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Blue and White Vintage Decor for Summer- Part 2

By Rachel

published 06/20/2024

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Welcome back to my Summer home series…blue and white vintage decor for Summer- part 2!

Summer is here! If you’re looking to add a touch of vintage charm to your living space this season, while infusing a coastal cottage aesthetic, look no further than this classic and timeless color combination. Join me for blue and white vintage decor for Summer- part 2!

Vintage Decor Styled for Summer

Inspired by the crisp waters and clear skies of the Mediterranean, blue and white vintage decor is the perfect way to imbue a fresh and airy feel into any space.

Table of Contents

Last week, in part one of this series, I shared the mantel, credenza, bathroom, and dining area. Today, in part two of this Summer home series, you will find ideas for Summer shelf styling, seasonal kitchen decor, and how to decorate with thrifted artwork for Summer. I’ll show you how, in tangible ways, to easily mix thrifted and vintage finds into your home for the season.

Grab your favorite beverage, get cozy, and learn how to transform your space into a Summer oasis with blue and white vintage decor!

Summer Decorating with Vintage Transferware

A few months ago, as I was perusing my favorite antique mall, I spotted an old transferware pitcher in a booth that always amazes me. As soon as I picked it up, I had a creative vision of using this pitcher, along with the rest of my blue and white transferware collection, to decorate with for Summer!

After all, the dainty floral patterns on this old ironstone were the perfect match to incorporate the blue and white theme I had envisioned.

If you remember from last week’s post, easy and breezy is the overarching Summer vibe that I wanted to achieve for the season.

Transferware, by nature, isn’t fussy or complicated. It just is what it is yet gives off this charming, peaceful aesthetic, making it suitable for Summer decorating.

Another beautiful element that transferware exudes is a neutral and simple color scheme. This is helpful for mixing and matching ironstone with other types of vintage decor to create Summer vignettes.

For Summer, try pairing transferware with:

milk glass
vintage blue or green jars
faux flowers such as daises, cosmos, or ranunculus
vintage linens
faux greenery

Shop Vintage Transferware

Blue and White Vintage Decor for Summer- Part 2

Okay. Now that I’ve set the stage for you in regards to the theme for the rest of the house, let me show you how I’ve styled some of my favorite pieces of found vintage items for the Summer season!

Thrifty Shelf Decor for Summer

My affection for vintage milk glass runs deep. It was my very first collection years ago and I love it just as much today as I did then.

I’ve said it many times before but milk glass is one of those decor pieces that can be used all year round. Due to its white coloring, you can minimally tweak milk glass to fit the seasons by simply adding seasonal decor to it.

And, that’s just what I did on this shelf for Summer!

When styling a shelf, especially one that’s on a wall, it’s important to anchor each end. This helps to visually balance the shelf out.

So, to complement both the transferware and milk glass, I placed this large green glass jug on the left side. I found this at the thrift store recently for only $4.00! The green glass almost has a blue hue to it, making it feel cohesive with the mantel and other blue jug on the credenza.

For some movement and texture, I set a stem of trailing greenery inside it.

As we move down the shelf, you can see the blue and white theme really take hold in this space.

I wanted to keep this shelf feeling light, airy, and uncluttered. To achieve that, I paired some of my favorite hobnail milk glass pieces with vintage blue ball jars and transferware pitchers.

The similar color tones between the decor elements play off of each other in the most charming way!

When styling a shelf for Summer, it’s helpful to remember a few key design elements.

Vary the heights of the decor pieces you are using.
Use complementing colors to keep the space feeling cohesive.
Provide layers of decor in the back, middle, and front of the shelf.
For color and texture, use a few stems of greenery or faux flowers that complement the decor. Don’t overpower the shelf with foliage…simply arrange them as an accent.
To anchor the base of the shelf, lay down a linen or table runner. This also helps to provide softness to the display.

As we move to the right side of the shelf, you can see just how simple I really kept this space.

I could have filled all of the jars and pitchers with stems or things but, to me, that would have felt overwhelming and like too much stuff.

It’s completely okay, and I think important, to have space within the decor elements, allowing each piece to breathe and speak for itself.

As the end of the shelf nears, the yellow color pops come into play.

Using a vintage cigar box, which I found thrifting last year, it acts as a colorful base for a vintage, blue jar to sit on.

Lastly, to tie this shelf in with the mantel and credenza, I tied the same yellow gingham ribbon around the jar.

Summer Decor in the Kitchen for Blue and White Vintage Decor for Summer- Part 2

Guys…I truly used hardly any ‘Summer’ type decor in the kitchen.

I love it how it is so why change it, you know?! In keeping with the less is more mentality, I kept it easy.

But, to give my copper collection just a wee bit of Summer, I simply placed a few yellow billy ball stems into a few vessels.

Basically, I placed two stems on the left side of the sink and one on the right side. That’s it!

The yellow helps tie the kitchen space in with the rest of the house without giving it a whole Summer overhaul.

Ideas for Styling Thrifted Artwork for Summer

The last decor element I wanted to share in this post is how to use secondhand artwork for Summer decorating. As you know, I love to collect vintage art, mainly from thrift stores where they can be found for dirt cheap.

There is a long picture rail on the living room wall that I style with vintage, seasonal art. For Summer, I displayed a few barn pictures from my collection alongside a few floral scenes.

The beauty about using a picture rail to style art is that none of the pieces have to match. At all. You can place anything on a picture rail…any type of art, decor, or what have you, and it all just goes!

On the wall opposite the picture rail sits my milk glass shelf. I hung a vintage needlework art picture underneath it to provide some contrast to this space.

And, if you notice, the art has ALL the colors in my theme present. The vibrant fruit and flowers are quintessentially Summer!

You might have seen this oil painting above the mantel last week.

This moody art piece was a thrift store score last season. In keeping with the theme, the white flowers with yellow centers help to balance out the bright red. Hint: There is a reason why I chose to use this art here, with the red, which you will see in the next Summer home series post!

Finally, this farm scene is an etching that my uncle gifted to me. As soon as he showed it to me, I knew it was going to be the most adorable piece of art to use for Summer. Do you see all of the patriotic colors?!

I have this one hanging in the hall bath. The countryside barn and coordinating house reminds me of our favorite spot out in the country here in Minnesota.

Everything about this art makes me happy. And, in my opinion, the purpose of art is to make the looker happy so this one is doing it’s job perfectly 🙂

Closing Tidbits on Blue and White Vintage Decor for Summer- Part 2

With that, this concludes my blue and white vintage decor for Summer- part 2! I truly hope, through these posts, that you are finding helpful and budget-friendly seasonal decorating tips for your own home.

I promise you don’t have to do a lot to create a welcoming and serene Summer home. Through the use of thrifted finds, combined with decor that you already have, there is the ability to style each space in a mindful way for mere dollars!

Be encouraged to see seasonal decorating in a new way, finding a sense of ease and slow living along the way.

Leave me a comment! Do you like blue and white decor for the season? I love hearing from you!

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If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more.

Here on the blog, you will find loads of inspiration for decorating with vintage and antique decor, simple DIY crafts and many thrifting adventures. If that interests you, I invite you to sign up for my e-mail. You will receive a free digital download as a thank you!

My New E-Book is Available!

My new book, ‘An Introduction to: Antique and Vintage Home Decor’, is a piece of work that has been two years in the making.

This 32 page, downloadable e-book is full of valuable information such as tips for sourcing, finding, and styling vintage decor. I touch on many different types of decor including milk glass, copper, and linens.

You can find it below!

‘An Introduction to: Antique and Vintage Home Decor’