8 Thrifted Tissue Holder Ideas For Elegant Storage

Tissue boxes might be an essential accessory in most households — especially with the cold season quickly approaching — but the cardboard containers they come in often look out of place sitting on your nightstand or the carefully curated coffee table in your living room. Even if you opt for the ones with the patterned packaging, chances are they'll still clash with your décor or look cheap. For this reason, many people turn to decorative tissue box holders. But even those can be hard to match to your personal style and your home's aesthetic. Luckily, there's another solution. If you're tired of seeing uninspiring tissue boxes scattered throughout your house, a trip to your local secondhand store might be just what you need. With a little imagination, you might just find one-of-a-kind pieces that can double as elegant tissue holders — a simple yet creative way to upgrade your style on a budget.

The trick to making this tissue holder upgrade work is finding a vessel with a narrow opening and a wider base. This shape allows you to pull one tissue out at a time while the rest stay neatly in place — just like a regular tissue dispenser. Once you've found the right container, remove the tissues from their original box and fold the pile in half so they fit inside, with the arched side facing up. Gently pull the first one out, and voilà — you've got yourself a stylish, thrifted version of a standard tissue box. Below, we've rounded up some household items that would work perfectly for this, including teapots, vases, and lampshades.

There are plenty of ways to repurpose a vintage teapot, like upcycling it into a vase, but how about using one as a tissue holder? Perfect for those who love the cottagecore aesthetic, this DIY adds whimsical charm to your space. For a smaller vessel like a teapot, take only half the stack of tissues from the original box. Instead of folding the stack in half, bring one side toward the center, then fold the other side over it, like folding a letter into thirds — this will create a rolled bundle that will fit neatly into the teapot's base.

An ethereal ironstone jar is a great way to bring a little vintage charm into your space, so why not turn it into a tissue holder? For this one, simply fold the stack of tissues from the original box in half and place it inside, with the same side facing up, and gently pull out your first sheet. Although authentic ironstone pieces can be tricky to identify in a thrift shop due to reproductions, one clue is the weight. True ironstone pieces were designed to be extra durable, and therefore feel noticeably heavier than china or porcelain. 

Originally used in the Victorian era to hold short-stemmed flowers — mostly roses, as the name suggests — glass rose bowls are extremely collectable today thanks to their elegant vintage beauty. And while many people search for them in thrift stores to display decorative floral arrangements, their rounded, fishbowl-like silhouette also makes them a clever candidate for a fancy tissue holder. To place the tissues inside, follow the same method as you would for the ironstone jar explained above.

Ceramic vases can be used in so many stylish ways around the home. Perfect for displaying fall flowers or even turned into vintage light features, they can also double duty as chic tissue holders with plenty of texture and character. And the best part? Thrift stores are usually full of ceramic pieces in a variety of colors and glazes, so you're almost guaranteed to find one that will complement your home décor. 

If you're not sure what to do with that gorgeous glass lampshade you thrifted years ago, turning it into a tissue holder is a seriously creative way to put it to good use. It's also one of the easiest household items to repurpose in this way, since its open bottom lets you simply place it directly on top of your stack of tissues. Pull the first tissue out of the top opening, and you're good to go. 

Initially created to store and transport ginger and other spices in ancient China, vintage ginger jars have since become a popular décor piece for people around the world. Known for their stunning blue and white porcelain designs, these beautiful vessels also makes timeless and elegant tissue holders. If you're hoping to thrift an original, however, just be sure you know how to tell if your ginger jar is valuable (and if it's truly authentic).

There never seems to be a shortage of mason jars at local thrift shops, and chances are you even have some lying around your home. Originally designed for preserving food, these versatile jars have taken on so many fun uses over the years — including doubling as tissue holders that bring a rustic charm to a kitchen or bathroom. For a 32-ounce jar, remove about 1/3 of the tissues from the box, fold them in half, and place them inside with the folded edge pointing upward. For added flair, customize it with paint, ribbon, or twine.

We already know that wicker baskets are a stylish option for chic toilet paper storage in your bathroom, but a small one would make a great substitute for a tissue holder, too. Perhaps not as practical due to wide opening of the basket, it's a cute choice nonetheless. For this holder, instead of folding the tissues in half or rolling them, you'll want to simply remove the stack from the original box and lay them flat in the basket. Gently pull out the first sheet and the rest should follow one by one, just like a regular dispenser.