Round Top Antiques Week Vintage Trends Fall 2021

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Let’s take a look at the Round Top Antiques Week Vintage Trends Fall 2021 edition!

Every spring and fall as I drive through the Texas countryside and steer my car toward vintage Heaven excitement builds with every turn. What treasures will I find, what trends will I see, what great conversations will transpire and what flavor pie will I devour from Royer’s Pie Haven? All topics of perfect daydreams. 

The fall show at Round Top didn’t disappoint this year. My trip was lightning fast, but I’m a seasoned pro at stalking the fields and unearthing treasure. As I move through the tents and make-shift shops I keep note of the new, unusual and trendy things I see on repeat. It is always interesting to me to see the things that show up over and over. I can’t figure out how vintage items re-surface in droves, but they do! I hope this list helps you in your hunting endeavors or at the very list gives you massive styling and decorating inspiration. 

If you’d like to hear and see more about Round Top Antiques Week, I have a list of other blog posts I’ve written about my favorite place on Earth at the end of this blog post! 

Top 15 Things I Saw on Trend at Round Top

1. Dried Nature – I ADORE this trend and it’s a trend that’s always in style, but the subject changes. One of my FAVORITE booths down in Warrenton is the The Hen Delivers. She is so gifted at styling and sets dried nature decor trends on their head. This year she wowed us with dried Okra stalks. Y’all. Dried Okra. It is stunning. Hung in huge pieces throughout the tent, mixed into arrangements and giant vase filling bundles, Okra stole the show. Just wait – you’ll see it pop up more next year. Grow your own and have fun until then! There were other breathtaking dried nature variations as well. Cotton is always gorgeous, Bittersweet was a new one that I loved (doesn’t grow here in Texas) and of course corn stalks and hay were in the mix. Nature is always a winner in my book!
2. Game Pieces – This trend is so fun to hunt for! You can gather game pieces from garage sale and thrift store games for CHEAP. Store them in jars, bowls and trays for a unique and conversation starting display! They are perfect for filling cubbies and shelves, mixing into vignettes and adding to a cabinet full of your favorites.
3. School House Wares – We saw tons of old school lunch trays from the 40’s and 50’s, vintage school books and schoolhouse desks. If it’s from an old school it’s now cool. I love the vintage vibe these sweet relics from our childhood days bring to life. Try mixing them into your home as fun dinner plates or bookshelf decor. Add an old desk or industrial schoolhouse finishes to a room for instant nostalgia.
4. Things In Jars – Tiny treasures can get lost in the mix and jars are the hero of this dilemma. Use vintage jars or recycle the ones from your pantry – either way they make fabulous displays! Fill your jars with tiny things you love – those game pieces we mentioned above, nature items, marbles, corks, shotgun shells – you name it!
5. Buttons in Jars – It may seem like some of these trends have blurred lines and your observation would be correct! One vintage idea sort of bleeds into another and that’s the lovely thing about creating a home you love with found items. They all play well together! Not only did I see a ton of fun items in jars I REPEATEDLY saw BUTTONS in jars. And not just in any jars, but vessels of all types – salt and pepper shakers, small jars, cheese shakers, and more. Use your imagination and your buttons and go crazy.
6. Silver – This item continues to make the trend list and that makes me smile ear to ear. Silver is a stunning and inexpensive way to add warmth and patina to your home. There are endless amounts of cool pieces to be found and even more ways to use them in your decor. (You can see a few of my favorite ideas here). Whenever silver is discussed here, people always ask if I polish my silver. I do polish it about once a year and I clean up the really rough pieces when I buy them. Otherwise, I let the tarnish fly and enjoy the ever changing cozy feel it adds to my home. (Here is how I clean my silver!)
7. Transferware – Much to my delight I saw transferware dishes popping up everywhere. Personally, I collect brown transferware and was thrilled to see so many varieties available. Of course many color variations were present including popular blue and dreamy green. Transferware dishes can be expensive, so I am always on the lookout for a good deal. I didn’t buy any this trip, but the surge in visibility has me hopeful more will soon come my way.
