12 Home Decor Brands That Will Win You Over With Nostalgia

Nostalgia is timeless. No matter which period you choose to draw from, nostalgic spaces undeniably make us feel all fuzzy inside. There's a warmth and charm to vintage aesthetics that is familiar and comforting. Now, different styles influence and inspire everyone in distinct ways: it's a very personal experience. But we've rounded up some stylish brands, all of which have designs that draw heavily from the past. Whether it's cottage-inspired allure or futuristic mid-century designs, these brands bring vintage, retro, kitsch, and traditional home decor to the table.

Styling with nostalgia in mind is ideal for comfort decorating: a movement that prioritizes your personality over aesthetics. We've chosen brands that sell products with character: there's an inviting lack of beige color palettes, cookie-cutter designs, or low-quality mass-produced construction in their catalogs. If you're shopping for decor that speaks to you (and not the next big trend), consider browsing these brands.

Founded in 1889, Lenox has spent over a century building its reputation for high-quality and elegant dinnerware, with the brand's plates even appearing at the White House in decades past. Lenox makes home decor, kitchenware, ornaments, and other collectibles. Now, it's also well-known for endearing designs and charming figurines. Perfectly quaint and recently viral on social media, the Lenox Spice Village is one of the most coveted spice jar sets collectors are always searching for. Collectors might thrift for the original discontinued version, while others might keep tabs on when new ones are back in stock, but either way, it sums up the style of many recent products: quaint, charming, with lots of cozy nostalgia.

For example, the Vintage Jewel 3-Piece Place Setting, made of white bone china with an intricate scroll pattern, represents the traditional elegance of Lenox designs. The brand's products are full of detail, sometimes with kitschy touches. Its figurines are a great example of this and can feel like an antithesis to minimalist statues and decorations. An array of seasonal items adds even more to the nostalgia, as well as collaborations with famous characters. The Peanuts 6-Piece Birthday Party Figurine Set is irresistibly cute. Other ornaments include major figures from Disney, Dr. Seuss, and Star Wars. In addition, the backlit Mistletoe Park Lit Diner Figurine inspires a feeling of childlike wonder. Blown-glass ornaments like the Blown Glass Candy Ornaments have a truly vintage feel.

Rejuvenation started as an architectural salvage restoration shop, but now designs and manufactures all sorts of home products inspired by the past. True to its history, the company also continues to restore antique pieces. The brand's style is vintage-inspired, with designs influenced by the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. Rejuvenations aims to bring timeless character and old-school craftsmanship to the modern market. Its catalog includes furniture, lamps, light fixtures, soft furnishings, and decor pieces –– enough to furnish most of a house if you like the brand's style. Products are developed by designers in Portland, Oregon. Plentiful ornate details and a focus on quality materials makes the brand feel old-fashioned and nostalgic.

The Roll & Hill Lorna LED Pendant is an example of Rejuvenation's traditional and elegant designs. The brand's hardware is excellent for those looking for vintage-inspired pulls, knobs, rods, and hooks that are actually crafted from high-quality materials, instead of just being made to look old-fashioned. The Massey Cabinet Collection showcases this classic hardware styles. Rejuvenation makes furniture too; the Tarlow Leather Chair really shows off the company's traditional-leaning style.

Founded over a century ago, Stickley is famous for Arts and Crafts-style furniture that is solid, beautiful, and functional. The brand's approach is nostalgic of a pre-industrial era and also draws inspiration from traditional techniques. For the most part, Stickley sells handcrafted goods: 90% of the brand's products are made in the U.S. Items are designed with natural and high-quality materials like solid wood, leather, and natural fabrics. While the company is known for its furniture, it also sells decorative accents like rugs, lamps, mirrors, clocks, and other wooden accessories. Stickley is ideal for the shopper who wants true handcrafted, traditional quality.

The Fireside Bench is an excellent example of the style and quality you can expect from Stickley. Made of quartersawn white oak, with a triptych-style back and inlay design, it wouldn't look out of place in a museum for historical furniture. The Double Costumer –– a coat rack made of solid oak –– is another Stickley piece representative of the brand: handcrafted, practical items that double as decor. Lastly, the Garden Window Rug is a non-wood product that still captures the essence of the Arts and Crafts movement. It features a pattern inspired by the design on a vintage stained glass pane and is hand-knotted out of wool. With quality materials and handsome designs, Stickley is the brand to browse for a traditional Craftsman style.

