Every year when fall rolls around, I use the season to reset the house a bit. I pull out our favorite blankets so they are close at hand. Maybe add a new throw pillow or two and a candle in one of my favorite seasonal scents. But one of my favorite ways to transition our home from summer to fall is restyling our built-ins. It’s also when some of my favorite vintage fall decor starts making its way back onto our shelves.
In July, I started a new monthly series called Worth the Hunt, where I share the vintage home decor, antiques, and thrifted finds that have had the biggest impact on our home. Some were investment purchases, while others cost less than dinner out, but every one of them has helped our home feel a little more collected.
Find the series here
Worth the Hunt | 5 Types of Vintage Artwork I Always Look For
Worth the Hunt | 5 Vintage Home Decor Finds I’d Buy Again
For me, vintage fall decor is less about seasonal pieces and more about color, warmth, and materials that naturally feel right this time of year.
While many of these pieces live on our shelves year round, I find myself reaching for them even more in the fall. Their warm colors, aged finishes, and natural materials add the kind of cozy, layered feeling I want our home to have this time of year.
Vintage Pottery for Fall Decor
I’ve really fallen for chocolate brown and caramel and ochre-colored pottery pieces in the last couple of years. I’ve scooped up small bowls, pitchers, and vases in various sizes.
Small ochre bowl
I picked up this little bowl at a local antique shop and have been smitten with it ever since. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted it for our back family room. The richness and warmth of the color is beautiful against the dark green walls. I currently have it styled simply on top of a stack of books. So easy, but it feels elevated in the space.
Bennington Potters Large Mixing Bowl
One of my finds at the May Springfield Extravaganza was this large black and cream spotted mixing bowl. I didn’t know anything about the piece and was mostly drawn to the colors, pattern, and shape.
When I got home, I looked up the maker’s mark and discovered it was made by Bennington Potters in Vermont. They have so many beautiful pieces on their website, but I haven’t been able to find this particular colorway. I’ve since added Bennington Potters to my thrift wish list and hope to find more when I’m out shopping. Right now, this one is living in our dining room atop a stack of books on the console.
Chocolate Brown Pottery Pieces
I love a beautiful chocolate brown anything. A cozy sweater, a great pair of pants, and of course, pottery pieces.
I recently picked up this chocolate brown pitcher at a local antique shop after thinking about it all summer. Its rich color adds the perfect amount of warmth to a vignette. While I haven’t found the perfect spot for it yet, I think it’s beautiful sitting on the mantle in our guest bedroom against the creamy white walls.
While shopping at a Goodwill in Texas with my sister-in-law, I spotted these small chocolate brown bowls. I carefully wrapped them and brought them home. They’re the perfect size to use as a catchall on a nightstand, bathroom counter, or console by the front door.
Glass Cloches
I don’t remember exactly where I found these three cloches, but I do remember how excited I was when I found them. And while they could live on our shelves year round, it’s fall (and Christmas) when they really shine.
When September rolls around, I bring them out to display dried flowers and other forest finds. Dried magnolia leaves, white and pinky-purple flowers, and small dried hydrangea blooms mix with feathers and chicken of the woods mushrooms. Everything feels a little more special under a cloche, and the displays add texture and interest to our shelves.
I also love the curiosity they bring. They draw people in to take a closer look and see what’s inside. Tucked on a shelf, they give off a sort of “a collected botanist lives here” vibe. And every year they turn out a bit different depending on what I have on hand or what I’ve picked up on walks.
Aged Brass Pieces
Aged brass pieces are another item that takes center stage in my home during the fall season. Older pieces with great patina from age and use add so much character. Character that isn’t easily replicated with newer pieces.
Brass is also really lovely for adding warmth to a vignette. That warm, aged gold feels especially at home mixed with the deeper colors and natural materials I gravitate toward in the fall. I have various brass candlesticks, some that match and most that don’t, and I love adding them to a shelf or layering them in with other pieces. It’s an easy way to get a collected look without everything having to be matchy-matchy.
Another brass piece I love to style this time of year is my cricket box. I found it at a local vintage boutique a few years ago. I didn’t know what it was at first until I picked it up to examine it a bit closer and saw the tag said “cricket box”.
It has small cutouts so the crickets could breathe and a beautiful embossed pattern around the sides. I love the shape too. It’s a bit of an oval shape and looks pretty atop a stack of books or sitting on a shelf on its own within a vignette.
Aged Books
Books are a year-round essential in our home, but I especially love them as we head into the cooler months. Stuffing bookcases until you don’t think you can squeeze another in.
While our shelves stay pretty full year round, in the fall I tend to tuck in a few more and filter out some of the lighter colors. I lean more into deeper navy blues, rich reds, and the muted tones of older books.
There’s something so homey and comforting about a shelf full of books. Whether they’re vintage with muted colors and barely legible titles, or newer favorites we keep close at hand, we love our books in this house. I can’t imagine a styled shelf or bookcase without them.
Why These Vintage Finds Are Worth the Hunt
I love that none of these pieces are necessarily “fall decor.” They’re things I’ve collected over time and can use throughout the year, but something about their colors, patina, and warmth feels especially right once fall rolls around.
These are the kinds of pieces that make the hunt worth it for me. Things I can use over and over again, styling them a little differently as the seasons change.
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