Last Updated on January 11, 2023 by lindseymahoney
Looking for a reason to decorate with vintage items in your home? Along with the thrill of the hunt, there are many benefits to purchasing gently used furniture and vintage decor items for your home.
As a lifelong DIY’er, I have always appreciated upcycling items and I am excited that more people are starting to catch on!
*To learn more about where you can find second-hand items, check out my list of items to absolutely buy at an estate sale!
7 Reasons to Decorate Your Home with Vintage Items
1 | It’s Good for the Planet
By turning someone else’s trash into your treasure, you will keep more items out of our landfills.
While some items can be harder to find than others, there are so many great gently used items for sale!
Once I became aware of this opportunity, I found more and more deals. Even items that are left on the curb for free started to pop out when driving around town.
I found this fantastic iron arbor on the side of the road that is perfect in my English garden.
2 | Better Quality Items at Lower Costs
You can often find vintage items for a fraction of the price if it was purchased brand new. It is very easy to find quality furniture for the same price (or less) as a mass-produced item built today.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not against items that are mass-produced or made out of particleboard – you can also find lots of these items at thrift stores for a fraction of the price!
But, there are furniture pieces that I want to withstand for many years and prefer that they be made of solid wood.
For example, when I renovated our dining room, I really wanted a credenza made of solid wood. I found lots of products that fit my needs at big box stores, but I was concerned that the material would not hold up after 10+ years.
I found a gently used, solid wood credenza for half the price of brand-new pieces made of particleboard. The original piece was not my style, so I painted it black and it looks brand new!
I am confident that this will last for years.
3 | Decorating with Vintage Creates Unique Style
I recently began attending estate sales and they are a treasure trove of unique vintage items for your home!
Unusual and unique items are great conversation starters with guests in your home. Original artwork is always something that catches my eye when I shop for vintage.
I recently updated our living room and filled it with vintage artwork.
As you begin collecting vintage items from various sales, your home becomes a style that is uniquely yours.
When I visit a home filled with vintage decor, I love that each item has a story that the homeowner can share.
I found this lamp and woman’s bust at an estate sale of a home owned by a Marie Antoinette historian. Looking at all of their treasures and visiting this sale with my friend was a memorable and fun experience.
4 | Buying Vintage Saves Money
Most gently used items will be sold for less than their original price (unless it is a valuable antique).
You can even find brand-new items at secondhand stores and a discounted price.
5 | Less Stress If Item Gets Damaged
This concept is great for clothing and home decor/furniture.
In my daughters bedroom, I painted a vintage wood dresser and reupholstered the seat of a bentwood chair found at an estate sale.
The lamp, picture frame, and book are also second-hand items that were very inexpensive.
For example, I have been wanting to try this color-blocking artwork trend but did not want to ruin a perfectly good piece of art. I found a print for $.50 at an estate sale and decided to try this DIY project.
For less than $1, I felt much more comfortable experimenting without the risk of ruining more expensive artwork. Buying second-hand or vintage furniture is a great way to reduce the stress of keeping it in perfect condition.
This is a great reason to buy second-hand children’s clothes! Buying gently used clothing can reduce the stress of kids getting messy and ruining new clothes.
Gently used kid’s clothing stores like Once Upon a Child have great selections of clothing in all sizes. You can also sell your children’s clothes at this store and MAKE money.
Local garage sales and friends with older kids are other places to acquire used clothing.
6 | Fun Activity for Friends & Family
Walking through thrift stores or attending estate sales is really fun! I love calling up a friend and planning a trip to a nearby antique shop or an upcoming estate sale.
It’s also a great way to tour some really cool homes.
Shopping with others may inspire you to try a DIY project, start a unique collection, or get a second opinion on a potential purchase.
7 | Nostalgia and Appreciation of History
It amazes me how many items can cause a wave of nostalgia for my own past.
Like finding glass jars with Looney Toons characters etched on them that my family used as cups growing up.
Whether it sparks memories from your own life or causes you to ask questions about the past, it is a fun activity that creates interesting conversations.
This baseball print hung in my husband’s childhood bedroom and now hangs on our little boy’s wall. This is a great example of decorating with vintage items that have meaning and a story behind it.
There are many benefits to decorating with vintage items in your home, but it does require more patience than easily shopping at big box stores.
The more practice you have, the easier it will become to find items that you need. Good luck!