If you follow my blog, you likely have a love for antique home decor, too.

Round Top, Texas is a small city that packs a huge punch with one of the best antique shows in the United States. Antique vendors, artisans, and even new furniture and home decor companies worldwide come to this event.

I used this antique fair as an opportunity to take my antique farmhouse decor projects to the next level by hunting for one-of-a-kind treasures with my family.

Normally, I’m not one to share trip photos, but I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to show you how I shop for antique home decor without getting overwhelmed.

That’s why this week I’m sharing tips on how I plan for an antiquing fair and some special moments from our mini getaway with my family, including the charming farmhouse Airbnb we rented.

Let’s dive into this Round Top antiquing experience!

Preparing For Antique Shopping: Create A Wish List

Before shopping at any flea market or antique show/fair, I always walk around my home and consider the types of home decor and furniture I’m looking for.

Here are some of the things I keep in mind as I assess my home:

• My color scheme
• The scale of my room and existing furniture pieces
• Fabrics, patterns, and finishes
• Current collections of items

If you’ve ever gone antiquing, you’ll know that you can plan as much as you’d like, but you’ll never really know what you’re going to find — that’s part of the excitement. However, I still recommend that you start with a list so you don’t end up stuffing your car with pieces that don’t belong in your home.

Curious as to what was on my wish list?

• A collection/group of antique artwork to go over my sofa
• An antique-style desk

I know it’s not much of a “list,” but I made sure to be intentional in my selections, so I could stay focused and use my money wisely on this trip and avoid making a costly mistake.

I find it helpful to take photos on my phone of my space. That way while I’m shopping, I can imagine how a piece would function with my existing farmhouse/French-country decor.

Here’s an example of a home project I’m working on.

I have this long sofa that I haven’t yet found the perfect artwork to display above it. My intention for this trip was to treasure hunt a one-of-a-kind piece or collection of artwork to hang.

The antique desk made it onto my list because my work office desperately needs a facelift.

I’ve gone back and forth looking at modular designs, modern ones, desks with filing storage — but I haven’t landed on the perfect desk to match my farmhouse/French country-style aesthetic.

I know a beautiful antique writing table desk is what’s going to inspire me to do my best work in my office space.

Pro Tip: Measure the trunk of your car before you head out the door or rent a U-Haul with measurements of what you can fit in your vehicle. Otherwise, be prepared to ship the item to your home from the show.

Arriving at Round Top | The Farmhouse Tour

The drive to Round Top was about 90 minutes door-to-door.

Day one started with us touring the grounds of our charming rented farmhouse.

If you’re planning a family trip to Round Top for a couple of days, as we did, I highly suggest renting a similar type of Airbnb or booking a hotel. You may want more than a few hours of perusing the isles of home decor and furniture and need a place to lay your head after all the walking you’ll do.

Pro-Tip: Book well ahead of time, if you want to stay in Round Top.

Of course, I have to give you a tour of this house!

Coming through the front door, we were greeted by a beautiful morning room with rocking chairs and small side tables, perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee. Honestly, I could get my caffeine-fix sitting in any room of the house because it was so well furnished with comfy seating areas.

From the chalk-painted side tables, chippy chests of drawers, quilted bedding, wood-paneled ceiling, frosted glass kitchen cabinets, and hardwood floors — this house was truly a farmhouse experience.

Let The Antiquing Begin

Even with the specific wishlist I made, I still went to Round Top with an open mind because you never know what you’ll stumble upon. That is truly the most exciting part!

For instance, I fell in love with a dusty blue, antique chinoiserie screen that I could not pass up. It makes for the perfect backdrop of a wall. It had a couple of tears in it, but I almost always overlook these sorts of flaws because they add to the charm of the piece.

Sometimes four plain white walls won’t do the trick. That’s why I love looking for decor like this. You can layer it behind a seating area or bed to create visual interest with some gorgeous unexpected detail.

I found a few other amazing hidden gems that weren’t on my list. My husband found a few comfortable chairs to plop into. Rohan stumbled upon a cool antique foyer safe, and Coco even made some four-legged friends.

As I was walking along, there were so many beautiful chippy painted and distressed pieces of furniture, old Swedish-style clocks, chicken wire, creamware, ironware, stoneware, old paintings, old books, trays — it was so much overload that I’m glad I didn’t stray too far off my initial wishlist.

What Happens When You Don’t Find What You’re Looking For

Though I stumbled upon a few beautiful antique-style desks, I ultimately decided they weren’t the right fit for a couple of reasons.

 Because I have two monitors I work from, I need a desk with a large enough surface area to accommodate my setup. Although I loved the look of these antique-style desks, many of them were either secretary or writing desk styles, which were too small for my needs.

I was so disappointed because I was itching to find the perfect antique-style desk, but at least it gives me something to look forward to on my next hunt.

When you don’t find what you’re looking for it can be a bit of a let-down, BUT I’d rather spend intentionally and avoid a costly mistake than go home with vintage decor that just doesn’t work.

Why You Should Shop For Vintage Furniture and Decor

When you go out and look for pieces to put into your home that are out of the ordinary, it does a couple of things for your home design.

First, it says a lot about your personality.

For example, my husband loves to look for statement furniture, big pieces, pieces with paws on them, and lion faces because that’s what he’s drawn to. He’s a conqueror-type of personality, and these sorts of items reflect that.

Secondly, hunting through pre-loved items gives you that one-of-a-kind charm in your home design.

A few pieces that add unique quirks are the factors that take the design of your space from cookie-cutter to a home that reflects you, your personality, and your family history.

Lastly, antique shows like Round Topare made up of small businesses.

I love supporting events like this to contribute to and support our community directly. Every participation and penny spent goes back into the community and fuels more events like this.

When you don’t have an antique fair close to where you live, you can always look for a quaint antique shop or thrift store in your community to enjoy the same thrill of the hunt.

If you’re itching to see my haul — the pieces that weren’t on my list, but I couldn’t leave without — stay tuned for a future video where I share my Round Top haul.

And if you’re itching to have the same thrill of the hunt, please stop by to visit our Houston store, Village Antiques. You’ll be sure to find a large variety of unique one-of-a-kind home decor that will help make your home authentically you.

Thank you for letting me share my family’s Round Top antique adventure with you.

Until the next time we meet, keep making your home amazing with your design gifts!

Inspiring you to create heart in your home,

Amitha