Charming and Clutter-Free Vintage Collections

Happy Monday, Friends! If you're like me and love collecting vintage finds, today I've got some easy tips for creating charming and clutter-free focal points whether you are styling a hutch or above-the-cabinet displays. 

How to style vintage collections

Pictured above: 1960s Glasbake mixing bowls, 1956  Pyrex Snowflake, 1950s Pyrex Yellow and Butterprint fridgies 


Display Complementary Colors Together

While my countertop displays primarily feature my vintage jadeite, unless you only collect one type of dish, it's unlikely that all the pieces in your collection will match. You'll notice that I've created different focal points above my cabinets in colors that complement each other. (The vintage sewing machine was a $1 yard sale score!) 

How to style vintage collections

Copy This Nesting Hack

If you merely stack your favorite collections, pretty designs may be lost because they are partially covered. To copy this nesting hack, invert smaller ordinary bowls inside larger bowls to create risers and maximize your displays. 

How to style vintage collections

Here's another example--an inverted bowl inside the jadeite allows full visibility of the retro red dots, while the milk glass cake stand adds height to both bowls. 

How to style vintage collections
1950s Fire King Atomic Dots and 1949-1959 Jadeite Swirl bowls


You can achieve a similar look with casserole and baking dishes with lids, by flipping any lids with knobs to the inside so that another dish can be stacked on top. Also, an inverted large baking dish will add desired height to show off favored pieces. Can you see mine barely peeking underneath the green design?

How to style vintage collections
1960s Fire King Wheat and Glasbake loaf pans


Group Like Types or Patterns for a Cohesive Appearance


Again, you'll notice my displays are not matchy-matchy, but by stacking like patterns and dish styles, you'll prevent the display from looking cluttered. 

How to style vintage collections
1970s Fire King Corn Flower casseroles, 1960s Federal Glass mug


How to style vintage collections

1960s Fire King Wheat casserole, 1945-1950s Vintage Pyrex Primary Colors Mixing Bowls, 1960s Fire King Primrose Cream & Sugar



My Thrift Store Addiction
How to style vintage collections

Don't forget to leave me a comment--I'd love to hear any tips you have styling your collections!

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  1. Love pyrex! My neighbor gave me some of the large blue bowls when she moved. Really enjoy having them.

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  2. So funny, Cecilia. I inherited the Pyrex nesting mixing bowls in bright primary colors from my maternal great grandmother. They are still in my cabinets of current mixing bowls. They are pretty worn out but I still use the large yellow one for cake baking at times. They were pretty much indestructible. Love how you have them on display!

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  3. Loved seeing your displays and learning the names of several more patterns! When I had my kitchen redone, I had a soffit built caz I knew that over the cupboard space would be a dust collector for me; I have a collection of blue and white plates hanging on it; used to have a flat/shallow basket collection. BUT I do miss that additional storage space!

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  4. I loved seeing your pretty collections Cecilia and how you displayed them. What clever ideas for displaying them! That is a great hack and I had never thought of stacking things with risers inside them to see the designs better...that's a great idea. Makes me wish I had space above my cabinets so I could display some collections! I'll use the riser hack someplace else though! I have that Fire-King Primrose pattern in a loaf pan and I remember my Grandma having the aqua rooster bowls ect....thanks for sharing your collections!

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  5. You have such a lovely collection. I remember those corn flower dishes. With moving around the world, many of those unfortunately no longer with me, although I would love to get hold of some again.
    Visited you via The Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop
    If not already part of SSPS, this is a personal invite to hop over and come and share your posts with us at Senior Salon Pit Stop, every Monday to Saturday.
    See my entries: 9+10 and then navigate to the bottom of my page for the Senior Salon Pit Stop linkup, we hope to virtually meet you there.

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  6. $1 sewing machine??? WOW! Love it! I would not have thought to place bowls inside and turn upside down. Now I need to give this a try somewhere around here. I need all of the storage I can get when it comes to our cozy cottage. Thank you for sharing Cecilia!

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