Vintage Baskets: Uses and Sources
Vintage baskets are so useful and easily sourced. Learn the best uses for them and sources for finding them in this fun post.
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Vintage Baskets: Uses and Sources
Today I’m joining some of my talented, vintage-loving friends to share ideas about vintage baskets. The “Lifestyle of Love” tour is hosted by my friend Cindy at County Road 407 and is chock full of creative ideas for you to use in your own home. All of the links can be found at the bottom of the post so be sure to visit everyone.
If you’re coming over from CoCo at The Crowned Goat, welcome! I always love her ideas and her home is so cozy and welcoming.
Decorating with Vintage Items
Love using vintage items in your home? Read these posts for more inspiring ideas:
- Tips for Collecting Milk Glass and Using it in Your Home
- All About Shiny Brite Christmas Ornaments
- 7 Charming Types of Vintage Linens You Should Never Pass Up
- Old, New, Copper, and Blue Fall Decorating Ideas
- Decorating with Architectural Salvage
- Creative Ways to Use Vintage Jars and Bottles
- Colorful Vintage Christmas Decorations That Will Make You Smile
Best Places to Find Vintage Baskets
Vintage baskets are easy to find and are usually inexpensive. Here are a few places that I’ve gotten them before:
- Yard Sales
- Thrift Stores – see my best thrift shopping tips here -> Best Thrifted Finds Plus Shopping Tips
- Estate Sales – get my best tips here -> How to Shop Estate Sales Like a Pro
- Gift basket deliveries (from places like Harry & David, Hickory Farms, etc)
- Etsy
- eBay
You can also find them on Facebook Marketplace and sometimes in the “Buy Nothing” groups on there.
Best Uses for Vintage Baskets
There are so many ways to use vintage baskets ranging from decorative to functional. Here are some of my favorite ideas for using them:
- Container for faux flowers
- Storage for extra throw blankets & pillows
- Place to stow craft supplies
- Container for Christmas gift bundles
- Container for seasonal decor
- Storage for table and picnic linens
- Place to store and organize many smaller items
- Mail sorter
I have all kinds of vintage baskets scattered throughout our home and thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorites, plus how I’ve used them over the years. Let’s take a little tour!
Decorating with Vintage Baskets
My favorite thing to do with vintage baskets is decorate with them. They’re so versatile!
Vintage Fishing Basket
I added some vintage hankies and a dried French lavender bundle from my shop to one of my vintage fishing creel baskets below. It was a nice addition to our spring entry.
I hung the other fishing creel on the brick wall in our kitchen and added a few faux hydrangeas (also from my shop). It adds a nice natural texture to the space.
Vintage Bamboo Basket
Large vintage bamboo baskets are ideal for storing extra blankets and pillows. I keep one underneath the small entry table and rotate the blankets seasonally for a little extra color in here. NOTE – you can grab 6 of these fern printables for free here -> Botanical Themed Entry Makeover on a Budget
This particular bamboo basket is a great size and gets used a lot at my house. In the fall it’s fun to fill it with faux pumpkins and fall colored items. See how easy this little project is here -> Quick and Easy Fall Basket Decorating Ideas
And during the holidays, I moved it on our deck for a festive little display of vintage plaid throw blankets. I added all of them to my dad’s vintage little red wagon. I think this is my favorite Christmas porch decor ever. So very cozy, and it reminds me of my dad who I lost a couple of years ago.
A few years ago, I used my larger one in the entry and added an antique quilt that belonged to my Mamaw. It was made from upholstery samples and is probably my favorite quilt. I adore the rich colors.
Vintage French picnic baskets
The suitcase-style French picnic baskets are also great for storage and decor. A few pumpkins and a fall blanket scarf were added to this one for a touch of fall in the entry.
And the other one that doesn’t have it’s lid is used to stash a few gifts in the basement. I added a couple of faux holiday greenery branches for filler.
No bar cart? No worries. You can create a makeshift bar area with a vintage basket. I added a piece of cardboard and a folded tea towel to the bottom of the basket for a little extra stability.
And although we rarely drink alcohol, our guests sometimes do and it’s nice to have something to offer them. I placed that larger bottles at the back and the smaller ones at the front of the basket so we can see everything we have.
Vintage Picnic Baskets
This type of vintage picnic basket with the hinged lid is pretty easy to find and can be used for so many things.
I have yarn and other supplies stowed in a couple of them in my craft room.
And I have a larger one on top of our antique oak hutch that has picnic supplies. Seems so logical, doesn’t it? Yes, I know that one of the handles is missing and I really don’t mind.
Serving basket used for storage
We received a gift basket with various items in it a few years ago and it was the perfect size for storing our cloth napkins. I have another one with red, pink, and green napkins. I keep them in the bottom shelf of our hutch.
Vintage Tobacco Basket
For the past 10 years or so, I’ve had a vintage tobacco basket hanging on our front porch. I add a wreath to it at Christmas and it makes a nice cozy backdrop for our Adirondack chairs. I’ve also seen these baskets hanging over fireplaces in rooms with tall ceilings. Sadly, our ceilings are 8′ tall and I don’t have room to hang it inside so it stays out here all year.
