Unique Ways to Give Your Home a Spring Spruce Up
From vintage glassware (hello, Happy Hour) to charming curios and antique architectural accents, these online shopping finds will add a touch of retro to your home décor. Photo: Slim Aarons/Getty Images
Facing a new wave of lockdowns, homebound Canadians diverted by internet trawling, online shopping and home decor projects can combine all three with Zoomer’s list of coveted collectables to spruce up your home.
Happy Hour
We’re all drinking more these days, so let’s start with the glassware. This Etsy link aggregates vintage wine glasses, champagne coupes, tumblers, decanters and more from global vendors. Some of it is eye-wateringly expensive but there are good, affordable scores here. Perfect when you need a special gift … or to just elevate your cocktail hour.
Teak Chic
This Toronto emporium stocked with a wide array of fine mid-century Scandinavian furnishings and decor accents, Vintage Boutique allows you to support local businesses, while choosing from an exceptional selection from unknown and known designers, Arne Vodder and Borge Mogensen to Hans Wegner and more.
The Kitchen Sink
If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, Pamono can help you with that. Cross-referenced by style, designer, and era, this online emporium runs the vintage gamut. Big ticket items like original Picasso lithographs, iconic furnishings by Marcel Breuer, and antique Louis Vuitton travel trunks to goodies under $200, like retro vanity sets and designer clocks.
Charming Curios
With its well-edited array of knickknacks, the online shop of Bird & Bee Vintage in Paris, Ont., is a trove of vintage typewriters, cameras, and rotary phones, old books, desktop accessories, and general bric-a-brac to add a retro touch to bookshelves and tabletops.
Poster Child
Delivered in a tube, framed, or linen-backed, The Vintage Poster stocks thousands of collectable international posters on every subject. Champagne, surfing, automobiles, art exhibits, concerts, fashion, travel, retro ads, political figures, and cool movies, literally everything under the sun.
China Girl
If you’re interested in serious collecting, Martha Stewart can give you a crash course on the most coveted classic china patterns. The Vintage section of Replacements in Greensboro, N.C., which also sells current china, is a great place to start.
Silver Surfer
Have a yen for antique silver? The vast online vintage shop, Ruby Lane, is a great place to search. Type “silver” into the search bar and you’ll find 32,000+ items to scroll through, thimbles and tea sets to flatware and candelabras.
Retro Signage
Neon gas station signs, diner signs, rustic and weathered, Montreal’s A Toute Vitesse (At Full Speed) offers Canada’s largest selection of vintage signs.
Reclaimed Wonderland
Toronto’s long-time go-to for salvaged items — doors and lighting fixtures, mantels, hardware, and more — The Door Store is the place to score those antique architectural accents that add character to your home.
Magic Carpet
A great rug makes a room and with a lovely selection and reasonable prices, the vintage array at Revival Rugs is a great place to search. They also stock new, rare, and one of a kind carpets from Morocco and Turkey that will appreciate in value.
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