Vintage Wall Art Inspiration

When you're looking for creative solutions for wall art, think outside the frame and use beautiful and unique secondhand treasures instead.

Andi Summers



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Vintage red arrow sign
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Vintage Signs

    Vintage signs, like this plywood sign from an old manufacturing company, add an interesting conversation starter to any room. The peeling paint and color palette, fire truck red and tan color combination, give this room a trendy vintage feel. Look for vintage signs from local companies.

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Use Family Photos

    Turn a blank stairway all into a display of treasured family photos. Print the pictures in sepia or black and white to give the photo an older feel. Use a variety of image sizes and display inside weathered or antiqued frames.

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Bird Watching

    Classic bird prints add flair to any room. Use pages from a vintage book for an authentic look. Choose images that have at least one common hue to create the perfect display. Mat illustrations backed with solid-color scrapbook paper in clip-edge frames.

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Architectural Appeal

    Repurpose old barn windows as wall art and hang them on the wall for a reflective and interesting piece. Peeling paint adds to the vintage feeling of the mirror that was rescued from a Dutch barn. A reproduction Louis Philippe chair is upholstered in old feed sacks to add to the rustic, vintage feeling of the room.

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Cross-stitched Wall Art

    Turn vintage cross-stitched samplers into a unique and homespun wall display. Place some on floating shelves and hang a few on the wall. Use similar frames for the samplers to create a unified display.

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Salvaged Shutters

    Add a sense of history to any space by using old building materials in new ways. Salvaged shutters are the perfect way to add interest and texture to a wall. Prop up large shutters behind a piece of furniture, or secure them to the walls.

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Vintage Labels

    The vibrant colors of vintage fruit and vegetable crate labels create make a bold statement when they are grouped together. Displayed amidst a sea of white accessories, atop white scalloped shelves, the graphic labels pop and create the perfect retro cottage display.

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Copper Cookware

    Create a simple wall display by grouping vintage copper pieces together. Mix the copper pieces with distressed off-white cabinets for vintage country charm.

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Vintage Kitchen Wall Art

    Create a beautiful kitchen wall art display with colors that pop. Old enamelware is elevated to artistic status when grouped together along a wall in a cottage kitchen.

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Add an Accent Color

    A large vintage sign is the perfect way to add personality with an accent color. This circular sign's bright red color stands out against the stark white kitchen. It the sign is bold enough to that it can hold its own in this open space. Smaller items, such as a small red tractor and cutting board, pick up the accent color.

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Simple Signs

    Vintage food signs add charm to a kitchen or dining room. Here, a distressed sign bedecks an open shelf. This simple display makes a big impact in an area where the walls and cabinets are otherwise bare.

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Beachy Antiques

    Protect your beach treasures in a shadow box to relive your vacation year-round. For the background, use a scrap of vintage wallpaper. Then adhere your sea fans, sea horses, and shells to the paper and assemble the box.

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Playful Vintage Pieces

    Rather than incorporating vintage clothing into your wardrobe, add it to your decor. This framed vintage swimming suit is just the thing to add a lighthearted touch to this red breadboard and white room.

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Create a Rotating Gallery

    Display vintage finds in a unique way by making a rotating gallery. By hanging vintage pictures, such as these antique dog pictures, along a folding screen, you can change the display without adding holes to the walls. A folding screen also is a smart way to divide a room or conceal storage.

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Shutterbug

    Cottage style and old shutters are naturals together. Try hanging shutters horizontally for displaying photographs, postcards, letters, and clippings. If years of paint and weathering prevent your louvers from closing tightly enough to hold the papers, use a small piece of double-stick tape to keep items in place.

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Show-Off Spice Racks

    Typically used to display collectibles, these shelves are now the collectibles themselves. Watch for small spice racks and shelves at resale shops and yard sales. Paint them in a variety of soft cottage colors and hang them on the wall.

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Framed Plates

    Ceiling medallions function as frames for these pretty still-life china plates. Easy to find in a variety of sizes, composite fixtures are designed to dress up the ceiling plates of chandeliers. Hunt for decorative china at flea markets or garage sales, attach the dishes to the centers of the medallions, and hang them on the wall. To ensure the dishes will stay put, use a strong adhesive, such as E6000, to create a good bond.

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Make A Vintage Gallery

    Add interest to any room with rustic or vintage artwork from a flea market or garage sale. Choosing a theme gives the display even more character and makes it easier to select pieces from a variety of choices.

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Letter Perfect

    Mismatched sign letters found at architectural salvage stores and flea markets make stunning displays when grouped together. Use the same letter in different sizes for added impact. For a no-nails-necessary project, simply lean the letters against the wall.

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Dinner Destination

    A vintage map makes the perfect conversation starter at mealtime. Mount it on the blank wall above a kitchen banquette for colorful wall art.

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Collection of Plates

    Mismatched plates are easy to find at flea markets and garage sales. Gather a collection of dishes in different sizes, themes, and colors, and group them on the wall for an interesting display.

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Flea Market-Chic Storage

    Narrow weathered planks act as display ledges and conserve space in a small living room. An arrangement of figurines, artwork, and found objects in a variety of shapes and sizes adds interest to the living room.

