The Vintage Find That Will Bring Instant Rustic Charm To Your Kitchen

Modern rustic interiors offer a bit of both worlds. On the one hand, you get the coziness of ruddy natural textures, like stone and brick, vintage and antique flavors, and a sense of worn-down homeyness. These are often combined with a contemporary and refined approach that still feels clean and effortless. In kitchens, this blend can create stunning rooms that are elevated yet unfussy and infinitely livable. If you are looking for ways to bedeck the walls of your modern rustic kitchen, a great place to start is finding the perfect vintage art.

Whether it's large oil paintings, small photographs, intricately carved mirrors, or primitive-style decor pieces, vintage or antique art can give you a chance to express your personality through the things you collect. Not only does the artwork add interest to blank walls, but it also grants a great sense of story, history, and time. Design expert Emily Henderson tells Homes & Gardens, "I love the idea of leaning into the "rustic" part with wall art and textiles. Think a beautiful vintage wood frame mirror, an awesome vintage oil painting, or cool black and white photos. I think vintage is an important element to really nailing this style."

The key is finding images you love and/or complement elements already in your kitchen in terms of color, lines, texture, and imagery. Great choices include old still-lifes (especially involving food or drink), portraiture, landscapes, botanical images, black-and-white images, and drawings. Since neutrals are a huge part of the palette of a modern rustic style, look for images that fit the palette or intentionally depart from it, drawing color from other accents or providing a bright pop of color in an otherwise neutral wall.

Never underestimate the importance of choosing the right frame, with many adding to the texture and feel of what they house. Designer Kathy Kuo tells Homes & Gardens, "Infuse a sense of modern rusticity into your wall decor by choosing frames made from materials like reclaimed wood and weathered metals."  While large paintings can have an impact, don't underestimate the loveliness of small groupings and gallery walls.

Finding the perfect piece of vintage art for your kitchen can sometimes entail simply being in the right place at the right time. Spend some hours looking in all the usual spots like antique or thrift stores, flea markets, estate sales, and garage sales. You can also find vintage art on sites like eBay and Etsy. Cost can vary depending on the artist, rarity, size, and medium. Think outside the box as well. Vintage recipe books, advertising images, maps, charts, wallpaper, and ephemera are all great places to look for pieces that can be framed.

If your budget is tight, or you have specific ideas in mind you can't find, you can also take a more DIY route to make or fake classic oil paintings. You can easily turn a modern-day poster print into a much older-looking painting by adding some brushwork with Mod Podge over the surface. Printing companies like Canvas Champ can also take an electronic image and print it directly on canvas for you.