Creating a statement wall with vintage artwork is a brilliant way to infuse your home with character and style. These pieces bring a sense of history and personality, making any room feel more curated and unique to you. Whether you’ve just started collecting vintage or are looking to refresh your decor, this guide will provide you with inspiring statement wall ideas using vintage artwork and curiosities.
Have a few statement pieces of art to work around
When creating a vintage statement wall, it’s helpful to start with a few standout pieces. Whether it’s an oversized painting, a unique piece of vintage art, or a cherished family heirloom, use these items as the foundation for your design. Once your key items are in place, you can build around them with smaller pieces, creating a visually balanced display.
Incorporate Curiosities
We LOVE decorating our walls with more than just art. To truly personalise your vintage statement wall, add curiosities like antique mirrors, vintage tins, wall plates, quirky clocks, old fairground signs, or even sculptural objects. For example, we have a mid-century barometer in our kitchen and a giant cafe sign in our spare bedroom. Mixing textures will create a dynamic display.
If you aren't sure how to hang plates, I'd recommend these brilliant plate hangers.
Personalise the wall with found objects
One of the best parts of decorating with vintage is how personal it can be. Don’t be afraid to incorporate found objects that have sentimental value or speak to your interests and passions. For example, in our dining room we have a bunch of lavender hung on the wall we found the day we moved into our home. In our hallway is a gigantic USA flag we found in New York that always reminds me of our trip. These personal touches make a home uniquely yours.
Motif or not to motif?
The scallop shell is an important symbol to me - I even have it tattooed onto my arm. It was the shell we followed on the Camino de Santiago, a trip my husband and I did together when we first met. This symbol has followed me throughout my life and now it features on nearly every wall in our house. Some might think it looks a bit cliché, but we have tried to be subtle with it where we can.
Speak to your family
Don’t overlook the value of family heirlooms or sentimental pieces when decorating with vintage. We have some pieces we have inherited from family hung up on our walls that mean the world to us. My Dad's childhood cricket bat, sconces and cherubs cast and painted by my husband's father and mirrors inherited from my grandmas mean a lot to us. Your home should tell a story of who you are.
Print trays, print trays, print trays.
Print trays are a fun way to add dimension and interest to your wall. These vintage wooden trays, once used to store type for printing presses, are now a popular decor item. We LOVE a miniature, and print trays are the perfect way of keeping them organised and keeping your shelves free from too much clutter.
Highlight with Lighting
Proper lighting can completely transform a statement wall. Use picture lights or wall sconces to highlight key pieces of your vintage artwork, drawing attention to the finest details. You might also want to consider uplighting to cast a gentle glow on the collection.
The HoB way? Start with a few statement items, embrace your favourite motifs, and don't be afraid to mix textures and heirlooms to create a wall that's truly one-of-a-kind.
We'd love to hear your tips for statement walls in the comments below!