What defines vintage home decor is the intensity and depth the vintage pieces add to a room. The vintage pieces will make a room a lot more interesting to the eye. The pieces have history and character; they do not have to "collectables" to be a great vintage find.
You can get a real sense of appreciation for the old when you incorporate them with the new. It is not necessary that the pieces necessarily be furniture or even home decorating items. An old butter churn or a wrought iron table meant for a patio can make an excellent conversation piece in an abandoned corner. Most people think vintage is for only for the outdoors but you can create a lovely living space using vintage items.
Depressed glass makes a great decorating accent. Vintage is where being eclectic and be the beginnings of an elegant and tasteful room. If you do have some old collectables making them a focal point in a display will add character to any room.
One of the best places to find vintage items would be a local flea market. You can get great finds for every room in your house. For your kitchen look for some nautical hardware, they give new life to old kitchen cabinets as latches. For the laundry there was a great look found in Elle, it was a bath with a clothespin spun wallpaper and framed pictures of irons from days gone by.
If you have mantels over a fireplace or anywhere else in a room you have great display opportunity for vintage items. Wooden spoons bowls mason jars filled with decorative beads make a fine accent in any room. Personalize a plain rug with your own art. If you cannot draw, try using a stencil and an acrylic paint to create one of kind flooring designs.
When decorating, take stock of the area in which you live. There are great local artist that would enjoy the patronage as well as give to you the opportunity to decorate with some original pieces.
Finally for storage antiques are great. The armoires, chest of drawers and bookcases from a long ago era can enjoy new life in your home. They are interesting to look at and provide more storage space than the ones made today.
Vintage decorating is about the cohabitation of different eras to provide a fresh new look in any space. You can find more ideas online and even a few of the items mentioned here.