Decorating with Heirlooms – Paint is your Friend

Nothing can change the look of an item like paint. It’s an inexpensive way to update, change, or just be creative with your heirloom decor.

Painted chairs turned bench by Kindallscreations.

Before and After table by It’s Overflowing.

Turquoise bedside table by Inspirationforhome.com.

Maybe the lamps are not totally vintage – but you can use this technique on anything! From iVillage.com

Turquoise night stand by Creativediyersclub.com.

Vintage desk painted red from Cobistyle.com.

Painted dresser or buffet from Delighting In Today.

The following three photos are from the Decorologist.com. She uses mismatched chairs that have been painted the same color.

Decorating with Heirlooms – Paint is your Friend

Nothing can change the look of an item like paint. It’s an inexpensive way to update, change, or just be creative with your heirloom decor.

Painted chairs turned bench by Kindallscreations.

Before and After table by It’s Overflowing.

Turquoise bedside table by Inspirationforhome.com.

Maybe the lamps are not totally vintage – but you can use this technique on anything! From iVillage.com

Turquoise night stand by Creativediyersclub.com.

Vintage desk painted red from Cobistyle.com.

Painted dresser or buffet from Delighting In Today.

The following three photos are from the Decorologist.com. She uses mismatched chairs that have been painted the same color.

Decorating with Heirlooms – Displaying Collections

Displaying CollectionsI love how Inspiration For Home Blog didn’t just hang one art piece, but grouped many together and even overlapped them.

I love the collection of old frames from Vintage Revivals Blog.

This is a cute way to display grandma’s buttons from Write. Click. Scrapbook.

The following three photos come from Bountifulheirlooms.blogspot. Cute ways to display heirloom quilts.


Poppytalk has several creative ways to display vintage cameras.

I love this collection of old potholders from Inspirationforhome.blogspot.

Display collections of china in a display shelf. I love that these are all cup and saucers. Photo from Mamanova.

Display favorite fabrics, stitchery, towels, in different sizes of embroidery hoops. Idea from The Purl Bee

Decorating with Heirlooms – Displaying Collections

Displaying CollectionsI love how Inspiration For Home Blog didn’t just hang one art piece, but grouped many together and even overlapped them.

I love the collection of old frames from Vintage Revivals Blog.

This is a cute way to display grandma’s buttons from Write. Click. Scrapbook.

The following three photos come from Bountifulheirlooms.blogspot. Cute ways to display heirloom quilts.


Poppytalk has several creative ways to display vintage cameras.

I love this collection of old potholders from Inspirationforhome.blogspot.

Display collections of china in a display shelf. I love that these are all cup and saucers. Photo from Mamanova.

Display favorite fabrics, stitchery, towels, in different sizes of embroidery hoops. Idea from The Purl Bee

Decorating With Heirlooms – in My House

My House
An old window on the front porch holds seasonal decor.

Stacks of old books can be used to lift items or in this case a small lamp.

Old trunks can act as tables, coffee tables, or other furniture and they are useful storage. I have quilts stored in these old army trunks.

This is silver tablewear from my great grandparents. We don’t use it, but displayed this way, I can see it everyday and reflect. I saw this idea on Write, Click, Scrapbook.

Quilts can be functional or decorative. I have my grandmother’s crazy quilt hanging in the entryway. I love looking at it everyday. It is my favorite heirloom and so it gets the most prominate location. I have hung it with curtain clips on a curtain rod. I switch directions every now and then so it doesn’t get pulled in one direction.

This red and white quilt is also my great-grandmother’s work. I love it hung over the banister. It helps block out all the upstairs mess!

This is a chair my great grandmother stitched. It still functions as a chair. I have made similar ones into pillows. The pillow sitting on top of the chair is a quilt piece from another of great-grandma’s quilts. If you end up with quilt fragments – they make darling pillows!

I love old frames – I could fill my house up with them! I found this one at a garage sale, but it could be an heirloom! I change what I put in it. This season it has Valentine’s Day garlands hanging in it.

I have a few empty old frames on the piano and some other old paintings in interesting frames leaning against the wall. Somehow I love the art pieces on the floor – like I have so much art I don’t know what to do with it all! (not really!)

This piece used to be an old radio/turntable. We gave it an overhaul and now it holds table linnens and acts as a buffet server. Click here to read about the transformation.

I can showcase some of my old china and crystal pieces in my hutch. They are decorative but they are the first to grab when I am having a dinner or a party.

This old radio sits in this odd-shaped space next to my stairs. I have no idea what I would otherwise place there. This just seems perfect. This belongs to my husband’s side of the family. It would be fun to paint it a funky color – but for now it is the origional wood color.

I turned this old window into a mirror with hooks for the entryway.

Gallery wall in the living room


Star Wars Gallery Wall in the hallway.

Decorating With Heirlooms – in My House

My House
An old window on the front porch holds seasonal decor.

Stacks of old books can be used to lift items or in this case a small lamp.

Old trunks can act as tables, coffee tables, or other furniture and they are useful storage. I have quilts stored in these old army trunks.

This is silver tablewear from my great grandparents. We don’t use it, but displayed this way, I can see it everyday and reflect. I saw this idea on Write, Click, Scrapbook.

Quilts can be functional or decorative. I have my grandmother’s crazy quilt hanging in the entryway. I love looking at it everyday. It is my favorite heirloom and so it gets the most prominate location. I have hung it with curtain clips on a curtain rod. I switch directions every now and then so it doesn’t get pulled in one direction.

This red and white quilt is also my great-grandmother’s work. I love it hung over the banister. It helps block out all the upstairs mess!

This is a chair my great grandmother stitched. It still functions as a chair. I have made similar ones into pillows. The pillow sitting on top of the chair is a quilt piece from another of great-grandma’s quilts. If you end up with quilt fragments – they make darling pillows!

I love old frames – I could fill my house up with them! I found this one at a garage sale, but it could be an heirloom! I change what I put in it. This season it has Valentine’s Day garlands hanging in it.

I have a few empty old frames on the piano and some other old paintings in interesting frames leaning against the wall. Somehow I love the art pieces on the floor – like I have so much art I don’t know what to do with it all! (not really!)

This piece used to be an old radio/turntable. We gave it an overhaul and now it holds table linnens and acts as a buffet server. Click here to read about the transformation.

I can showcase some of my old china and crystal pieces in my hutch. They are decorative but they are the first to grab when I am having a dinner or a party.

This old radio sits in this odd-shaped space next to my stairs. I have no idea what I would otherwise place there. This just seems perfect. This belongs to my husband’s side of the family. It would be fun to paint it a funky color – but for now it is the origional wood color.

I turned this old window into a mirror with hooks for the entryway.

Gallery wall in the living room


Star Wars Gallery Wall in the hallway.