The Soft Side of Vintage: Decorating with Old Linens
I’m sitting in my living room looking at a piece of furniture I purchased this week. It’s a beautiful wooden hutch with brass hardware and brass windowpane dividers on the upper doors. It’s on the smaller side and fits nicely into the corner of my living room.
Did I need this piece of furniture? I did not.
But I wanted it for a very specific purpose, and when I found it at my favorite thrift store for $99, I couldn’t leave it behind. I brought it home and moved things around in my living room just to make sure I would have a full view of it while sitting on my sofa.
What am I going to use it for?
To display vintage quilts and throws, of course.
There’s just something about a vintage linen that makes a space feel warm and comfortable. Old linens are used so often in vintage and antique decorating, and I think there are plenty of reasons why.
Think about a beautiful old quilt.
When I look at a vintage or antique quilt, I think about the person who spent hours stitching it. I imagine someone painstakingly cutting all those little pieces of fabric and joining them together into a beautiful pattern, then adding the batting and backing that would make the finished quilt warm, soft and comforting for its lucky owner.
I don’t just see a blanket.
Of course, I see an amazing handcrafted piece, but I also see the love, time and patience that went into making it. I think about the warmth, comfort and peace it has probably brought to people over the years. I wonder how many beds it has covered, how many cold nights it has warmed and how many lives it may have touched.
And that feeling isn’t limited to quilts.
I get that same sense of nostalgia when I see beautiful, dainty old hankies, sweet handcrafted doilies, hand-embroidered table linens, cross-stitched pillowcases or an old apron with just a little wear and fading.
Maybe those connections to the past are part of the reason I love decorating my home with vintage linens.
My New-Old Hutch
I plan to stack several vintage quilts in the top of my new-old hutch so their colors and patterns show through those beautiful glass doors. Behind the bottom doors, I’ll display handmade throws and lap blankets, a basket of old hankies and a handmade pillow or two.
In the open section in the center, I plan to display a vintage sewing machine along with a basket of vintage fabric pieces and sewing tools. A beautiful basket and a few vintage crocks and bottles will finish off the top.
I can’t wait to get it completed.
I love all the elements that will be part of this little corner of my living room, but the linens will definitely be the stars of the show.
I couldn’t resist putting together a little visual of what I have in mind. Here’s my vision for how this new-old hutch might look when I’m finished.
Ways to Decorate with Vintage Linens
One of the things I love about old linens is that you don't have to use them only for their original purpose. A quilt doesn't have to stay on a bed, and a doily certainly doesn't have to sit perfectly centered beneath a lamp.
Vintage linens can soften hard surfaces, add color and pattern, and make a room feel layered, collected and lived in.
Here are a few ways to use them:
1. Drape a quilt over a chair or sofa. Don't worry about folding it perfectly. Let it fall naturally over the back or arm so you can actually see the beautiful pattern.
2. Stack quilts where you can see them. A glass-front cabinet, hutch, open shelf or basket turns a collection of old quilts into part of the room.
3. Use doilies beneath your favorite vintage pieces. Place one under a crock, lamp, stack of books or collection to add a soft layer between harder objects.
4. Let a beautiful linen spill over an edge. A table runner, crocheted piece or embroidered tablecloth doesn't always have to lie flat. Let part of it drape over the edge of a table, dresser, basket—or even a crock.
5. Use vintage aprons as kitchen décor. Hang one from a hook, drape one across the counter as part of a vignette or display a favorite one where its embroidery and details can be enjoyed.
6. Bring out the old pillowcases and handmade pillows. Embroidered, crocheted and cross-stitched pieces add something to a chair or bed that a brand-new pillow simply can't duplicate.
7. Display small linens in baskets and bowls. Old hankies, napkins and fabric scraps are beautiful gathered together, especially when some of their colors and patterns peek out.
8. Mix linens with harder vintage pieces. Pair soft fabric with wood, iron, brass, stoneware or old books. That contrast is part of what makes a vignette interesting.
9. Use imperfect pieces. A little fading, a worn edge or a tiny repair doesn't necessarily ruin an old linen. Sometimes those imperfections are exactly what make it feel special.
10. Simply display the ones you love. Not everything needs a practical purpose. If an old quilt, apron, hankie or piece of embroidery makes you smile, that's reason enough to find a place for it.
Look for the Soft Spots
Take a few minutes and look around your own home.
Where are the softer elements?
Are there spaces filled with wood, metal, pottery or other hard surfaces that could use a little softness? Could a beautiful old linen add some warmth, texture or color?
Searching for vintage linens is one of my favorite kinds of joy-finding adventures.
And the one linen I really struggle to leave behind?
A creamy-colored, round, beautifully detailed handmade doily.
I rarely leave one behind. They adorn many of my vignettes and more than a few shelves and tables throughout my home. For me, they’re a classic must-have.
What’s the one sweet vintage linen you just can’t leave behind?
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