Schoolhouse sells furniture, hardware, lighting, and decor: it's another brand with a big catalog of items you can use to decorate your house from top to bottom. A large part of the company's products are inspired by mid-century (particularly from the '50s and '60s) and industrial designs. It's a brand that's not afraid to add some color: many of its products feel full of character, boldness, and joy. They're heritage-inspired and utilitarian, but also bright and playful, encouraging a retro feeling of nostalgia.

Many Schoolhouse products are so aesthetically designed that they feel more like decor or art, all while remaining practical. A great example is the Pop Light II, which looks equal parts like a fun retro sculpture and a useful lamp. Inspired by the industrial look of a 1940s metal tanker desk, the Tanker Clock is another noteworthy Schoolhouse product that is true to the brand's style.

If you're looking for stylish ways to bring a little kitsch into your kitchen, consider browsing MacKenzie-Childs. The brand sells small furniture pieces, kitchenware, and decor. The designs are creative and whimsical, often loud. They're also full of vintage-inspired details. The brand's founders drew inspiration from the English countryside and American folk art, which lends to an air of nostalgia. It's the type of wistfulness that feels colorful and eccentric, like a kitschy grandmother's kitchen or a gaudy aunt's living room, but a bit modernized and always fun. In particular, MacKenzie-Childs is famous for theatrical checkered patterns, but the brand also creates pretty floral designs. Ornate and handcrafted attributes make the products feel luxurious, despite the slightly "out-there" aesthetic.

The black and white Courtly Check pattern is one of the brand's top designs. The Courtly Check Ceramic Three Tier Sweet Stand is a great example of the flashy and bold items that feature this style. It's a cakes and sweets stand, but it can easily double as decor. The over-the-top nature of MacKenzie-Childs' products almost makes them feel regal, like they're from some fictional fantasy palace. The Musette Bench is also representative of this aesthetic, combining royal velvet and ornate patterns with a bit of checkers and tassels for a bohemian feel.

The Canetti Design Group creates a range of small decor items, including picture frames, clocks, and vases. The brand has a distinctive look that is very postmodern. The products are minimalist, though not in the contemporary sense. The items feature plain and pared-down patterns, rather than the ornate detailings we often associate with traditional decor. However, they incorporate personality and bold colors, unlike the sleek silhouettes and neutrals often associated with minimalism today. The brand was founded by Nicolai Canetti in 1980, and it still carries a retro '80s feel. Leaning into the nostalgia of its look, Canetti has brought back a few award-winning styles from decades past in a fun Retro Collection.

Canetti boasts a strong brand identity, and most of its products are angular or geometric and incorporate bright colors. There's often a playful feeling to them because of these traits. The Peacock Desk Clock is a truly retro design from 1984. The company describes it as functional art, and that's a great description: yes, it is a working clock, but it doesn't look like one. Instead, it resembles a postmodern rendition of a peacock. It's funky and cool. Another revived retro offering is the PrismArt Object and Interactive Toy, which resembles a 2D Rubik's Cube. Even better, the blocks are rearrangeable, adding an element of play to this distinctive product.

If you're looking for decor that belongs in an old-fashioned English home, look no further than House of Hackney. The brand sells wallpapers, fabrics, paints, upholstered furniture, soft furnishings, and small home decor. Its style takes after luxury British interiors, and the rich aesthetic has a traditional, cozy English terrace or country home type of nostalgia. Many designs feature Victorian-inspired and other historical European elements. You'll also find Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Baroque-inspired details. Most products are sumptuous and elegant. Deep colors and lots of bold patterns abound.

The Trematonia Medium Jacquard Cushion is one fabulous example of House of Hackney's distinctive style. It's a medieval tapestry-inspired cushion with a mythical design –– certainly not the type of throw pillow you can find anywhere. The Hyacinth Nouvellus Hemp Cushion is just as beautiful, but with a more classic William Morris Art Nouveau-inspired offering. It would add to the wonderfully cozy decor in your cottagecore home. Meanwhile, the Anaconda Cut-Velvet Bottoman represents the brand's refined but contemporary take on furniture. From afar, it appears to be a very traditional piece, but up close, you'll notice the pattern boasts a snake pattern, giving it some edge. In short, shop this brand for decor that looks cozy and rich, with a bit of personality too.

Doing Goods sells lighting, hardware, tableware, and home decor. Many of its products feature vintage-inspired and ornate designs (particularly in the tableware, lighting, and brass hardware categories). The brand also has an element of kitsch, with bright and playful textiles, especially the whimsical animal rugs. Doing Goods' designs have lots of character, and all products are handmade in the brand's workshops. Far from being mass-produced, the products are old-fashioned, boasting craftsmanship and high-quality materials. Each item feels special when you notice its attention to detail, with options like 100% hand-tufted wool rugs, custom brass hardware, and block-printed textile patterns designed in-house.

