of the indoors.
Bethany Nauert
May 5, 2015
Ashley & Emily’s First Chicago Apartment
Name: Ashley Gerou & Emily Drake Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented Cousins Ashley and Emily grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and attended college in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. After graduating from separate schools, they moved to Chicago. Now they rent a condo together in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The ladies’ personalities shine in their own rooms.
Mike Hetu
Apr 29, 2015
5 Things Not to Say (or Do) at the Flea Market
Flea markets are filled with curiosities, and I’m not just talking about the stuff for sale. Over the years I’ve witnessed a lot of strange behaviors as people navigate booths looking for bargains. There’s something about flea market culture (cash-based transactions? secondhand goods? informal setting?
Dabney Frake
Jul 14, 2014
Lindsay’s Lovely Southern Vintage Home
Name: Lindsay George Location: Nashville, Tennessee My home was built in 1910 in the Victorian style. It is in the 12South neighborhood of Nashville (aka, the best neighborhood in Nashville!). I have lived here for three years, and during this time I have worked to completely restore and rehab the house. It is approximately 2400 square feet. I renovated the bathrooms, kitchen, added an upstairs, and updated the porch and exterior.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 15, 2014
How to Lock Used Furniture (If the Keys Are Long Gone)
Have you ever come across a cool thrift store furniture find — perhaps a filing cabinet, desk or credenza — that had your style, but also had a lock with keys long since gone? Or have you lost your keys to a piece of furniture in your home? It’s not impossible to restore locking function to vintage and antique furniture finds; here are a few tips on where to start from a locksmith.
Adrienne Breaux
Feb 22, 2014
Mulu’s Creative + Vintage Collective Den
Name: MULU, with Doris Steere (Art Director + Designer)Location: Hollywood — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 3,000 square feetYears lived in: 3 months Mulu is a tech startup, founded by Amaryllis Fox, that powers on-page shopping for publishers like Hearst, Conde Nast, Huffington Post, and Martha Stewart. Mulu’s first year of business was spent in a shared community space, which confirmed their need for a larger office to call their own.
Bethany Nauert
Aug 6, 2013
Before & After: Revisited Old Tricycle
This is what Will had to say about the project: The personal drive to restore the tricycle stems from a general interest I have in refurbishing old, half rusted and seized treasures from the past. This is particularly true when it comes to bicycles (or here a tricycle). As it is, I’m looking at two half assembled bikes both wearing the Wilmas brand and almost ready for their maiden voyage.
Dabney Frake
May 6, 2013
Jennifer’s Touch of Hollywood Glamour
Name: Jennifer LaskeyLocation: Windsor Square / Hancock Park, Los Angeles, CASize: 1,000 square feetYears Lived In: 11 months Bette Davis, Marion Davies, Mae West, Ava Gardner, Douglas Fairbanks, Clara Bow, William Randolph Hearst…a who’s who of Hollywood royalty that once called the historic Los Altos apartments “home”. Now the tony address is home to events planner and vintage design specialist, Jennifer Laskey and her feline sidekick, Capone.
Gregory Han
Aug 15, 2012
Inside The Lovely Studio Of Adore Vintage
Name: Rodellee Bas- owner of Adore Vintage Location: Fashion District – Downtown Los Angeles, CASize: 300 square feetYears worked in: 2 months Rodellee moved into her downtown workspace just a couple months ago, as she’s expanded the audience of her online vintage shop. She needed to have an official space to get all her e-commerce shoots done, and a place to have shoppers actually come in to try things on.
Bethany Nauert
May 4, 2012
Before & After: From IKEA Basic to a Vintage-Look Card Catalog
Vintage card catalogs can be found for a pretty penny, but Kristen from The Painted Hive devised an amazing, inexpensive DIY using — you guessed it — an IKEA product.Kristine wanted an old card catalog, but didn’t want to fork over the large amount of cash that they often sell for. So she got creative, and used IKEA’s MOPPE mini chest of drawers (which replaced the ‘FIRA‘ and for some reason can only currently be found at the UK site).
Rachel Wray Thompson
May 4, 2012
Before & After: Leg-o-matic Chairs Rehab
Another great project from one of my favorite DIYers, her projects are always creative and impressively well-executed. She doesn’t disappoint with her latest project, refurbishing vintage Leg-o-matic chairs. Had you ever heard of these chairs before? I hadn’t but totally want some now! See her amazing results after the jump.The craftswoman is Janine from Salvage Love. She found these 1962 vintage Leg-o-matic chairs at a local thrift store and was smart enough to snap them up.
