Everyone Used To Collect Them — Now They're A Budget-Friendly Find For Collage Walls

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To the delight of every maximalist, the outdated, large gallery wall, in all of its monochrome, curated perfection, is no longer in style. In its place? Something a little more spontaneous. The gallery wall's avant-garde cousin, the collage wall, is more like a mood board. It's full of different items and textures — many unframed, easy to pull off the wall, move around, and layer for a personal look. More good news: one of the most perfect additions to your collage wall might cost less than an iced coffee and be found at your local antique store.

The promotional matchbook is a souvenir from the days when everyone needed a light for their cigarette. Advertisers realized these convenient little matchbooks would satisfy customers and make the perfect mini-billboard. Beautifully designed, these mini works of art are reminiscent of hotels, jazz bars, and even airlines that have long since gone out of business — or switched to cleaner, more corporate logos. Luckily, they are abundant in vintage shops and online today, making them an affordable way to add color and personality to your gallery wall.

You place each matchbox inside its own small frame or shadow box, or arrange a few of them together in a larger frame. Because of their miniscule size, another option is to treat vintage matchbooks is as little surprises tucked into your collage wall. Layer them beneath postcards or pin them straight to the wall in a cluster with brass pins. Or, you can use archival mounting strips to display them for a damage-free look. Vary the display by showing some matchbooks open, displaying the matches inside. Some can be closed, or even spread out in a vibrant fan shape. They're the perfect way to add a pop of color to any room. Don't worry if they're a little worn down or scuffed. That's part of their appeal.

These matchbooks look fantastic paired with black and white photos, pencil sketches, magazine clippings, and even a tapestry or ceramic piece. Plus, as the nostalgia for all-things-vintage continues to bloom, more trendy restaurants, bars, and speakeasies are producing custom matchbooks again. So keep an eye out the next time you go to dinner; there may be some excellent decor waiting at the host stand. For more inspiration, check out 10 creative ways to arrange and display an old matchbook collection around the house.