Vintage sellers and flea market experts share their picks for the hottest secondhand home items of the moment.

Photo by: Mod Rendition

As the fall flea market season kicks into gear, we asked the people who know best — founders and vendors at a few of our favorites — to give us the low-down on the most on-trend pieces in vintage home decor. Here’s what they had to say.

1. Medical and industrial furniture


medical-cabinet Our Vintage Bungalow
"A steel cart from high school can make an appearance as a bar cart, an entertainment stand, or a kids' bookshelf. A repurposed dental cabinet becomes a dresser in a city studio. Those letterboards that showed movie times, Sunday sermons, and menus now offer a place for favorite quotes, birthday highlights and ... menus." — Jennifer Bradley-Morris of The Ardent Forager, a regular vendor at the Phoenicia Flea
Search terms to try: industrial decor, medical cabinet, industrial cabinet, vintage signs
Shop Rustic Home Decor

2. Floral prints and tapestry fabric


vintage-floral-other Mid Century Boho
"Think Mario Buatta 2.0, in fun, mod colors, on couches and chairs, or in blown-up single flowers." — Sally Schwartz, owner and executive producer of the Randolph Street Market in Chicago
Search terms to try: chintz, florals, tapestry, botanical
Shop Vintage Home Decor

3. Classic sporting goods


tennis-rackets High Point Farm 2010
"As people yearn for a simpler life, they're filling their home spaces with analog forms of leisure, like a weathered pair of canoe paddles — especially if they're painted with this season's colors. A beat-up golf bag filled with hickory shaft drivers fills an awkward corner. A few leather heavy bags hang from the ceiling, creating an interesting room divider." — Jennifer Bradley-Morris
Search terms to try: vintage sporting goods, tennis rackets, snowshoes, croquet mallets, canoe paddles, wooden skis
Shop Vintage Collectibles

4. Brass collectibles


brass-gazelle Brass Teak
"For some, it’s the start of a brass pineapple collection — for others it’s a jewelry box, ashtray or candle holder that fits almost any popular home design aesthetic: boho, minimalist or the clean lines of today." — Valorie Wallace of the Portland Flea
Search terms to try: brass figurine, brass barware, hollywood regency, mcm
Shop Metallic Home Decor

5. Blue Danube china dinnerware


bluedanube-cups Cobblestones Vintage

"I think of my grandparents and the time before paper plates — nothing is more reminiscent than serving fresh strawberries and cream in Blue Danube dinnerware." — Sally Schwartz

Search terms to try: Blue Danube, chinoiserieblueware, flow blue
Shop Dining Room Decor

6. Camping and cabin gear


hudsonbay-blanket Dissident Vintage
"The demand for flags, antlers, and wool blankets just keeps growing. I'm seeing that also branch out into steel ice chests, old L.L. Bean boots and chamois shirts, classic American-made picnic baskets (and bike baskets), and pocket knives. Look out for any of the American heritage brands: Filson, Red Wing, old Eddie Bauer, and Orvis. Oh, and just about anything that'll hold fire wood: galvanized olive buckets, orchard baskets, steel trash cans, heavy brass or copper bowls, and pickle crocks." — Jennifer Bradley-Morris
Search Terms to Try: Hudson Bay, Pendleton, rustic, camp, lodge decor
Shop Living Room Decor

7. Barware and bar carts


mightyvintage-cart Mighty Vintage
"All of my barware has been found at our show. I even scored a Hollywood Regency bar cart for under $100 that has carved porcelain roses — plus, the dealer threw in vintage bottles. Serving trays in lucite and silver are easy to find. A vintage ice bucket is a must for your bubbly. Vintage cocktail shakers and glassware from the ’50s are popular at our show, with many dealers specializing in these collectibles that will have you toasting during the holiday season." — Sandra Michaan, Show Producer, Alameda Point Antiques Faire
Search Terms to Try: barware, bar carts, hollywood regency, midcentury modern, mcm
Shop Mid-Century Modern Decor