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Vintage Kitchen Decor Ideas

Are you the kind of person who’s heart beats just a little faster when you think about a kitchen with butcher block countertops? Do you love a touch of nostalgia in your decorating? Are you wondering how to make your kitchen look vintage? I wanted to share some vintage kitchen decor ideas I use to bring a touch of that vintage style into our space, and there are plenty of ways! Sometimes it’s just about styling and adding those sweet little touches.

Jennifer Rizzo's kitchen with white cabinets and butcher block countertops with a vintage chandlier and wood floors. A silver tray hangs over the oven.

Vintage Kitchen Design with Vintage Kitchen Decor Ideas

There are a lot of elements to vintage kitchen design that can elevate your space. Marble-look or Butcher block countertops, white or wood cabinets and subway tile are timeless looks in a vintage kitchen. Also, using pieces of furniture like sideboards, hutches and other things as kitchen pieces (like islands) can really bring personality into the interior design of your kitchen. Open shelving and and wallpaper are another way to really add a vintage “wow” factor.

Peach wallpaper in the kitchen

Hand-painted wallpaper in a kitchen above a doorway next to a stove

Lighting Fixtures

There are many things you can add to a space to create that vintage feel. One of them is lighting fixtures. Adding a rewired antique chandelier can give you not only a cottage feel, but look beautiful and add a gorgeous focal point. You can find gorgeous and ornate chandeliers at places like flea markets, antique shops and on FB Marketplace. I recommend having them checked by an electrician and rewired if needed as bad wiring is too much of a fire hazard to let go.  Pendant lights in over sink areas like globe pendant lights have a vintage feel and has a pretty glow when washing the dishes at night.

White kitchen with vintage chandelier but your black countertops with a white sink with a window over it there's also a floral tea, towel and a slab of marble on the kitchen island

Furniture or Other Items as a Kitchen Island

Be creative and use antique or reclaimed furniture pieces in the kitchen! We recently swapped out the converted bathroom cabinet island for a vintage workbench so we had more prep space. We love the wood tones from the vintage wood and it has a bit of vintage charm with the black wrought iron welded base. It even still has the hole where there was a large clamp.

Great patina of a work bench used for a kitchen island with a hole for a clamp in it

Add Kitchen Accessories for a Colorful Palette

When decorating with white kitchen cabinetry and  wood countertops, it makes everything the perfect backdrop to act as a canvas to add bold color or even pastel hues to brighten up the space! Adding small accents of color like blue mason jars of colorful flowers,  cups and bowls with fun patterns and  you can add either a sweet vintage look , a farmhouse kitchen feel or even a retro feel depending on the accessories.  Vases and lots of fun things can be found in thrift stores, antique malls and even garage or yard sales.

Blue canning jars with zinnias make a pretty counter display countertop on top of white cabinets with a wood, cutting board, coffee cup and red pot on the stove next to it

 

Vintage-Inspired Sink and Faucets

A white sink can give your space a more country/cottage and rustic vintage feel while a farmhouse sink with a big apron can actually make a space have a little more of a modern kitchen vintage feel. Even the faucet can make a sink feel more or less vintage. This faucet below definitely reads more “old” feeling.

kitchen sink view towel bar on the blank drawer is a great idea there is a window over the sink, and the faucet is silver on the windowsill. There are vintage creamers with miracles in them, and under the sink, a floral, tea towel.

While this faucet below gives it a more modern feel. A brass towel bar is added as a place to hang a towel to dry it out after drying the dishes.

Window over sink brass towel bar on white cabinets with wood countertops and a orange pattern towel hanging on the front.

Even a fin tea towel can add color or something like a sweet pig creamer filled with marigolds on the windowsill has some fun, eclectic and vintage vibes.

marigolds in a cow creamer on a windowsill

Vintage Appliances

While new appliances made to look old like a cast iron oven  or a Smeg fridge can really bring in a vintage vibe, it’s ok to have new ones too for a modern vintage look and stay in budget!

White kitchen with colorful accents with white cabinets in a butcher block countertop, a black and silver stove with a red pot on it a silver range, hood and tray over the stove with a bead board wallpaper backsplash

Vintage Inspiration

When it come to adding vintage inspiration, think about adding textures and items like wood, vintage silverware and storage containers that help bring in the vintage feel.

cutting boards as display with a glass jar with silver spoons, a small jam jar that holds sugar and a small sugar container that has a bird on top shaped like an orange next to the cutting boards is a glass container with wooden spoons

Use items like  a vintage glass milk container to hold spoons, or a retro -looking (clean) jam jar to hold sugar at the coffee station! These stacked cutting boards get regular use and hide an outlet.

cute jar for a sugar holder a glass jar with silver spoons against all go to cutting board and a small ceramic orange with a bird on top

Vintage bottle racks make it easy to store your favorite mugs and look great.

Bring in Vintage Flair with a Backsplash

To tile or not to tile? With a vintage style kitchen there is no correct answer! Backsplash tiles were typically subway tiles in old homes, but they can also be beadboard (and they make beadboard wallpaper now!) or even cute wallpaper in a more retro style kitchen.  It makes a backsplash affordable at any level!

Bottle rack for mugs on top of a wood kitchen island with a metal base behind it is a white kitchen cabinets with a butcher block, countertop, a floral dish, tile, wool and a jars full of zinnias next to a paper, towel holder, and a stove with a silver vent hood even to Chandler hangs in the kitchen for vintage kitchen decor ideas

Add open shelves as an accent wall

Open shelves unto themselves can not only serve a purpose of storage, but look pretty too. You can even style your shelves with items from the grocery store with cool cans. Shelving can range from pre-made selves to dimensional lumber.

Open shelfies over the green buffet styled with items from the grocery store with a lamp on a buffet and coffee bar

Whether your home is new or old, I hope these vintage kitchen decor ideas have inspired you to add some vintage flair to your own kitchen!

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28 Comments

  1. Jen- So happy to have found you through the tour! Your kitchen is beautiful…Love all of the organic, vintage elements…ahem that marble working slab on the island!! What a cozy, functional space! xo

  2. Hi Jen,
    Ohhhhhh how I always love seeing your beautiful kitchen. Just gorgeous and bright and cheerful. I love your cup holder with all the beautiful and colorful cups. That is really sweet.
    Kris

  3. I love it! I first found your blog several years ago right after you did the kitchen redo! I’ve always loved it 🙂 Thanks so much for joining in!

  4. I searched the internet and could not find a source for the Hoboco Soap Co. Did you make this or is it available to purchase?

    Thanks!

    Pam

    1. I actually find it at Homegoods from time to time and buy it out when they have it. I looked at the website on the bottle , it’s Homeandbodyco.com

  5. Love your kitchen! How did you paint your hinges the same color as your cabinets? I want to do that as well and am not sure which paint to use; the paint I used on the cabinets or spray paint (that I am not sure with match exactly). Thanks!!!

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