11 Things You Can Find At The Thrift Store For Unique And Charming Collage Walls

Curating a gallery wall can be expensive, especially if you intend to buy beautiful, brand-new frames and fill them with a curation of pricey artwork. Not only that, but if you stick exclusively to two-dimensional decoration, you run the risk of it all melding into one. But that doesn't mean that you need to waste the space that you've dedicated to it. Instead, you can switch it up and opt for something more textured and layered, like a collage wall. That simple change opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It also allows you to save money by finding items at the thrift store instead of buying them new.

As an example, you could use a whole host of thrifted textiles to layer your original gallery wall idea with texture. Alternatively, if you happen upon an old clock or a mirror, those are also great ways to add both interest and depth to your design. The goal is to adopt a more "mixed media" approach, and allow yourself to see the potential in thrift store items that you might otherwise leave on the shelf. To help, we've highlighted 11 common thrift store finds below that can contribute to your scheme. Some will make a lot of sense, while others may require you to think a bit more outside the box. All will help you to curate a collage that's not only textured, but also utterly unique.

The first idea is to look out for decorative plates and trays. These are often available in vintage designs and materials, like brass serving trays and decorative China plates. Even if no such treasures are currently adorning your thrift store shelves, don't worry. These pieces don't necessarily need to belong to any particular era. In fact, limiting yourself to just one may reduce the potential of your vision. Fortunately, plates and trays are a dime a dozen at most thrift stores, and are usually available in a heady variety of materials, shapes, sizes, designs, and colors. Not only that, but they're also often cheap.

The trick is to look for pieces that fit your own design sensibilities. Indeed, if you keep that same point in mind for all of your collage wall pieces, you should end up with a design that screams "you." The last thing you want to do is merely recreate that collage wall you saw on Instagram — that's the farthest thing from "unique" you could possibly do. Instead, spend some time perusing the shelves and looking for items that leap out at you as you walk past. Using pieces that excite you is a great way to project your personality onto your wall, thus infusing your home with a taste of what makes you unique.

Like plates and trays, you're likely to come across a myriad of mirror styles at the thrift store. You'll find them in different shapes, sizes, and designs, which makes deciding which one to use tricky. Then again, that's also part of the fun. You could use several small mirrors, interspersing your collage with them, or a single larger mirror as a centerpiece.

Whichever you choose to use, they can elevate a collage wall in a few key ways. Firstly, depending on what they're framed with (or, indeed, whether they're framed at all), those materials can lend color, contrast, and texture to your scheme. The glass itself will also reflect light in different ways to other items. They "look back" at you, instead of inviting you to look in — like photos and artwork — offering an intriguing contrast. What's more, by reflecting the room back at the viewer, their effect on the entire ensemble changes depending on where in the room they're viewed from.

Sports pennants were once displayed in homes across the country, and now they're an excellent thrift-shop find for collage walls. They come in a multitude of colors and designs, and as we'll see later, textiles like this can really help to layer your scheme with both color, shape, and texture. But if your household likes to live on the sporty side, you needn't limit your collage pieces to pennants.

Indeed, there's a whole host of old-school sports equipment that you could hang or mount on your wall for added interest. For example, vintage tennis rackets are a superb sporty addition to collage walls, lending their allotted space uniqueness in both shape and style. The same can be said for old hockey sticks. Really, the choice is up to you, the sports you're most interested in, and the items most readily available at your thrift store. If you do settle for an old tennis racket, you could even go as far as removing the strings and replacing them with one of those mirrors — provided that you find one in a suitable shape and size.

We know this guide is all about collage walls; however, the point of a collage is to fill it with mixed media. And if you started out originally wanting to create a gallery wall anyway, you may still wish to include a few photos and framed art in your collection. If you do, you needn't limit yourself to sleek modern frames — although these can certainly play their part.

Instead, to ensure they contribute to your overall collage aesthetic, aim to source a few in different styles. Look for some minimalist wood or metal frames, but also keep your eyes peeled for more vintage pieces. Frames with ornate, maximalist colors and designs will add real texture and interest to your display. And if you're stuck on what to put in those frames, you needn't just stick to prints and photos. While you're browsing the shelves of your favorite thrift store, look for small, shallow items that you could house behind the frames' glass. For example, you could frame a collection of vintage matchbox frames for your collage wall — effectively creating a collage within a collage.

There's something about the inexorable tick-tock of a clock that takes us back to a simpler, less technological time. Indeed, there's much to be said for hanging a traditional clock in your living spaces, regardless of whether or not you're collaging. But if you are, a clock can add serious decorative appeal to your overall scheme. Firstly, if the clock works — and has a functional second hand — it'll lend some dynamism to your arrangement as the hand plots its course. It'll also make your wall a little more "useful," since you'll be able to tell the time.

Another point to remember is that, in a wall filled with square or rectangular frames, a classic round clock face can help to break up straight lines. And since clocks come in a wild variety of designs, sizes, and materials, it's an exciting addition to your thrift-store shopping list. Of course, we're primarily talking about wall clocks here. But if you decided to add a shelf to your collage, you could always thrift a mantel clock and use it to fill your shelf space.

