Treasured Antique Items That Are Dominating 2025 Thrifting Trends

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Do you consider yourself an expert who knows all the best tips for thrifting home decor? Or, perhaps, you've only recently discovered the magic of thrift store shopping. It goes well beyond simply bargain hunting. There's just something enticing about searching through old furniture and decor to find that little piece of the past that can add historical charm to your home. Just as modern design trends change over time, thrifting trends also shift. And, the vintage items that people are currently seeking for their homes are different from a few years ago.

We wanted to learn more about which items are stealing the show when it comes to thrifting in 2025. So, House Digest reached out exclusively to five experts to learn more. Each shared faves to keep an eye out for as well as how you can implement them into your home's decor. As Anton Liakhov, an interior expert and the founder of Roomtery, tells House Digest in an exclusive interview, "Each of these trends feels like a rebellion against the overly clean and curated. People are craving history. Not the polished kind — the kind that still has scratches and smudges. I say, let the flaws show. That's where the beauty lives."

You might already know that there are several ways to decorate with stools in your home. However, have you considered using thrifted antique stools instead of ones you simply pick up online or in-store? When speaking exclusively with House Digest, Laura Medicus, a Denver-based interior designer, and the owner of Laura Medicus Interiors, highlights some of the diverse ways that you could integrate them into your home's decor. She says, "I have clients buying them for plant stands, to use next to their tubs, to use as a small drink drop table or as a place to stack books." While you can use antique stools to decorate practically any room in the home, Medicus explains that one of her favorite rooms to style these furniture pieces in is the bathroom. "The patina is a beautiful contrast with tile and metal. They warm up a traditionally cold room," she shares.

The best use for the stools you find at a thrift store, yard sale, or estate sale will also depend on their size and shape. While a taller stool could double as a nightstand or small table next to a sofa or chair, a shorter one could be transformed into a unique footrest or even a pedestal to display decorative elements. Depending on the condition of the stool you find, you might decide to paint or refinish it, add some upholstery, or just seal the existing finish — using something like the Minwax Polycrylic Crystal Clear Top Coat — for a more rustic or weathered look.

Seymen Usta, an interior design specialist at Seus Lighting, shares that he's noticed a surge in the popularity of vintage brass wall sconces. These antiques have a warm brass finish and often feature an ornate design. This can make them a top choice if you're looking for something to not only add vintage charm to your home but to also make a statement. "These are pieces meant to stand the test of time, and they are flying off shelves, particularly from the steely grips of people who are all about Romantic Maximalism and Old World Revival looks," says Usta when speaking exclusively to House Digest.

Integrating brass sconces into your foyer, living room, or even kitchen can help you pull off a lighting trick that will immediately boost the ambiance in your home. Professional designers often recommend using layered lighting — a mix of overhead lights, task lighting, and decorative light sources (such as these sconces). Usta notes how this decorative aspect is one of the draws of these pieces. They add a rich history to modern rooms and have a variety of uses as he explains, "I already recommend using them as side elements on either side of a statement mirror or entryway console and flanked by LED candles in both a charming and practical application." You can also use vintage brass sconces to flank a living room sofa, as an alternative to bedside lamps, or to create a cozy reading nook. A battery-operated lightbulb, such as the Brightown Rechargeable Light Bulb, is a simple swap if you're worried about whether the old wiring is still safe.

The Victorian Era is known for its rich and lavish design style. You certainly wouldn't find anything resembling today's more modern and minimalist trends. According to Usta, there is one specific item that you should consider searching for when thrifting. He says, "Another item that's become unexpectedly hot again: the Victorian tufted parlor chair — the more ornately carved and upholstered in velvet, the better."

You'll find that the ornate style of the chair will make it a statement piece in any room that you add it to. Usta says, "These chairs are filling reading nooks and bedroom corners as a visual anchor that strikes a balance between comfort and classic design." You might find that the faded upholstery doesn't quite match your design vision for your living room, bedroom, or reading nook that you'll never want to leave. However, don't let this prevent you from snatching up this thrifting find. Usta offers the ideal solution. He says, "Reupholstering them in bright colors or patterned fabrics can make them relevant to today's eclectic-traditional look, while still preserving the piece's antique soul."

