thrifted goodies – using vintage brown transfer ware for Fall decor

Hello friends!  Welcome to the next installment of thrifted goodies! If you enjoy thrift shopping and love the thrill of the hunt, then, this post is for you.  Vintage brown transferware is beautiful to use anytime of year, but it’s especially perfect for Fall decor. I have found several fun pieces while thrift shopping, and today I am sharing how I put them together for a fall decor styling.

The Thrifted Goodies series consists of monthly posts where Rachel from the Antiqued Journey and I share thrift store goodness. Topics might include particular finds, tips, techniques, stylings and general advice about thrift shopping in general.

Rachel always finds amaZing thrifted pieces, and you don’t want to miss her latest post. If you don’t know Rachel yet, make sure to hop over, introduce yourself and check out her Thrifted Goodies – Volume 15 Fall edition post.

*Affiliate links included for your convenience.

what is transferware?

Transferware pottery is created by transferring an image to a copper plate, which is transferred to a specially sized paper, which is finally transferred to the pottery body. Transfer ware is primarily on earthenware, but it is also found on ironstone, porcelain and bone china. I previously shared my green transfer ware collection here {thrifted green transferware goodies}.

Green is my favorite color so I absolutely love my green transferware collection. BUT brown transfer ware is SO perfect for fall decor though. Today I am sharing a fall decor styling in the kitchen hutch where brown transferware is the star of the show.

My blogging friend Anna @ Sky Lark House shared a fabulous post full of information about collecting brown transferware if you’re interested in more details. Anna is a an antique dealer and she’s always a wealth of information on all things vintage. She’s one to follow if that’s your jam.

inspiration for the brown transferware Fall decor styling

I recently visited Placerville, CA on a girl’s weekend getaway, which I shared here {how to assemble a thoughtful & beautiful gift basket}. I had never been to Placerville and it did not disappoint. It’s a super quaint town in Northern California and the main street was full of fabulous boutiques. In an antique mall I discovered this pretty piece of brown transferware.

This is an ironstone toothbrush holder. Wow! Talk about exceptional. I wasn’t planning on buying anything, since I am trying to keep my collecting hoarding at a minimum. But this was such a unique piece at a reasonable price, I just went for it. It will not be housing my toothbrush in it, but it does make a fabulous little vase.

I am kicking myself that I did not take a picture of the card the dealer had displayed with the piece since it had detailed information on it. There are no markings on the bottom, which is unusual, but the detailing is amazing. Here is a very similar listing, which is almost double the price I paid. Also, notice the piece in the listing doesn’t have any markings either.

I also just finished reading Courtney’s French Country Cottage Christmas book and her collections of transferware are simply inspirational. The book is full of amazing photography and it makes me want to run out and buy a ton of transferware dish sets. Lol. And I don’t need any help in that department. I will review Courtney’s book soon since I have been remiss on my Book Review series. In the meantime, between Courtney’s beautiful transfer ware photography and this new found piece, it inspired me to dedicate a fall decor styling to my brown transferware.

details of the brown transferware Fall decor styling

I have a very hodge hodge collection of brown transferware since they are all random finds during thrift store excursions. They include varied pieces, including plates, bowls, pitchers, gravy boats, even S&P shakers and more. The browns on the transfer images are also varied from deeper browns to lighter hues, depicting flowers, pastoral scenes, paisley and more.

Maker’s

These are the assorted maker’s of the brown transfer ware pieces I have found thrifting. Transferware from England, which are the pieces I covet are harder to come by these days.

• AJ Wilkinson
• Clarice Cliff
• Franciscan
• J & G Meakin
• Johnson Bros.
• Mason’s
• Wedgwood & Co

I also included a couple of the Johnson Bros Barnyard Turkey plates since they coordinate beautifully with my thrifted collection of brown transfer ware pieces. I inherited this set of turkey plates from my parents and I love using these plates during this time of year. They have graced many Thanksgiving tablescapes around here.

I do have a couple of pieces that are newer pieces, and not necessarily vintage, mixed in. They are both made in China and it is obvious they are in a different category. This includes the sugar bowl on the 3rd shelf, which I also found thrifting. The bowl on one of the bottom shelves with the bird image was a Home Goods buy for a different project a few years ago.

That’s the beauty of a thrifted collection, where you can expand and add pieces to round out a display since they are all varied and mis-matched anyway.

Organic Accents

The brown transferware has a very rustic and earthy feel to itself, which pairs nicely with organic decor. I used a few different organic elements throughout the display.

• Fresh Florals
• Preserved Blooms
• Feathers
• Dried branches
• Baby boo pumpkins
• Pears

Other organic options which could be used include gourds, other fruits like apples, oranges, figs, etc., wheat, pine cones, acorns, walnuts and more.

Complimentary Decor

Brown transfer ware displays nicely with plain ironstone and most white dishware. There are many other decor accents which can be used depending on your style.

• Wooden pieces
• Mushroom Decor
• Vintage French crockery
• Horn piecees
• Jeweled pears
• Vintage books

These are all the accents I used, but you could also include brown and amber glassware, vintage linens, rattan pumpkins, and more.

brown transferware – a quintessential Fall decor accent

I hope you enjoyed my walk down thrifted brown transferware lane. I love all the fall feels the hutch styling has provided in the kitchen.

The pieces all have amazing detail, and I don’t even mind when some of them have chips or cracks. I believe it simply adds more character, showing the piece has been used and loved plenty.

I hope you enjoyed this bit of Fall decor inspiration. Don’t forget to visit Rachel at the Antiqued journey and see what thrifted goodness she has to share for Fall.

get the brown transferware look

“A room should feel collected, not decorated.”

Albert Hadley

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sharing @ between naps on the porch