Are you the type of person whose heart beats faster when you think of a kitchen with butcher block countertops? Do you love a touch of nostalgia in your decor? Wondering how to make your kitchen look vintage? I wanted to share with you some of the vintage kitchen decor ideas I use to bring a touch of vintage style into our space, and there are so many ways! Sometimes it’s just a matter of design and adding those little sweet touches.
Vintage Kitchen Design with Vintage Kitchen Decor Ideas
There are many elements of vintage kitchen design that can elevate the beauty of your space. Marble or concrete-look countertops, white or wood cabinets, and subway tiles are all timeless looks in a vintage kitchen. Using furniture pieces such as sideboards, cabinets, and other kitchen items (such as islands) can add personality to your kitchen interior design. Open shelving and wallpaper are another way to add a truly vintage “wow” factor.
Lighting fixtures
There are many things you can add to any space to give it that vintage feel. One of those things is lighting fixtures. Adding a rewired antique chandelier not only gives it a cottage feel, but it looks beautiful and adds a great focal point. You can find great, ornate chandeliers at places like flea markets, antique stores, and on FB Market. I recommend having them checked by an electrician and rewired if necessary as bad wiring is a huge fire hazard and should not be left out. Hanging lights in areas above the sink such as globe pendant lights have a vintage feel and have a nice glow when you are washing dishes at night.
Furniture or other items such as a kitchen island
Get creative and use antique or recycled furniture in the kitchen! We recently replaced a converted bathroom cabinet island with a vintage workbench so we had more prep space. We love the wood tones of the antique wood and it has a bit of vintage charm with the black wrought iron welded base. It even has the hole where a large peg used to be.
Add kitchen accessories for a colorful palette.
When decorating a kitchen with white kitchen cabinets and wood countertops, everything becomes the perfect backdrop that acts as a canvas for adding a bold color or even pastel shades to brighten up the space! You can add small touches of color like blue mason jars filled with colorful flowers and cups and bowls with fun patterns, and you can add a sweet vintage look, a country kitchen feel, or even a retro feel depending on the accessories. Vases and many more fun items can be found at thrift stores, antique malls, and even garage or yard sales.
Vintage inspired sink and basin
A white sink can give your space a rustic/cottage feel, while a farmhouse sink with a large apron can make the space feel like a vintage modern kitchen. Even the faucet can make the sink look a little bit vintage. This faucet below definitely gives it an “old” feel.
While the faucet below gives it a more modern feel. A brass towel bar has been added as a place to hang a towel to dry after drying the dishes.
Even a tea towel with fins can add color or something like a sweet cream pudding filled with marigolds on a windowsill has some fun, eclectic, vintage vibes.
antique appliances
While new appliances designed to look antique like a cast iron oven or Smeg fridge can really bring out the vintage vibe, it’s a good idea to have new appliances too to get a modern vintage look and stay within budget!
antique inspiration
When it comes to adding vintage inspiration, consider adding materials and elements like wood, antique tableware, and storage containers that help bring in the vintage feel.
Use things like an antique glass milk jug to hold spoons, or a clean vintage jam jar to hold sugar at the coffee station! These stacked cutting boards are used regularly and hide an outlet.
Antique bottle racks allow you to easily store your favorite glasses and look great.
Add a vintage touch to your home with a backsplash.
To tile or not to tile? There is no right answer in the case of an old style kitchen! Backsplashes used to be subway tiles in old houses, but they can also be wood planks (and they even make wood plank wallpaper now!) or even a cute wallpaper in an old style kitchen. This makes backsplashes affordable for everyone!
Add open shelves as a feature wall.
Not only can open shelves serve a storage purpose on their own, they also look beautiful. You can even decorate your shelves with items from the grocery store with cute cans. Shelves can range from pre-made shelves to dimensional lumber.
Whether your home is new or old, I hope these vintage kitchen decor ideas have inspired you to add some vintage touches to your kitchen!
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Our wood look ceramic tiles are installed.