8. Re-creation Ideas Galore – Round Top is a never ending supply of inspiration. From stunning decor, over the top junk, dreamy staging and items made over in new original ways, you can’t leave without a brain full of fresh ideas. I always say, “even if you don’t have a dime – go shop for ideas.” You can recreate so many looks and DIY decor on a tight budget, just let the show stopping experience of Round Top spark a creative fire in you.
9. Landscape and Vintage Children Artwork – I lumped two items together because they are kind of the same but not. LOL! I saw a TON of vintage landscapes and almost always saw a few pictures of children close by. The vintage children prints were often children playing with animals. The prints are gorgeous, tasteful and add a very classic plantation or Victorian manor feel to your decor.
10. Orange Pumpkins – This isn’t exactly vintage but…given ALL THE WHITE people have been embracing (guilty, party of one right here!) and all the heirloom pumpkins making waves, I was surprised and thrilled to see good old traditional orange back in the game. The way Round Top merchants display their wares is always inspiring and friend, they were using orange pumpkins this fall! Talk about budget friendly – they are the low man on the pumpkin totem pole and therefore the cheapest to buy this season. So, if orange is your friend, give it a hug and stick on the porch.
11. Brown Bottles – This is the trend I personally purchased the most of while shopping the Round Top fields this season. Brown bottles provide shining glimmers of warmth and sunshine to your home decor. When the light shines through these pretties it’s unmatched. I have a decent collection of brown glass bottles, but added some more size and shape variety this trip. I found them to be quite a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay, but I hunted hard and bagged some great deals.
12. Use The Ceiling – Not an actual item but a really interesting decor idea. More and more booths used the ceiling to round out the look and feel of their makeshift shops. I think this idea can be brought back home as an amazing way to add extra interest to any room, especially rooms with lower ceilings. I saw tons of baskets, banners and dried flowers hung from the ceiling on racks and hooks. Don’t discount that fifth wall – make it shine too!
13. Quilts – Maybe I noticed so many vintage quilts for sale because I passed one up that I can’t get off my mind when I was shopping in Brimfield. No matter the reason for noticing them, quilts were plentiful. And surprisingly affordable. Consider using vintage quilts as a throw blanket on your sofa that you actually use (they are so cozy), if you find one in disrepair then cut it up and make artwork out of it. Quilts add instant age, texture, fun pattern and color to your home. They are a must have for any vintage, farmhouse or shabby chic home.
14. Industrial Cans – I saw a bunch of large industrial cans. Large oil cans and lubricants with yummy vintage logos and fonts. These giant rusty tin gems are perfect for placing in your porch decor, building up a vignette or stacking high on top of cabinets. They come in a variety of colors and are sure to round out your chippy, rusty decor.
15. T.V. Trays – This is what I love about walking the fields at Round Top – the childhood memories that flood back in. When I was little I remember eating dinner on a T.V. tray as a treat to watch a VHS tape my mom took me to rent on the weekend. Half my family was raised on T.V. trays and I’m actually surprised they lost popularity. I’m all for family dinner around the table, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss those awkwardly collapsible tables to go. When used as a special treat and not the norm, they are a blast. There were quite a few sprinkled around the show and now I’m thinking I should have scooped some up. Maybe next time!

Until then I am hopeful this list of trending items I saw at Round Top Antiques Week will encourage you to get out there and get looking – see what fun finds and amazing deals you can find. Beware, it’s addicting. If you want to go thrifting with me, make sure you join The Salvaged Society. I share thrifting trips via live and video full of tips, ideas and inspiration to help you in your treasure hunting endeavors. I even shared my haul from this trip to Round Top in the group!  Here are some more blog posts about Round Top Antiques Week in case you want to learn and see more! 

All you need to Know About Round Top Antiques Week

Trends from 2019