Displaying Found Treasures to Personalize Your Home

I love stuff. And I love finding stuff for fun home decor. So let’s chat about displaying found treasures to personalize your home.

Finding treasures

What do you consider treasure? That word means different things to many people.

But to us interested in home decor, treasure could be something picked up on a beach vacation, to deals at thrift stores, and even a family heirloom.

It also doesn’t mean that you are the holder of the most extraordinary items. Your treasure could be beach glass or used items from yard sales.

But if it speaks to you in a way, that tells a story you want to hear, then it is rarer than gold coins. 

Family heirloom or found treasure

What does it take to be a treasure hunter? You don’t have to dream of discovering authentic artifacts.

Being a treasure hunter is about curating a look for your home decor that tells the story of you.

It is claiming that family heirloom that you’ve wanted for years. And it is about scouring flea markets and antique shops for items that show your style.

It is also bringing home trinkets from your journey through life.

My favorite way to finding stuff is to hunt for vintage treasures at flea markets. It may not yield family heirlooms from my family, but it is a great way to add to collections that I have started from family items.

Like the milk glass collection that I started when I was 14 years old. I got my first piece from my maternal grandmother, and my collection has grown into a bit of an obsession for over 40 years.

If you keep it, let’s see it

Recently on a beach vacation to Mexico, I went on the hunt for treasure. No, I wasn’t searching for Spanish galleon, but simply free treasures washed up on the beach.

As we walked along the sand, enjoying a bit of sunshine and warmth while forgetting the snow and cold back home, I kept my eyes peeled. I was looking for souvenirs. Not something worthy of a museum’s collections, just a bit of rocks, shells, and wood to take home.

At home in our living room, I have a tray basket on the coffee table. It holds vintage glass floats, along with driftwood from vacations we have taken.

Each time I find little treasures from a beach vacation, I bring them home and drop them into the arrangement. They are there to see, as a reminder, of the adventures we have had.

One of my favorite places to display my found beach treasures is in this glass cabinet in our bathroom. It was painted using the color Tea Towel from my Bungalow 47 Furniture Paint line.

Our bathroom was designed with a coastal spa in mind. There are small areas to display little found treasures from trips that we have been on. These items add home decor and sentimental memories of where they were found.

Bringing back the memories

I have a few treasured heirlooms that mean so much, that I love to look at. As a kid, I remember the first time that I saw this little pearl clam shell on my father’s desk, I was mesmerized.

I would pick it up often, imagining its worth and how it came to be, from the sea. This is one of those tokens from my childhood that means so much.

My father’s “library” (as it was known) was my favorite place to be. I designed countless Barbie houses on the floor of that room, laid around in there reading our encyclopedias (yes, I’m still a total book nerd), and held this little treasure with my imagination running wild.

Our library’s collections have disappeared over the years, but some vintage books, and this beloved treasure will stay with me until I am gone. 

Life voices of the past

We all come from somewhere and someone. Often we are interested in honoring those that have gone before us. Many of us do this in a variety of ways.

One of the ways is displaying photos or things that belonged to them. Trinkets and treasures that have belonged to those of the past can add personal style and meaning to home decor.

Displaying sentimental treasures showcases the love and honor we have for those who have gone before. Even if it causes someone to ask “what is this?” or “where did you get this from?” it can bring about conversations of remembering loved ones.

Home decor accessories can have more meaning than just being something pretty to look at. 

Ways to display found treasures

When displaying small treasures, the best way to have them standout is to display them within a larger vessel. Try using:

• wood bowls
• compotes
• trays
• pedestals and risers
• vases
• shadowboxes

Display treasures with like items so they appear as a cohesive collection, or put together a bowl of found oddities for intrigue. Memorabilia can be displayed this way as well. Think of items you have kept that can become a collection in a memory bowl. Add items such as:

• concert tickets
• hotel cards
• matchbooks
• photo booth strips
• found objects
• small carnival toys
• shells
• bead necklaces

Personalize your home

As you make your home a reflection of you, and a place that your loved ones can be comfortable, think of ways to display found items. 

Displaying found treasures and sentimental bits and bobs can add that special touch and personal style to your home decor.

It’s things that like this make a house a home.

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