turtleneck. similar jeans. boots.
One of my favorite interior design trends of the last few years has been vintage art. I love the depth and texture they can add to a space, and especially in an old house like ours, they just fit so well, but I really think they are such a great addition to any space. I’ve always been an old soul and lover of old things. Growing up, my dream was to live in Orchard House from Little Women, (which is pretty much where I ended up, in our old New England farmhouse, haha ;-), so this design trend is right up my alley. I love hunting down treasures for our home and finding great vintage art pieces and prints has become a bit of a passion project for me. Here are my favorite places to find/buy vintage art.
My favorite places to find/buy vintage art, or vintage art prints:
BFF Print shop. This gets the #1 spot because their collection of vintage art prints is probably the best I have ever seen, I love what they have curated and their prices for digital prints is really insanely reasonable. I’ve already added 2 of their pretty prints to my home (pictured here) and I plan to add several more, including this one, this one, and this one (once I finish our laundry room full makeover).
Juniper Print shop. I have been a big fan of Jenny Komenda for years (since little green notebook) and I love her print shop collection, especially the vintage art she’s curated. (It’s worth noting that she’s got some amazing original art as well, I have Powell, and this horse photo print as well, and this forest vintage print.)
Etsy. This is another great resource for finding original pieces and vintage prints. I like to search “vintage art print landscape” and typically find a lot of great options under those search terms. You can also search under the “vintage” section for original art pieces. Try to keep searches semi-specific but still fairly broad: vintage oil painting landscape, will get you lots of results, but if you add too many colors or specifics you might not find anything.
Antique shops. Searching antique shops for vintage art is one of my favorite ways to spend my time. If I have a spare afternoon, you can bet I’ll be popping into an antique shop and hunting around. Here are a few tips for finding great pieces in antique shops:
1. Check frequently. Antique shopping can be hit and miss, so don’t give up if you don’t find a treasure the first (or even the fifth) time you look. Enjoy the process, and when you do find that amazing thing you were looking for, it’s such a treat. 2. Make friends with the antique shop owner, or the stall owners. If you have something in mind, let them know and leave your name and number with a description of the kind of piece you are looking for, and what you are willing to pay for. Then if they come across something that fits the description, they’ll let you know and set it aside for you.
Thrift Stores. This is another great place to find one-of-a-kind original vintage are (and for a serious steal, no less). Often, people don’t even realize the treasure they are donating, so you can find amazing pieces and only pay a couple bucks for them. A few tips for searching for antique art at Thrift stores:
1. Just like antique shops you want to check back often, sometimes I don’t find anything when I go thrifting, and sometimes I find amazing gems.
2. Choose the thrift shop wisely. There are certain areas where you are more likely to find vintage treasure at a thrift shop (for example, in CT if I go to a thrift shop on the shoreline I constantly find amazing vintage pieces). Thrift shops near more affluent areas typically have better goods donated. When you find a good thrift shop, check it often.
3. Be choosey. Just because you find it for a deal, doesn’t mean it belongs in your house. Make sure you curate your thrifted pieces carefully, so you’re house stays cohesive and doesn’t feel like an antique shop. You want it to feel curated and collected, but still fresh and intentional.
How I print and frame my vintage art prints:
When you buy a digital art print, you are going to need to print it yourself, this is a little more work for you, but you can actually save a lot of money by DIY-in this. I like to get my art printed at Staples or Walgreens. It’s really easy and is usually done same day. Walgreen’s online system is a lot more user friendly than Staples and the prices are pretty much the same.
My favorite places to buy large frames for the oversized prints are Ikea and Michaels. Michaels has a ton of great oversized frame options up to 24″x36″. I also love snagging frames at Target, and Home Goods for the smaller prints. You can also look for great vintage frames at thrift stores and it really makes the digital prints look authentic.
I hope this gave you lots of great information for finding, printing and framing digital prints and that it’s inspired you to add a little of these great classic art pieces to your home!
