Quirky And Elegant: The Table Decor With Vintage Charm Everyone Needs

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In 2025, animalcore became the latest maximalist trend dominating interiors — from cozy sheep decor taking over living rooms to wicker elephant side tables to safari-coded artwork and wallpaper to animal print accessories worth hunting for at your local thrift store. The 2026 update on this aesthetic? Creating ultra-personalized table decor with a menagerie of collectables, particularly vintage brass animals, which are as valuable as they are charming.

Largely produced in the 1960s, these artsy objects ranged from minimal (like the wiry metalwork by Simon Kops) to the chunky aesthetic by artists like Walter Bosse. As Catherine Shuman, designer and founder of The Intentional Design Studio told Martha Stewart, "Quirky brass objects, especially animals, are a favorite of mine for bringing a bit of personality and patina." Sadly, these items are becoming increasingly harder to find, as owners sell pieces for their weight in scrap metal instead of displaying them. There has never been a better time to rescue one of these pieces to give your table design a much-needed dose of whimsy and elegance.

While rare sets of midcentury brass animals can go for over $1,000, smaller, less prestigious pieces can be found for $10 to $150 on secondhand sites like Ebay and Etsy. They range from purely decorative, like sculptural swans, frogs, bees, and moose, to functional — think bookends, planters, ash trays, candlestick holders, and trinket boxes.

If you're lucky enough to find one in a thrift store, take a moment to do the magnet test and ensure it is real brass and not a contemporary knock-off. Brass is not magnetic, so if you hold a strong magnet up to your object and it sticks, you know it is not real brass, and you can leave it on the shelf. If it falls, you know you've found a real gem. Once you've found a piece that speaks to you, place it in the center or as a menagerie with smaller pieces for a budget-friendly centerpiece. Or opt for beauty and function by using a pair of quirky brass candle holders with a vintage pitcher filled with seasonal blooms.