Posts on theantiquedjourney.com may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. You can read the full privacy policy and disclosures here.

Unexpected Winter Decorating Hacks with Thrifted and Vintage Finds

By Rachel

published 01/30/2025

Share this post. Share the Journey!

Winter is all about creating cozy moments. There’s no better way than through these unexpected winter decorating hacks with thrifted and vintage finds!

Winter is a time for cozy blankets, warm fires, and serene decor adorning our homes. But, what if you’re tired of the same old store-bought items and want to give your space a unique touch? Look no further than your local thrift store! Join me below for a winter thrift haul and unexpected winter decorating hacks with thrifted and vintage finds. You can totally decorate each space of your home, in a beautiful way, for less!

Thrifted Decor Gems: Breathtaking Winter Decor Ideas for Less

These often overlooked resources (thrift stores, vintage shops, etc…) are a treasure trove of affordable and one-of-a-kind items, perfect for sprucing up your home during the chilly winter months.

In this post, we’ll explore some surprising and clever winter decorating hacks using thrifted and vintage finds. These tips will not only amp up your home’s style, but also save you money and help the environment. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Table of Contents

Are you ready to discover the magic of winter decor on a budget? Let’s dive in!

Thrifted Goodies Volume 31: Pretty Winter Decorating Ideas Using Thrifted Items

Hello, guys!

Welcome, or welcome back, to the blog and to the next installment in the ‘Thrifted Goodies’ series! If you are new around here, welcome!

This is a monthly series where my friend MaryJo from the blog Master’pieces’ of my Life and I share thrift hauls, thrifting tips, and general thrift shopping advice.

MasterPieces of My Life

My partner in this series, MaryJo, is sharing a thrifty post all about how to stain thrifted glassware.

After you are done here, head over to her post and say hello! You may find just the thing you are looking for.

MasterPieces of My Life Social Channels:

Shop the Thrifty Winter Look!

How to Style Thrifted Decor?

It can sometimes be tricky to figure out how to best style thrifted decor.

You might wonder:

“How can I make it all look cohesive?”
“What other items can be paired with thrifted________ (fill in the blank)?”
“How to effectively style a vignette or display using both thrifted and modern items?”

Wanna know the truth?

There is not a right or wrong way to decorate with vintage or thrifted decor. Ever. You see, that’s the beauty about sourcing secondhand finds! However you think is the ‘correct’ way to style your home or looks pleasing to you is the answer.

When I decorate my home, here are some things that I do.

I place everything that I might use on my dining table and then just start pulling items one at a time.
Place things, move things around, place them again, move it around, etc…I’m constantly tweaking and playing around with my decor!
If I feel stuck or in a creative rut, I stop where I am and come back to it the next day with fresh eyes. It works every time!
I don’t follow a set of rules. I style my home with my heart. Whatever I feel looks pretty together is what I go by.

When it comes to thrifted winter decor especially, it’s important to remember that simple is better and less is more.

How to Find Good Thrift Finds?

I get asked often how I find such good stuff for cheap prices. And, truly, I don’t have a direct answer for that besides the fact that I thrift often!

I won’t get in to too much detail here but if you want to read a more in-depth post about this, you can check out my Top 10 Thrift Shopping Tips.

Here are some quick things to note about finding good stuff while thrifting:

Go often, at least once a week.
Have a set budget and an amount you are willing to spend each time you go.
Have a running list of items or things you are looking for.
Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the ‘new’ donated stock has been priced and put out on the shelves.

Favorite Thrifted Winter Decor Items to Look For

When I’m thrifting in the winter, there are a handful of decor items that I’m always on the look out for. These vintage pieces are timeless, enabling me to use them year after year!

ironstone
milk glass
vintage winter art
white linens such as eyelet table runners or lace hankies
green and white restaurant ware
olive green Hall pottery

Best Places to Find Budget Winter Decor

Truly, my favorite place to source secondhand decor is at thrift stores.

However, there are a few other places to check periodically, especially if you are looking for something specific.

Other places include:

vintage shops
FB Marketplace
Etsy
estate sales or garage sales

Unexpected Winter Decorating Hacks with Thrifted and Vintage Finds: A Thrift Haul + How to Use Them to Decorate for Winter

You guys! I’ve hit the jackpot at my local thrift store over the past few months!

In the haul that I’m sharing today, there is now one of my all-time top thrift finds. I’m so excited for you to see! Join me below for some recent thrift finds and how I’ve styled them in my home for winter.

Some of them will probably seem quite unexpected but that’s the fun of thrifting, right?? Let’s get into it!

1. Stack of Vintage Bowls

Over the past few months or so, I’ve stumbled across a crazy amount of vintage bowls! Some of them are ironstone while others are restaurant ware.

I can’t really remember how much each bowl below was priced at but I can guarantee I didn’t pay over $2.00 for any one bowl.

For the winter season, I stacked them all up on the middle shelf of my hutch. To add some winter flair, and a bit of texture against the all-white backdrop, I placed a handful of pinecones inside the top bowl.

For just a few dollars, this small vignette packs a big punch!

2. Brown Transferware Gravy Boat and Matching Bowl

OMG. You guys.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I happened upon this brown transferware gravy boat, just sitting on the shelf, like it was waiting for me!

I mean…okay. First of all, I RARELY find any color transferware at the thrift store…it’s becoming super hard to source around here and for a good price. So, when it’s spotted out in the wild, it’s like winning the lottery. Second, this beautiful thing is OLD and barely has any chips on it. And third, it was only .99 cents!! What?!?

As I stated above, my brown transferware is usually only used for fall decorating.