Vintage Wire Egg Crate/Basket
One of the coolest finds in my late father-in-law’s stash was this old egg crate from a dairy in Nashville. It’s great for storing throw blankets and such.
Vintage Metal Olive Basket
This vintage olive basket has been all over the house and I’ve never gotten tired of it. They were very popular several years ago and I still love mine. It’s fun to put flowers in it for spring and add them to the front porch.
Blankets and pumpkins also work well in this basket. Here’s how I used it several years ago.
And it’s ideal as a container for a small Christmas tree during the holidays.
Vintage wire egg basket
This little wire egg basket looks like a sculpture with all of the curved pieces. It’s perfect for eggs at Easter or small decorative items any time of the year.
Looking for more creative ways to use vintage baskets? Visit all of the posts below for tons of inspiration. The next stop is Cindy at DIY Beautify and you’ll definitely want to hop over and see her awesome ideas for styling vintage baskets.
As I enjoyed all your seasonal basket ideas, I realized i absolutely love your styling:) I’ve always enjoyed your front entry cuz I love that floor, & your cubbies are my favorite. Keep making things pretty; love what you do!
What a gorgeous collection of baskets Angie. I love the fisherman basket. So many fabulous display ideas. Pinned!
Angie I love EVERY SINGLE PHOTO in this post! I love how you change your entryway seasonally and the ways you use baskets to create simple and charming displays. I am so inspired! I have been struggling to decorate our new house and I have NEVER had this problem, even since a teenager. I just think I am trying too hard and I just need to do my thing again.
We moved in last September and I am just now feeling like I am pulling everything together. I realize after seeing your post I need more basket, well different kinds like a few that you have to change things up a bit and that would work in a few spaces I didn’t think about until seeing your post.
Loving your green cabinet. What is the color? Green is my favorite and I want to paint SOMETHING green here!
Great post! So fun hopping with you!
I can’t even with the bar cart idea. That is genius! You entire collection is amazing and I love every idea you’ve shown. I pinned like crazy! Thank you for joining us. Hope you join again in September!
Thanks, Cindy! I saw the idea somewhere and recreated it with my own look. Thanks so much for organizing the hop. Have a great weekend! ~ Angie
Great ways to use baskets and your assortment is nice. I need to find some those big baskets like yours, thanks for the ideas.
Thanks, Marlene! Both of my big baskets came from yard sales but I see similar ones at thrift stores, church rummage sales, and estate sales. Have a great weekend! ~ Angie
You have the best vintage baskets Angie, I’m loving that creel basket and the light colored bamboo basket! Also, you reminded me I have olive buckets I need to pull out and use again because I still love them too! Pinned and saved. Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!!
Thanks, Cindy! The creel basket was a favorite find and so was the bamboo basket. I’ve never gotten tired of my olive bucket, even though there not everywhere like they were a few years ago. Have a great weekend! ~ Angie
Love all your ideas Angie. Especially the bar cart idea. That would be so cute on a porch too. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks, Ann! I saw a similar idea to the bar cart on Pinterest or Instagram and did my own version of it. Super easy project. Have a great weekend! ~ Angie
Love all your creative uses of baskets…So many great ideas…Thanks for sharing..I have a vintage picnic basket in my bedroom to store extra sheets in..I think I will empty it out and do
something for the Fall with it like fill it with pumpkins, etc…..I also love the red wagon…I have a mini version…Enjoy the rest of your week…
hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Thanks, Deb! Storing sheets in a picnic basket is a great idea and I might have to do that. Thanks for the tip! And a basket full of pumpkins is a fun fall decorating idea. My red wagon means so much to me because it was my dad’s when he was a little boy. It’s from the 1940’s and was restored by my great uncle. Have a great weekend! ~ Angie
So many gorgeous ways to use baskets, Angie! I have the same bamboo basket as the one you ffeatured and it’s fabulous. I’ve been on the lookout for a second one for years because they’re ssuper easy so use. I loved all your holiday ideas and your barcart/picnic basket idea too. That is so creative. Off to pin these fabulous ideas! Hope you’re having an amazing summer season, CoCo
Thanks, Coco. I have several different sizes of bamboo baskets and they’re so versatile and sturdy. I usually get them whenever I see them at a good price. Have a great weekend! ~ Angie
Such amazing and lovely ideas for baskets, Angie!! The fall and Christmas photos are just stunning and get me excited for those upcoming seasons.
Thanks for sharing all of your creativity!
Thanks, Rachel! It was fun going through my archives looking for vintage basket images to use. Now I’m excited for fall and Christmas too! ~ Angie
Angie,
I’ve always wanted a fishing creel basket
but don’t see them often in thrift stores around here. I love how you styled all your baskets. Such a fun hop.
Rachel, If I told you how much I got the fishing baskets for, you wouldn’t want to be my friend any longer 😄. I was thrilled to get them at a bargain price because I’ve always loved them. Have a great weekend! ~ Angie