12 Cottage Vintage Guest Bedroom Ideas To Inspire

Looking for small bedroom ideas? Love that vintage cottage style? Join me on a tour of our little vintage guest bedroom inspired by family antiques.

This small guest bedroom is on the first floor of our home here in Coastal Maine, a cottage we inherited from my parents almost 3 years ago now. To learn more about this cottage (which is of course filled with many of my favorite vintage pieces), join me on our home tour.

This cozy guest bedroom happens to be my favorite room in the home. As you explore the vintage decor in this room, I hope you feel inspired to update your guest room and embrace a unique vintage style.

Welcome to the Anything Goes Summer Blog Hop!

Hosted by my friend, Pasha over at Pasha is Home Blog. If you are joining me today from Kristin over at White Arrows Home, welcome! Kristin and I are thrifting buddies in the monthly series “Thrifting with the Gals“. Don’t you just love Kristin’s gorgeous log cabin?

Without further ado, let’s jump into our tour of my favorite vintage bedroom decor ideas, inspired by family heirlooms, my favorite vintage furniture, and other thrift store finds.

How can I make my room look vintage?

If you’re new to using vintage decor in your home, it can feel a little overwhelming to try to create a vintage-looking space. But it’s actually very simple! Here are a few of my best tips:

• Don’t be too matchy-matchy. One of the best ways to create a vintage guest bedroom is by mixing and matching different colors, design elements, and materials in your decor. As you’ll see throughout this bedroom tour, I decorate with everything from old license plates and vintage tennis racquets to heirloom quilts and crisp, white bedding.
• Embrace natural textures. I love to use wood, burlap, and other natural textures when vintage decorating. It really helps lay a foundation for the other vintage decor I incorporate into a space.
• Don’t be afraid to use color. While I love neutral colors for wall paint, I try to incorporate a mix of colors through the decor I choose. In this room, white walls and white bedding combine with red lobster pillows, blue trim work, and colorful braided rugs to create an eclectic space.

12 Vintage Guest Bedroom Ideas From Our Maine Cottage

I love the vintage look of this guest room. Use these small guest bedroom ideas to decorate your own unique space.

Wrought Iron Bed

I found this wrought iron bed on eBay very inexpensively. It fits this small guest bedroom beautifully and really sets a foundation for the vintage style of this space.

The openness of the wrought iron provides a sense of vintage charm without a heavy look, which many bed frames can have. Perfect for a small cottage guest bedroom.

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Family Heirlooms

When we decided to renovate this home I wanted to incorporate as many family heirlooms throughout the home as I could. And this small cottage guest bedroom certainly holds plenty of these treasures. Making it simply delightful and gratefully vintage.

While we were looking forward to updating this cottage, we didn’t want to lose its vintage style or take away from the many family memories made in this space. This small cottage guest bedroom certainly holds plenty of these treasures, making it simply delightful and gratefully vintage.

heirloom Quilts

My mother enjoyed making quilts alongside her dear lifelong friends. And today that collection is displayed on one of her old vintage dressers in this small cottage guest bedroom.

You may see more of these quilts in the post, How to Fold and Display Heirloom Quilts.

Here you will see the original flooring too. This past winter we had these small cottage bedroom wood floors stripped and refinished giving them a blonder and brighter look.

You may also enjoy the Vintage Aesthetic Bedroom Inspiring Ideas post.

Vintage Throw Rugs

My mother learned to braid rugs from her mother, and she also taught me how to braid rugs from a very young age. I even have this braided rug and stand, that was the last rug my mother was making a very long time ago, as I found it hidden up in the attic.

What an heirloom to treasure right?

The braided rugs my mother made are now scattered throughout the home like this one here at the entrance into this small guest bedroom. See more in the Vintage Braiding Rug Stand | A Mother’s Day Reflection post.

And I picked up the red whale rug from Vermont’s Chandler 4 Corners out of our hometown in Manchester, Vermont.

You may also enjoy the post, 75+ Blue and White Vintage Gift Ideas for Women.

And Coastal Bedding Ideas For Your Beach House.

A Basket Full of vintage Tennis Racquets

My father loved tennis! He played until he was 86 years old. And if asked, he would tell you that the only reason he stopped playing was “Because he didn’t have any competition anymore…”

You may also enjoy this DIY License Plate Hat Rack and Wall Decor I made out of my father’s vanity license plates that I found in his old shed!

And check out what else I found with a tennis theme in the post, Antiquing Down East, A Day’s Jaunt.

An old basket sits next to the side of the bed with a collection of my father’s old tennis racquets that he played with throughout the years. Plus a couple that I may have picked up here and there while out “Thrifting with the Gals“.