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Doorway to Style

    Turn an old door into a work of art by propping it against a wall. Paint it a fun color to add even more pizazz to your room décor.

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High Design

    An antique mantel adds secondhand style to the bedroom. Hung high above the bed, it draws the eyes upward, making the room appear taller. The top of the mantel also provides ample storage and display space for the room.

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Comments (27)
4709986361
CountrywomanNC wrote:

Can't view anything after the first slide for the past couple of days. Very frustrating because BHG's ideas are great.

4/21/2012 06:29:38 ?? Report Abuse
safetysyn wrote:

Can't see this one either?

4/19/2012 09:43:11 ?? Report Abuse
judyeware wrote:

Yesterday & today...problem with BHG.com. Please fix so I can get my daily "fix!"

4/19/2012 07:27:17 ?? Report Abuse
jennsjoy1 wrote:

Page won't load after numerous attempts.

4/18/2012 12:14:11 ?? Report Abuse
lognathlog wrote:

I like better homes and gardens,I am in India how to purchase magazine

2/1/2012 05:02:56 ?? Report Abuse
sibylleroessler wrote:

Love the vintage food crate labels!

10/22/2011 08:44:21 ?? Report Abuse
averett442378 wrote:

Still can't view anything past the first slide.......

10/11/2011 06:40:56 ?? Report Abuse
ladyvet1 wrote:

have been trying to get bird wall art copy as listed in diy mag fall 2011 ny help?

10/4/2011 12:09:06 ?? Report Abuse
piverhf34286 wrote:

Almost missed the framed chalkboard on 18. Great idea . I plan on doing it this weekend.

9/21/2011 07:27:50 ?? Report Abuse
dawnsherie wrote:

So surpised how much I love vintage. My style is very modern and stream line. Less is more BUT I love how these walls are decorated. Seeing I live in an apartment I cant paint the walls so I am stuck with white for now, decorating is trying BUT I have found some amazing cool ways to show off my style with this picture gallery!!

8/4/2011 09:32:17 ?? Report Abuse
jkstuber wrote:

Please do not tear up beautiful old books for prints! Make copies instead.

7/31/2011 04:53:39 ?? Report Abuse
cmuhlenkamp1 wrote:

I got so excited seeing all these ideas! Keep up the wonderful thought-provoking slide shows. I love them - how in the world could they be boring?

7/23/2011 11:53:27 ?? Report Abuse
anonymous wrote:

How do you hang the plates?

7/21/2011 06:29:29 ?? Report Abuse
anonymous wrote:

This makes me miss Country Home Magazine - who did a lot of wonderful vintage decorating. Please bring it back!!!

7/20/2011 03:50:32 ?? Report Abuse
anonymous wrote:

Love these vintage ideas - have seen a vintage window used as a room divider in some room and thought it was really inspired. Also love the green kitchen with the red kitchen ware on the wall. it was in New Orleans I think - so fun. This was one of the better slide shows.

7/20/2011 03:49:03 ?? Report Abuse
eyeonheaven2 wrote:

I personally would NOT want those heavy objects on that mantle above my head while I sleep. The way the earth shakes nowadays, one of those things is liable to hurt someone... I also found the vintage sea collections to look very artificial on the wallpaper backgrounds. Wouldn't they look much more "beachy" on a sheet of 1/8" wood that has been painted and sanded to look sunworn?

3/23/2011 07:41:49 ?? Report Abuse
parts.lady wrote:

what looks better than how they have it here....put the L brackets on TOP of the board instead of UNDER...this way you can Hide the bracket and make it look sort of "suspended"

3/23/2011 10:23:54 ?? Report Abuse
michaelinag wrote:

I love your magazine! Keep up the good work!

1/27/2011 09:47:22 ?? Report Abuse
twoat5foottwo wrote:

I agree with alot of the former comments. I think there could be a more done to help out the average person looking at all of your ideas, such as more instructions on how to make these, maybe a couple of more pictures, and possibly alternative ideas. I love to see your ideas but can't do much with them!

1/27/2011 03:49:46 ?? Report Abuse
SnipSkipSing wrote:

I LOVE how the medalions frame the plate, drawing attention to it and making it stand out. My current plate dispay disappears into the wall.

9/25/2010 03:57:42 ?? Report Abuse
taylor_williams wrote:

I love those wall sconces...

9/9/2010 02:13:24 ?? Report Abuse
taxi_of_three wrote:

please post larger photos! you have all that wasted space on the screen and we need bigger pics to see more details!

8/11/2010 09:57:51 ?? Report Abuse
jbme54tn wrote:

how did you hold the plates on the wall, it looks like they are at different levels ( on top of each other

8/10/2010 04:01:54 ?? Report Abuse
candee73 wrote:

I am in total agreement with several comments you have received. What's up with that?

8/4/2010 10:39:22 ?? Report Abuse
babs.loyd wrote:

How about instructions for hanging a plate collection overlapping as in your illustration.

7/29/2010 09:13:31 ?? Report Abuse
mebiggs wrote:

These are all nice decorating tips......if you are a women. I'm a 54 years old man that lives alone. Got any masculine decorating tips for guys like me?

7/28/2010 02:28:14 ?? Report Abuse
hatcheecat323 wrote:

Love this!

6/8/2010 03:22:37 ?? Report Abuse
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