If you were intrigued by the sport pennant idea but don't feel the "sporty" element suits your personality, that's not the only textile trick you can use to elevate your collage wall. There are loads of interesting textile forms that you can add to your arrangement, many of which stand to bring loads more texture and interest than a standard pennant. For example, you could turn a simple piece of drop cloth into an earthy collage wall addition. Or you could take a square from that blanket that your grandma knitted for you as a baby.

Alternatively, you could keep an eye out at the thrift store for a dedicated fabric wall hanging or macrame piece. Whatever you choose, it'll bring texture while also "softening" the harsher lines of picture frames and shelves. These pieces also feel handmade and curated. You needn't necessarily thrift these pieces, either. If you're nifty with needles, you could always make it yourself — another way to infuse your space with a dose of your own style and personality.

Nothing quite reflects the light in your space (both natural and manmade) like stained glass. Once reserved for churches, impressing viewers with the blend of colors and precision-cut patterns, stained glass pieces have long since been a popular way to lend beauty and interest to our homes. They are both calming and reflective, holding the eye and encouraging the viewer to appreciate the craft that went into their production.

All of these traits make stained glass a strong addition to your collage wall. They bring those vibrant colors along with a degree of transparency, reflecting and refracting light in different ways than other items, like mirrors. You can also find them in quirky shapes and designs both large and small. Look for cute stained glass fruit pieces, wildlife-inspired designs, or indeed any that grab your attention as you peruse the aisles of your favorite thrift store.

Whether you received them from your old-school friend or found them at the thrift store, postcards are a budget-friendly way to add interest to your collage wall. If you have a box full, you could display some with the pictures facing outwards, and some with the message facing outwards — provided that the sender is happy for their words to be shared! If you are purely thrifting them, then the obvious way to make the most of this idea is to look for postcards with designs and photographs that appeal most to you. Are there any from locations that you've visited? If so, these are a great way to infuse your collage with a dose of nostalgia. Alternatively, are there postcards from countries or cities that you've always wanted to visit? In that case, they'll serve to inspire the future traveler in you. Not only that, but when you finally make that long-awaited trip, they'll become a daily reminder of the stamps you've collected in your passport.

The next thing to work out is how you'll display them. If you managed to score a beautiful frame or two, you could use those to house your postcards and give them pride of place on your wall. Alternatively, if the postcards are old, with crinkled, torn, or raggedy edges, don't be afraid to show those. That "worn" aesthetic will show that you didn't simply go out and buy your collage pieces brand new. Not only that, but those frayed edges will lend your wall an added layer of texture that you won't find in crisp, newly-inked prints.

Another way to imbue your collage with your personal love of travel is to find and hang an old-school map. These pieces are brimming with old-world mystique, wherever in the home you hang them. But if your goal is to add both charm and a unique sense of "you" to your collage — and you like to travel — then you'll want to snap them up from the thrift store if you're lucky enough to find them.

You may come across vintage maps of the whole world. You may also stumble upon cartographic illustrations of just one country or even a single state. They're all valid options; it really depends on what catches your eye, whether you have an affection for specific destinations, and what's available at the thrift store. Another type of map that you may find is a scratch map. These interactive wall hangings are designed for users to "scratch out" the parts of the world that they've visited, often revealing a different color beneath the scratch coating. If you're a frequent flyer, those small changes will slowly but surely alter the way your map both looks and contributes to your collage wall.

There are various ways that you can use old-school signage. You could thrift a vintage beverage sign for your collage wall, for example. Or, if you can find one, you could hang an old road sign from your childhood home. Thrift stores are often lined with old-fashioned food and coffee tins, many of which are adorned with striking colors and designs reminiscent of times gone by. Alternatively, if you or a member of your family loves all things automotive, it's often easy to thrift vintage license plates to hang on your wall display.

In any case, signs from times gone by bring a sense of color and interest to collage wall displays. They're loaded with nostalgia and reminiscent of simpler times. Not only that, vintage home decor is trending strongly right now. In other words, they belong to the past, but they're a creative and current choice for design-savvy homeowners who are lucky enough to find them.

Ultimately, the whole point of a collage wall is to display a whole host of media types and forms. While it's tricky to hang more sculptural forms directly from the wall, there's nothing stopping you from thrifting and installing a shelf, then using that to display your favorite pieces. In fact, the addition of a few old shelves opens up a world of possibilities as far as your collage is concerned. Firstly, the material of the shelf itself can add real interest to your display. It'll stand out from the wall in a more three-dimensional way than frames and textiles, which tend to sit flush against the surface. You may find a shelf with a distressed or antique wood finish, for example. Or you may choose to entirely re-paint your shelf with a color better suited to the wider ensemble.

Either way, if you find a shelf at your thrift store, you'll be amazed at the amount of small thrift store finds that can then be added to it. Look for items in a range of materials and finishes to further cement that "collage" aesthetic (not forgetting to reserve the space for things that genuinely excite you). Just try not to get carried away or overdo it. You may well find that "less is more" with the pieces that you place on your shelves. The goal is to draw the eye to your curatorial pieces — shelf included — while adding depth. This is best done with a small handful of objects, rather than cramming them together and crowding that particular part of your collage. You may even find that displaying a single plant is the best way to make your shelf shine.