Michelle Chin
Mar 8, 2012
How To: Create A Reclaimed Wood Wall
I’d been scheming to create a reclaimed planked wall for several years, and finally got my chance when the talented couple behind Ashley & Robert’s Streamlined Bohemian asked me to help them design their new Georgetown chocolate shop.The goal for their shop, Fleurir Hand Grown Chocolates, was to create a vibe that was both clean and rustic.
Leah Moss
Feb 23, 2012
Scott’s Modern Heritage in Ottawa
Name: ScottLocation: Ottawa, CanadaSize: 1200 square feetYears lived in: 6 years; rented Scott is a lucky guy; the place he calls home is one of the most beautiful and iconic apartment buildings in Canada’s capital. Hovering on the edge of the downtown core, The Windsor Arms was built in the Art Nouveau style and features leaded stained-glass windows, Belgian tiles, wood-burning fireplaces and an enviable entrance hall.
Eleanor Büsing
Jan 12, 2012
Toby & Samy’s Mid-Century Makeover
Name: Toby Shawe and Samy Badawy Location: Roxborough – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 2300 square feet Years lived in: 18; Renovated 2008 – 2010 “Space becomes more an exciting entity that is allowed to exist purely for the pleasure of experiencing it.
Bethany Seawright
Dec 5, 2011
Kirstyn’s Peaceful Pacific Heights Hideaway
Name: KirstynLocation: Pacific Heights — San Francisco, CaliforniaSize: 700 square feetYears lived in: 2 — rented Kirstyn’s apartment is the quintessential San Francisco home, chock full of the impeccable architectural details we go crazy for. Each element, from the built-ins, to the molding, to the hardware, has been restored and finished with care.
Lindsay Tella
Nov 22, 2011
Gina’s Vintage Bohemian Home Atop the Shop
Name: Gina, Nathan and Taylor, Winston and Steven (the cats), Lucy (the dog)Location: Santa Barbara, CA Size: 1500 Square FeetYears lived in: 7 Months— Rent Gina Comin has created an eclectic and warm home that she shares with her boyfriend and son, which just happens to be located above her fun and eccentric vintage store Cominichi’s. With artwork, jewelry, antiques and furniture from around the world, her home is both inviting and the ultimate bohemian abode.
Bethany Nauert
May 25, 2011
Lorena & Ryan’s Retro Inspired Condo
Name: Ryan, Lorena and Rex (the puppy)Location: Costa Mesa, CaliforniaSize: 1,034 square feetYears lived in: 1— rent Lorena and Ryan O’Malley live in an awesome retro complex that is a spitting image of Palm Springs in the 1950’s. The courtyard is designed around a pool and just outside their doorway they’ve built a succulent garden. The decor is minimally Mid Century and accented with rich earth tones.
Bethany Nauert
Apr 18, 2011
Kristen and Mike’s Mid-Century Oasis
Who lives here: Kristen James and Mike Dunn and their dogs Gaudi and ConanLocation: Lakewood, CASize: 3 bedrooms 2 bathroom house (1,305 Square Feet)Years lived in: 6 years — own Kristen and Mike bought their home 6 years ago, with a keen sense of inspiration and design savvy that has flourished into fruition with their complete renovation and addition this past year.
Bethany Nauert
Jan 25, 2011
Kelly & Greg’s Chez Glamouramous
Name: Kelly & GregLocation: Brooklyn — New York, NYSize: 1,300 square feetYears lived in: 6 months — rented As a fashion blogger and photographer combo, Kelly and Greg have a special knack for revealing the glamourous in the unassuming. Behind the doors of their simple and sleek modern apartment lies a whimsical, elegant and diverse collection of finds that is telling of the couple’s adventures in taste-making. “You’re just in time!
Guerrin Gardner and Mat Sanders
Dec 6, 2010
Kassandra & Jon’s Vintage Live-Work Home
Name: Kassandra & Jon Sommerville along with Edgar (Boston Terrier), Jigsaw (Jack Russel) and Rico Suave (Papillon)Location: Concordia Neighborhood — Portland, OregonSize: 1250 square feetYears lived in: 2 — owned Jon and Kassandra have done an amazing job making their 1950s Portland home comfortable and efficient without giving up panache. They’ve converted one area of the house into a salon where Kassandra cuts hair and styles her clients to perfection.
Molly Anderson
Sep 28, 2010
Emily’s Light & Bright Shabby Chic
Name: Emily Location: Ukrainian Village, ChicagoSize: 1,000 sfYears lived in: Just over one year When I wrote the post about Emily’s welcoming guest room earlier this month, I knew I had to see the rest of her apartment. Luckily, Emily was willing to have us all over for a House Tour! And just as I expected, the rest of her home is decorated with her cute, light, bright, and mostly DIY shabby chic style.
Jason Loper
Jul 23, 2010