Do you love vintage decor with classic and timeless appeal? There’s something cozy and comforting about vintage and antique interior design. Today I am sharing how to create a decor vignette in the foyer with brocante vibes, which is charming and welcoming with old world feels, using vintage finds.
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What is Brocante?
What is the meaning of brocante? “Brocante” is a French term roughly meaning flea market or secondhand market. Yes, I am here for it and I’m all about it. I decorate my home with brocante vibes all the time, and I hope to some day visit a real brocante in France. It’s a bucket list item for me. A brocante will typically consist of a mix of vintage, antique and second hand pieces, including furniture, artwork, clothing, household items, collectibles and so much more. Your typical flea market, but…,and it’s a big but, with French flair.
The idea of French Brocante is a romanticized notion of using vintage finds to decorate your home. Some may call it vintage vogue, shabby chic or repurposed posh in the USA. The granny chic decor trend is a big thing, which goes hand in hand with a synonym of brocante in French, “vide grenier”, meaning empty the attic. Decorating with secondhand vintage decor is totally my jam; please come in and let’s talk all about a decor vignette with all the brocante vibes.
How to Create a Decor Vignette with Brocante Vibes
To create a decor vignette with brocante vibes, simply layer vintage and antique pieces with a mix of rustic and natural textures. Old books, vintage linens, and perhaps a weathered mirror or antique frame to name a few are great pieces to incorporate. The layers of patina and time worn appeal create a sense of charm and effortless style.
Surface
Determine where you would like to create your decor vignette and start building layers from there. We have an old French bombe chest in the foyer, which is a secondhand piece. We won the chest at auction when we first starting decorating our home in California a gazillion years ago. If you’ve never been to an auction sale, I recommend doing it at least once for the interesting experience. The thrill of the hunt while junking and thrifting is one thing, but getting the winning bid at an auction for a coveted piece is another thrill altogether.
Background
Adding an antique or weathered mirror or artwork adds depth and gives character to the setting. This creates a backdrop for the vignette and starts the layering from the back to the front, which creates movement and interest. The large gilded mirror is decorated with vintage floral wall decor from a local flea market. To add warmth to all the cold surfaces, a simple boxwood wreath hangs on the floral decor.
Layer
Once the surface and background are set you can start layering from the back to the front and from the bottom to the top. For the decor vignette here a tray sits atop the chest to create the footprint for the smaller pieces. Although the wooden tray is new and not vintage, it creates order by giving all the items a place to rest and come together. The vintage pieces are mismatched layered on top of the tray, including books and plates and containers and whatever tickles your fancy.
Organics
Natural elements add life and freshness to interiors, including flowers, plants, branches and more. Here we have five natural elements. A live orchid sits inside a thrifted crystal vase, while a trailing plant sits inside a thrifted tole planter, and a preserved boxwood sphere is perched on an up-cycled thrifted urn plus a decorative moss artichoke orb sits inside a thrifted white milk glass vase, and last but not least a preserved boxwood wreath hangs on the backdrop mirror accent.
Textures
The organics add a ton of texture, but there are many inanimate objects which bring more texture to the party as well. Books, linens. wooden elements and rattan pieces also create layers of texture. Books here are used as a riser for the Santos bust in the back and as accents in the front. Besides texture, books add character, culture and history to decor.
Collectibles
Personal collections add uniqueness and interest to any home. Religious artifacts are tucked here and there throughout our home and the Santos bust is a favorite. Vintage plates are also a slight obsession and work themselves into decor all around the house. The set of skeleton keys picked up at an estate sale hung on the lantern landed there while I was working on a vignette in the foyer years ago and have stayed there permanently.
Containers and Vases
Unique container and vases add another layer of interest to the vignette. The most recent find is the tole planter which I shared in the latest thrift goodies installment last week. Toleware are decorative pieces which are painted on tinplate and I’m thinking I might dedicate a post specifically to tole design in the future. The vignette also contains a crystal vase, resin urn thrift up-cycle and a milk glass vase.
Many projects are scheduled using many of the objects pictured above. Thrifted or secondhand elements are economical and eco friendly resources for up-cycles, DIYs, crafts and the such. If you want to stay up to date with all the new projects around here feel free to sign up below. You will receive all new updates directly to your in-box for your convenience.
Tips & Tricks
A few tips to keep in mind whether it’s a brocante styling or a modern vignette or something in between is to keep it varied and interesting at different levels. Mixed and matched textures, styles and colors create a unique look with personalization.
Keeping items at different elevations whether back to front or side to side is critical for maximizing composition. Use risers to vary heights. I used a stack of vintage books here to raise the Santos bust in the back. I also hung items on the mirror to bring the eye up. Another composition consideration is the rule of odd numbers. There are five organic elements and one side has three vintage plates under the orchid plant (also working as risers) while three vintage books flank the tole planter on the other side.
Closing Thoughts
Are you a vintage loving soul like myself? If you are, I hope this resonated with you at some level. Using brocante vibes to decorate your home creates a classic, warm and unique ambience and aesthetic. By curating all the vintage pieces yourself, you stamp your home with your own personal style.
I’m so glad you stopped by today and spent some time with me. It means the world to me, and I hope to see you again soon. Au revoir.
Shopping the Brocante Vibes Decor Vignette Look
- Gold Baroque Mirror
- Gold Ornate Mirror
- Distressed Handled Urn
- Glass Vase
- Vintage Black Books
- Rose Melody Floral Decorative Wall Topper
- 8-inch Preserved Boxwood Sphere
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The thing about being vintage is that it never goes out of fashion.”
Anthony T. Hincks