According to Usta, vintage alabaster lamps are also seeing a surge in popularity. If you're not familiar with alabaster, it is a white stone that has been used for centuries to produce brilliant works of art, elegant lamps, and much more. As Usta explains, "These sculptural light sources emit a soft, warm glow, in the spirit of contemporary pieces that emphasize gentle, layered lighting." Usta notes that such lamps could be a good fit for transitional and European farmhouse designs. When integrating them into your home's decor, he explains, "I suggest fitting them with dimmable bulbs to keep both expression and flexibility in use."

However, before you finalize your decision to purchase a Victorian alabaster lamp, there is one important thing to consider. Despite being a stone, alabaster is very soft. In fact, it is so soft that it only has a score of 1.5 to 2 out of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. This means that the lamps can scratch and break easily. If you have young children or rambunctious pets, you might want to carefully consider whether you have a safe location for the lamps before purchasing them.

Design trends change. So, some things that would've been previously passed over in a thrift store or antique market are popular finds today. According to Anton Liakhov, an interior expert and the founder of Roomtery, oil paintings with heavy and ornate gold frames are one of these items. During an exclusive interview with House Digest, he said, "These used to feel a little too 'grandma's hallway,' but now they're selling before they hit the thrift store shelves."

There are many different ways that you could work these elaborately-framed paintings into your home's decor. You might consider hanging them as a focal point in your entryway, centering them over a sofa or a headboard, or even styling them between two of those trending brass wall sconces. Liakhov offers an additional idea. He says, "I love styling them leaning on top of a console instead of hanging them. Stack some hardbound books and an old brass candlestick next to it, and suddenly it feels like a little scene from a 19th-century novel."

While these vintage-framed paintings could be incorporated into a variety of decor styles, Liakhov says, "I've seen these playing into the dark academia and romantic gothic trends — people want depth, shadow, and a story that doesn't shout." To achieve these vibes, thrifting your wall art instead of buying it from a store can certainly be the way to go. Just make sure to thoroughly inspect any potential buys for rips or damage to the frame.

Vintage home decor pieces are among the most valuable items to seek out at a thrift store. As you're shopping, Liakhov recommends keeping your eyes peeled for ironstone pitchers with crazing. The term crazing refers to the interconnected, lattice-like pattern of small cracks that cover old ceramics and dishware. Despite how it can look like the underlying pottery is broken, the cracks are actually just in the glaze covering the piece.

Liakhov says that these visible flaws give these pieces a European vintage feel. He explains, "I think people are craving patina that isn't performative." Liakhov recommends styling the pitchers with their cracks fully visible, instead of trying to cover them up or refinish them. There are many places in the home where such a pitcher could make a beautiful addition, including on a mantle or an entryway table. "I've been tucking them into bookshelves with old French paperbacks or placing them on bathroom counters with dried herbs. The look is lived-in and poetic, without trying too hard," says Liakhov.

If you're looking for some treasured finds to add vintage charm to your bedroom, you might want to be on the lookout for tortoiseshell vanity sets as you scour the shelves at thrift stores. According to Liakhov, these sets, featuring hand mirrors, brushes, and combs, are becoming increasingly popular. While they're often used by some professional photographs when styling shots, such as arranging them with vintage bottles of perfume, they can also be used to take your bedroom's decor up a notch.

Liakhov explains, "I love the drama of placing them on a marble tray, especially if your vanity leans traditional or vintage. Even better if there's a little fray in the ribbon or a scratch in the mirror. It tells a better story." Depending on the layout of your room, you could put them on a tray, such as the Santa Barbara Design Studio Marble Footed Tray, like Liakhov suggested, or even on a small nightstand or a thrifted stool.