I honestly can not believe that my father saved all his racquets over the years. I found them all hanging up in his outdoor shed.

Thrifted Framed Photos

Above the basket of tennis racquets in this small cottage guest bedroom are 2 thrifted photos.

The Westies picnicking, I thrifted and gave to my parents as an anniversary present years back when they had their Westie, Jessie.

The second small red-framed photo is “The Kitty Cat Tennis,” which my mother thrifted.

This small cottage guest bedroom wall is simply a gem.

Small Guest Bedroom Closet

While out thrifting one day, I found 18 Thrifted Black Velvet Clothes Hangers. They are so cute for our friends and family to use in the closet when they are visiting.

Extra pillows, blankets, soaps, and a guest bathrobe are also stored here along with a full-length mirror attached to the back of the closet door. This is such a simple way to make our guests feel welcome and comfortable during their stay.

You may also enjoy the post This Wardrobe Closet Will Make You Rethink the Way You Store Clothes if you are looking for more small cottage guest bedroom storage ideas.

A Barrel of Driftwood

A thrifted wooden barrel filled with collected driftwood from the local beach in the corner brings some of the outdoor elements inside.

And we ask our friends and family visiting to add to this collection if they like.

Antique Bedside Table

An antique bedside table is decorated with old-fashioned collections that I have found while out “Thrifting with the Gals” at some of my favorite local thrift stores.

Vintage Bedroom Wall Oars

This past week I picked up this two-piece vintage wooden oar at one of my favorite antique shops in Portsmouth, NH, NEST Portsmouth. You may see more and bookmark for later My Favorite Second-Hand Shops from Vermont to Maine here.

I thought they would be so cute hanging on the wall in this guest bedroom.

We marked and hung the vintage oars very easily with 2 12lb holding weight capacity Command Strips.

Two on each oar.

This cozy guest bedroom is small, so it’s hard to get a good angle of the oars on this wall, unfortunately. But I hope this gives you an idea of unique ways to use vintage decor in your guest room or other bedroom.

You may also enjoy the post, COASTAL GRANDMOTHER SUMMER DECOR “IN MY MOTHER’S HOME.”

License Plate Hat Rack

I found these vanity license plates in my father’s old shed and made this DIY hat rack. It’s such a fun way to embrace the location of our cottage and blends perfectly with the vintage decor in this space.

Guest Bedroom Paint Colors

I’m often asked about the paint colors in this small guest bedroom. The paint color of the walls is “Simply White” by Benjamin Moore. In my opinion, it’s the perfect home white.

And the trim work in this space is a beautiful blue formula that I’m sharing with you here. I think this soft, unique trim color really adds to the unique charm of this space. I also love the way it contrasts with the bright red decor elements (like the lobster pillows on the bed).

You may also enjoy the post, 5 Cozy Cottage Christmas Guest Bedroom Swaps.

​More Vintage Decor Ideas

We just keep changing and decorating in this cottage guest room! We got this brand new white crisp bedding for this cottage-style guest bedroom in the post, Summer-Ready in Maine!

I recently added a vintage church collection basket and an old rope winder I found while antiquing Down East this past summer to this guest bedroom. See more in the post, Vintage Shopping, A Church Collection Basket, and Wild Oats.

Where to Find Vintage Guest Bedroom Decor

If you want to create your own vintage-style guest room, there are so many different ways to find beautiful pieces for your space. While I love exploring thrift shops and antique stores in my area, it’s also fun to travel to other cities, towns, and states to check out new vintage shops.

If you prefer to shop online, it’s absolutely possible to find vintage decor online. Check out my guide to online vintage shopping for my top tips and favorite websites for finding unique pieces.

Yard sales, estate sales, and even a Facebook marketplace are also great places to find vintage decor. You never know what you might come across when you’re thrifting!

Need more vintage decor inspiration?

Explore some of my favorite vintage home tours from the blog:

• Winter Vintage Decor Finds
• Decorating with Vintage Books
• 63+ Thrift Store Vintage Finds
• 13 Best-Loved Vintage Antiques and Uniques

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SHOP THIS POST

Next up on today’s tour is another thrifting buddy of mine, Robyn from Robyn’s French Nest. Robyn is sharing Five Simple Things That Look Good on Your Summer Mantel. And I know you won’t want to miss it. Robyn has the most beautiful farmhouse style from her home in Florida.

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Seven Amazing Ways To Have A Memorable Summer // Cottage in the Mitten

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An Outdoor Summer Tablescape Using Blues and Terracotta // The Tattered Pew

5 Ways to Set An Everyday Summer Table // White Arrows Home