If you know me at all you know that I love decorating my apartment cottage with vintage pieces. Sometimes for unique purposes. With just a few steps I am Using Unique Vintage Pieces for Home Decor.
This can be an enjoyable way to highlight thrifted finds or create a statement piece with a family heirloom.
Today’s post is hosted by Julie at Redhead Can Decorate and part of the Thrifty Style Team.
*This post was updated November 2025.
All the Summer decorating ideas from everyone on the Thrifty Style Team will be listed below.
Let me get started with Using Unique Vintage Pieces for Home Decor.
I found this vintage window frame on the side of the road. A man had a lot of vintage pieces for sale. But, this frame is what caught my eye.
My first thought was to hang it above my bed in the cottage condo. It was ideal a long with the mantel I found on Facebook Market Place.
I just loved this look and it remained like this until I moved a little over a year ago.
But when I moved into this (new to me) place, I knew I wanted to create something different.
I had a 1920s heater floor grate that I found at an antique store while attending a blog conference. As soon as I spotted it, I KNEW it needed to be mine.
I mean, look at those details! It is still whole, in tact with all of the markings in place.
So why not put the window frame and the floor grate together?
There is a narrow wall dividing the kitchen and the living room, which is just the right size to hang both the window frame and the floor grate vertically.
You can see all the chippy goodness (that gets me every time!) as well as the rusty hinges and hook.
Hanging the vintage floor grate inside the window makes an excellent “frame”, don’t you think? It lends to highlighting each piece without overpowering the other.
For some contrast and texture I hung my simple handmade wreath. I love the various colors, aged wood and craftsmanship from each piece.
This is a view from the Thrifted Mirror Gallery that I painted and shared last month with the Thrifty Style Team.
I love this view as I walk out into either the kitchen or the living room. It is an unexpected “piece of art”.
Using Unique Vintage Pieces for Home Decor is inexpensive and gets your creative juices flowing.
What’s in your home that you can use in an unusual way as home decor? I would love to hear all about it!
As promised, the Thrifty Style Team Summer decor ideas are below. Sit back and be inspired by some very talented women…
See you back here again-very soon!
Redhead Can Decorate – Million Dollar Fresh Peony Centerpiece for $35
The Painted Hinge – Easy Sunflower Centerpiece with Vintage Bottles
DIY Beautify – How to Make an Industrial Initial Sign
2 Bees In A Pod – Rope Wrapped Candle Holder
Postcards From The Ridge – Solar-Powered Sea Glass Mason Jar Lanterns
The Tattered Pew – World Market Potting Bench Makeover
Sweet Pea – DIY Patriotic Garland
What Meegan Makes – Using Unique Vintage Pieces for Home Decor
Salvaged Living – Watermelon Garland for Summer
More blog posts to browse through…
Organize and Display Vintage Silver Flatware in a Barnwood Box
Your vintage floor grate looks great surrounded by the vintage frame. I’ll take vintage decor any day over something new!
I love your unexpected piece of art! Using a floor grate is such a great idea and I love vintage windows too! So fun!
Hey Meegan! I love how you combined your vintage floor grate (what an awesome find!) with the vintage frame to fill the empty wall between your kitchen and living room. And your wreath is the perfect finishing touch!
Meegan,
These are such great finds! And the way you hung them on the wall together is perfect! Love the wooden floor grate with all of the lines.
Have a great day!
Meegan, that wood grate is so cool! I really like it paired with the old window! Great finds :)
Fun!!! I love this old wooden grate, Meegan!!! I once found an old metal floor grate and unfortunately I couldn’t see it hung on a wall (then…) and wish I had kept it. Mr. Ethereal and I were in our infancy decorating back then (bummer!) and pitched it. It was a cool piece! Enjoy yours and love how you’ve decorated around the house. The bookcase is very cool!!!
Hugs,
Barb :)
Meegan,I love frames and the things that you can do with them. I really like what you did with the heater grate. I would never have thought of that
It is so unique and so many ways to decorate it.
Love that Seaside sign! So cool! Great post I love using vintage and new together.
Wow, that 1920s heater floor grate is something special. I love the way you combined it with the window frame and turned them both into a statement piece in your home Meegan.
Meegan, I just cleaned out our floor grates last weekend for the first time and they are nothing like this!! I sure wish they made them like this still!! What a neat idea… your apartment looks beautiful!!!