But, when it came time to switch from fall to Christmas decor in November, I felt like keeping out the brown transferware and incorporating it into my Christmas display. I know that’s going rogue and is something you don’t normally see but I truly LOVED it.

So, for winter, I decided to keep it going! The gravy boat is displayed in my hutch alongside some vintage art, milk glass, and green restaurant ware. There’s just something about the deep brown paired with green and white that’s super calming.

For a rustic, winter touch, I added a few snowy pinecones here and there.

AND THEN! I walked around to the next aisle and, to my eyes what should appear?! A matching bowl to the gravy boat! Wahoo!! Now, the bowl is in a bit rougher shape. It was clearly broken on one side and glued back together but do I care about that?? Heck no! I couldn’t leave it there.

Again, this bowl was priced at just $1.00 which just blows my mind. So, I literally found two pieces of gorgeous transferware for just $2.00!!

I like to show stamps or maker’s marks when I can. Both the bowl and gravy boat have the same marking, which makes me believe that they came from the same household because someone probably had a whole collection of it.

The mark is ‘Taylor Smith Taylor’, a well-known company out of West Virginia.

3. Winter Scene Plate

You may have seen this ‘Folkcraft’ plate as part of my hutch Christmas decor. I found it later in December for just a few dollars! It’s such a whimsical, winter scene with the red barn in the background and some kids pulling a sled.

When I first came upon the shelf, I noticed there were larger plates and a few bowls with a few different scenes. Initially, I was going to purchase all of it but then quickly realized that I wouldn’t have enough room for everything. I was like “Girl, just because there are things to buy doesn’t mean you need to buy all of it. Let some other people get in on the fun, too!” So, that’s what I did 🙂

I just chose to purchase one of the smaller plates that I knew would transition nicely to winter decor. I decided to place it in the background of my milk glass shelf in the living room. It all pairs so nicely together!

4. Watercolor Barn Painting

This next find isn’t necessarily winter. But, we’re all about unexpected winter decor today so just go with it!

As the story goes, hubby and I were out doing a few errands a few days after Christmas. We needed to go to an open bank and there just so happened to be a thrift store right down the street. Convenient, right??

I’ve been to this store one other time and found that the wares were priced at more vintage shop prices than thrift store prices. But, it’s always fun to look and you never know what will be there on any given day!

To my surprise, I spotted an amazing vintage barn watercolor painting hanging high up on the wall. I got super excited but that quickly faded when I saw the price said $20. I told the guy that was too high. He quickly said he would take $15. Done. Sold.

I’m head over heels with how pretty this painting is. I hung it over the towel rack in our bathroom and it makes me so happy whenever I look at it!

5. Brown Transferware Bell

Yes, more brown ironstone! Can you believe it?! Except this isn’t a thrift store find.

I had some Christmas money to spend and wanted to find a small little trinket that I could use to style into vignettes and displays around the house. My criteria is that it had to be something I hadn’t seen before, was under $25, and could be used in more than one way for different seasons.

So, I took to Etsy and started browsing. I knew I had the best chance of finding what I was looking for on that platform. After a few minutes of perusing, I found it.

Cue this vintage bell! Donned with a brown transferware pattern, it checked all the boxes. So, I happily made my purchase for $23 (including shipping).

For winter, I have it styled in my hutch alongside some restaurant ware, pinecones, and a few green bottle brush trees. I’m excited to use this cute bell for all kinds of decorating!

6. Vintage Barn Oil Painting

I’ve saved the best for last! Remember how, at the beginning of this post, I said that one of the finds in the haul today is my top thrift find to date??

Well, this is it.

A few weeks ago, after finishing a few errands, I decided to stop at the thrift. I was in a bit of a hurry to get home but just wanted to do a quick spin. And, I’ve found that these ‘just a quick spin’ thrift stops are the times when I score big.

That theory still proves correct because I found THE MOST AMAZING barn oil painting! Look how pretty!! I mean…I can’t even.

Now, it was marked at $10 which, for me, is a little high. But, I had to have it. So, I clutched it carefully in my arms as I made my way to the register.

At checkout, the guy goes ‘did you know you have your $10 reward to use?’ I was like “I do??!”, ya know…trying to keep it cool but, in my head, I was totally freaking out. You guys… I basically got this INCREDIBLE painting for free with my store points!! WAHOO!

I wanted to display this painting prominently in my house. To do so, I re-arranged some art on the picture rail in the living room. Though this painting isn’t specifically winter themed, the colors in it pair beautifully with my natural and rustic winter decor on the mantel.

Don’t feel you need to stick with winter specific art. If the colors in the art pair nicely with the decor you are using for the season, use it!

thrifted art styled for winter over a mantel

Thrifted Home Decor for Winter

With that, we’ve come to the end of this thrifty winter decorating post!

Using thrifted home decor any time of the year is truly so much fun. There’s nothing quite like finding a special piece of decor, for just a few dollars, and giving it new life.

When it comes to styling your home, give yourself permission to think outside the box. Try something new or use something you already have in a different way and see what happens. You have nothing to lose and there’s so much beauty in the unexpected!

Closing Tidbits on Unexpected Winter Decorating Hacks with Thrifted and Vintage Finds

Not only is thrifting for goods sustainable and healthy for the environment but it’s also a budget-friendly, frugal method for decorating your home.

For a total of around $30, I was able to source unique decor to create serene winter displays and vignettes for the winter season. I promise you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars every seasonal switch to outfit your home. That’s just silly.

Instead, opt for thrifted finds! These items are inexpensive, timeless, and can be used year after year. There’s nothing to lose and much to gain!

Be encouraged to thrift your way to a cozy winter home, finding simple joys along the way.

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!

PIN the image below to save it for later!