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Antique and Vintage Gift Ideas

Laura Roland shares a collection of vintage gifts that will please the party-throwers on your list.
Antique French pickling jar filled with feathered eucalyptus and ripe persimmons.

Photo by Jacqueline Marque

At Laura's parents' New Orleans pied-a-terre, feathered eucalyptus overflows an antique French pickling jar filled with ripe persimmons.

With the arrival of the holidays comes a calendar full of gatherings and parties. And what better way to show appreciation to a gracious host than with a gift that can be used for the next celebration—and many more to come. Interior designer and antiquarian Laura Roland shares her “Must-Haves for the Modern-Day Host.” The essential antique and vintage gifts on this list are sure to please any entertainer—even the one who has everything.

Vintage, round, English breadboards on wooden tabletop

Photo courtesy of Fireside Antiques

1. Antique Breadboard – Round or rectangular, English or French, an antique breadboard makes a pretty yet practical gift. Its timeworn patina brings warmth into a clean, contemporary kitchen and offers a forgiving surface for chopping veggies and serving charcuterie.

Red-painted metal, antique bottle carrier

Photo courtesy of Fireside Antiques

Old Paris porcelain plates on tabletop

Photo courtesy of Fireside Antiques

2. Antique Bottle Carrier – Once reserved for hauling milk jugs, an antique bottle carrier makes a fun, colorful caddy for flatware when entertaining outdoors or buffet-style.

3. Old Paris Porcelain – A favorite of Marie Antoinette, the hand-painted serving pieces in this centuries-old collection work double duty today. Fill a finger bowl with olives, lemon wedges, or other accoutrements, or use a plate to hold a grouping of pilar candles.

an array of green and brown antique pickling jars

Photo courtesy of Fireside Antiques

Antique tea caddy with shield keyhole and metal lion's feet

Photo courtesy of Fireside Antiques

4. Antique Pickling Jar – Ranging in hues from emerald to olive green, an antique pickling jar is strong in stature which makes it the perfect weight and height for arranging tall branches or long-stemmed flowers (see arrangement above).

5. Antique Tea Caddy – It’s a gift that even the coffee lover will cherish. These handsome boxes corral anything and everything from corks or matchbooks on a bar to car keys on a console.

Tour of one of Laura’s favorite design projects—her parents’ historic French Quarter pied-à-terre, and see her antique-lover’s library in our Baton Rouge Showhouse.

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