The Scarlett Candle Holder is a wonderful example of this brand's style. The timeless brass piece is in the shape of a shell and features ornate detailing. It's handmade from recycled brass using traditional techniques. The Hailey Hibiscus Circus Box is another pretty pick, made from brass, resin, and shell with a slightly imperfect finish. The brand's rugs are some of its more distinctive products. One example is the Blooming Black Bear Rug, a tongue-in-cheek way to have a rustic "bearskin" rug, without, of course, harming any animals, and all while supporting craftspeople.

Fitz and Floyd sells a variety of kitchenware and figurines, often made from traditional materials like bone china, porcelain, stoneware, and earthenware. The brand has its fair share of elegant and elaborate designs. Many of its products are very ornamental, with a dose of old-fashioned glamour. Its catalog features plenty of classic European-inspired designs. While there are plenty of whimsical elements, several pieces look like they belong in an antique formal dining room. All products are designed and handcrafted by the brand, including lovely hand-painted ceramic pieces.

The Renaissance Holiday 4 Piece Place Setting is a good example of the classical and opulent style offered by Fitz and Floyd. Beautiful and ornately decorated, the set would blend in seamlessly at a centuries-old palace. In particular, Fitz and Floyd's figurines are standout products for their realism and detail. The style and ceramic material give these items a vintage look. The Fall Harvest Pheasant Figurine Candleholders are a wonderful representation, handcrafted of ceramic earthenware and painted in realistic fall colors.

Madcap Cottage sells wallpapers, fabrics, furniture, lighting, kitchenware, and home decor. The brand adds a modern touch to traditional styles, taking time-honored designs and patterns and adding playful elements that make products feel extra vibrant and exuberant. The designs draw inspiration from the past but reimagine classics with a bold and colorful twist. Madcap Cottage's color palette is vivid, and its products are handmade in the U.S.

The Swans Island Daffodil Pillow is a fabulous example of the brand's style: the floral pattern looks vintage, complete with charming ruffles, but it's in a bright yellow and pink color that is more distinctive. The Hampton Court Wool Red Area Rug is also representative: the pattern is very traditional and nostalgic, but it opts for a bright red rather than the deeper colors of typical old-fashioned rugs. If those colors are a bit too intense for your taste, some products are more toned-down. The Lily Pond Lane Multicolor Table Lamp also has that traditional look and bright colors, but set on a white background, which makes it less bold overall.

Bordallo Pinheiro is a Portuguese brand known for its distinctive ceramic designs and is one of the vintage brands that are always worth buying at thrift stores. The company's handmade products are heavily nature-inspired and so incredibly charming to those who love ceramic decorations. One famous line is the Cabbage collection, which features cabbage-shaped dishware. Products in the collection range from large tureens to quaint tea cups and saucers, showcasing the creativity of the brand. All the pieces are practical enough for serving, but you can also use them for decoration. The brand has several collections that look quite realistic, and the ceramic material brings an element of nostalgia and whimsy. Many products have a sense of timelessness and a rustic, countryside aesthetic. 

Bordallo Pinheiro offers over 20 collections. Some other standouts include the pretty Medium Swallow from the swallow collection, which would look beautiful in a vintage-inspired cottage. Then, the Pitcher Duck is a little more out-there and gaudy, but it's a great way to bring some kitsch into a kitchen. The Vase Lion from The Meaning collection shows another side of the brand's designs: it's elegant and resembles an item you'd find in the European history section of a museum.

In an effort to choose brands (avoiding retailers like Amazon and Wayfair), and with old-fashioned influences in mind, many of the companies on this list handcraft their products, which means they come at a premium price tag. For a budget-friendly option, we suggest IKEA. While the brand offers a lot more minimalist and contemporary designs, you can occasionally find retro gems. After all, even a lot of its modern furniture and decor draws from mid-century inspiration. If you're decorating on a budget, it's hard to beat IKEA's prices. Plus, it sells lots of plain decor that you can dress up to make IKEA pieces look like mid-century vintage. 

If you want true, timeless style, the Nytillverkad collection is an excellent choice that brings back popular vintage IKEA designs from the '50s to the '80s. Even in the new collections, IKEA has its fair share of products with a fun mid-century vibe and retro character. The Varmblixt LED table-slash-wall lamp is a best-selling item that adds warm, stylish lighting to old-school-style rooms. You can also find small pieces like the Trädstam tealight holder for eye-catching accents at wallet-friendly prices. It's possible to score some more traditional-inspired gems, like the Kuttersmycke wall clock, which is inspired by an old-fashioned pocket watch.