Liakhov recounts his initial surprise when wooden pedestal fruit bowls with spindle bases started growing in popularity. "This one caught me off guard. They used to look like something you'd find at a 1980s estate sale and walk past." However, as Liakhov shares, "Now they're in kitchens everywhere — usually holding lemons or onions, styled for photos."

As with other thrift-store finds, there's no wrong design style to incorporate a certain item into. If you like something, get creative with how you work it into your aesthetic. However, according to Liakhov, "They feed into the new rustic or warm minimalism movement." He says that they can work well to give a modern kitchen a little character and counteract with all of the clean and straight lines that are popular in today's designs. "I like using them on open shelving with pottery in neutral tones," he says.

Stacy Verdick Case, the founder of Peony Lane Designs, a restorer, and a vintage store owner exclusively tells House Digest that there's one charming light fixture that's making a comeback. She explains, "For the last couple of years, fairy lamps, which were so common in the 80s that they were almost passé are now a sought-after item by a lot of thrifters" During the Victorian Era, fairy lamps, which are small-to-medium-sized glass jars, held candles. The softer glow of the candle through the glass meant that they were often used as a nightlight. Plus, since the candles were contained in the jars, they presented less of a fire hazard than tall taper candles that could easily get knocked over.  

One thing that makes these such an appealing find is their beauty. "They come in everything from clear glass to bold colors, and collectors are now trying to get the whole rainbow of colors," says Case. The options for styling your home with these are practically endless. Consider arranging a few on the mantle or placing them next to old books on a shelf. If you are selective about which colors you choose, they could even make vibrant holiday decorations like red and green for Christmas or gold, brown, and green for Thanksgiving. You could also remove the risk of a fire by opting for battery-operated candles, such as these Techlong Flameless Candles.

Stacy Verdick Case explains that you may be able to snag a special decoration from a few decades ago if you find one in a thrift store, an antique store, or a yard sale. She says, "Another item that has gained traction in the last year or so are swan vases from mid-century." These likely have a different shape than you might be picturing in your head. Despite their name, their openings were often too shallow to hold a tall bouquet of flowers. Instead, they will be best for a smaller arrangement, to hold smaller trinkets, or set out alone as a decoration in the home.

While Crown Lynn made swan vases popular in the 1960s, the first were designed in the late 1940s. However, they started to fall from popularity around the 1970s and were out of production by the early 1980s. Today, thrifters are once again captured by their beauty and unique style. Plus, as Case says, "They also come in a rainbow of colors and sizes and styles. They're so gorgeous to have covering a mantle."

As you're thinking about how to style an entryway, bedroom, living room, or dining room, there are lots of ways to make the space really stand out. One option that Camilla Lesser, the property development manager at Essential Living, recommends is an ornately framed mirror. "We've seen a noticeable uptick in demand for large, gilded mirrors — especially those with Rococo or Baroque-style frames," she shared when speaking exclusively with House Digest.

Lesser adds that many consumers with minimalist home designs are even opting for these more opulent and showy wall hangings. She explains that they can serve as an attractive focal point in an otherwise minimalist living space. "They bring a sense of opulence and character into pared-back spaces, which aligns with the growing appreciation for contrast and layering in modern design," she says.

Lesser shares another trend that may be of interest to those who have limited space but still want to add some antique charm to a living area or a bedroom. She explains, "Old steamer trunks and travel chests are gaining popularity again — not just as nostalgic décor but also as smart storage solutions."

There are many different ways you could work these beautiful pieces into your home's decor. In a bedroom, you might use it in the same way you would a cedar chest. Lesser notes that it can make a wonderful addition when placed at the foot of the bed. You might decide to use it to hold extra blankets, out-of-season clothing, or other bulkier items that are harder to store in the closet. Lesser also says that these pieces might be the optimal fit for a boho- or industrial-inspired living room, taking the place of a traditional coffee table. She says, "It's a clever way to bring both history and function into a room."