Recently we rewatched one of my all time favorite movies, High Society, and I noticed some things that I hadn’t picked up on before. While I’m always fawning over the costumes in this film, this time I started paying closer attention to the decor in the background. There is a crystal ashtray on the bar in one of the scenes that looks awfully similar to a vintage one I picked up last year… A few alabaster table lamps dot the rooms in Grace’s character’s house. A green glass ashtray sits on a coffee table in one scene. And the green and white striped throw pillows on the outdoor set are on my wishlist for our future backyard.

There have been plenty of movies that have inspired my home decor style, hello Nancy Meyers and her perfectly curated sets. But in this case, the design cues were more subtle. When I watch Nancy’s films I tend to pay closer attention to the decor intentionally. With High Society I can’t say I ever have. It’s funny to think of these subtle things in the background having an influence over the pieces I find myself searching for today. Then I am reminded of the story of the porcelain elephant.

In the living room of my grandparents house, for as long as I can remember, on the floor next to the piano stood a small porcelain elephant. As a child I would bring my toys near it sometimes to play, but mostly it was something that was there. I didn’t see it when we cleared out their house before it sold and with time I had forgotten about it. When JD and I moved into our first apartment there was a floor to ceiling built in in the living room that I wanted to decorate. The perfect thing for the center in my mind was a porcelain elephant. It wasn’t until I had tracked down and purchased a nearly identical one that my mother reminded me that my grandmother’s was likely somewhere in my uncle’s garage. I was stunned. How could I not recall something I had spent my entire childhood staring at? At the mention of it it was so clear that I had internalized this decor choice and filed it away for later. We still do not know where the original one wandered off to, but the one I found sits on the bookshelf in our current apartment. So much of my home decor style has been heavily influenced by my grandparents. From them I inherited a love of crystal, vintage lamps, and dark wood furniture with elegant details.

This got me thinking about how I have approached finding the pieces I have searched for. A few of you have asked about certain pieces I have shared here and there. Some have been hard to find — like the little alabaster lamp we have in the living room — and others have found me.

My biggest tip if you are looking for something is to keep an eye out on sites like Etsy, Ebay, Mercari, etc. Keywords can be very helpful, as well as brand or designer names, but I have found that often things are not labeled that way. I tend to use a mix of keywords, names, and miscellaneous describing words I find in listings similar to those I’m after.

Search terms I use to browse and find special pieces —

Orrefors, Sklo Union, Pukeberg, crystal vase, crystal ashtray, crystal bowl, mid century modern vase, Italian glass, Murano vase, alabaster lamp, marble lamp, urn lamp, neoclassical urn lamp

From there I tend to click around. When I find items I like I note the keywords used and search them as well until I find what I am looking for. Pinterest is also a great resource for getting an idea of what things are called or the brand name. I have found a few things by following leads that way. Then there is the pure luck that comes from looking for vintage pieces on a regular basis while logged into your account. Months back I saw a picture of an adorable little glass being used as a votive. It had a distinctive design, but I was coming up empty. I honestly had no idea where to even start in describing the pattern and ran through everything I could think of. I let it go thinking it was not going to happen. A few weeks later I logged into my account to look up something else and there it was in my recommendations, waiting for me. You never know!

To test my methods I did a few quick searches and compiled the beautiful list of vintage finds below. But first a quick note…

*Disclaimer: Reader beware — I ended up buying the exact vintage lamp I have been looking for for years while writing this post by simply testing out one of my search terms. You have been warned, ha!*

Also, if you ever have a question about a specific piece I have shared please feel free to reach out and send me a note. I would be more than happy to share any info I have!

Happy vintage hunting! xx