We Love Ree Drummond's Advice For Adding A Vintage, 'Flea Market' Feel To Your Kitchen

Whether you're a Pioneer Woman cosplayer or more of a verdant, boho kitchen style girlie, some bits of decor can split the difference and appeal across even more design categories with aplomb. One of down-home celebrity chef and restaurateur Ree Drummond's kitchen design tips has just that kind of crossover value, with tons of possible approaches to find the look that complements your own home's tableau.

"I've always loved a cabinet full of dinnerware to have a little bit of a 'collected through the years' look," Drummond told E! News on the occasion of her own houseware line's expansion in 2021. "I designed my line to have a little bit of a flea market feel, with vintage flowers and beautiful colors, so that it could be mixed and matched and made into a collection all one's own." This shopping strategy sounds like it would be easy enough; simply nabbing pretty little things everywhere you go. But it actually requires patience, restraint, and even a bit of discipline to build an intentionally eclectic menagerie that doesn't end up looking randomly mismatched.

To start putting Ree Drummond's kitchen decor guidance into action, you'll need to actually visit flea markets. And estate sales, thrift shops, and open air bazaars (which all have different use cases). Heck, even the impulse buy sections at big off-price department stores might have the occasional find. Wherever you're sourcing your treasures, you'll need to identify a theme and stick to it, lest you accumulate a bunch of junk destined for the garage sale — another place you might actually find your next favorite piece.

Once you've settled on a broad motif like coastal chic or even a more narrow focus like illustrated botanicals, that will help you edit out ancillary items as you go. Something like bumblebee-printed tea cups might seem cute in the moment, for example, but unless they're aligned with your bigger picture you can leave them for someone more dedicated to such wildlife. You'll also need to commit to a slow start. It's unlikely that you'll be able to assemble a whole flea market-style kitchen in one weekend. It can take a long time to mix and match plateware for an ultimately unique dining set, for example. But think of how much fun you'll have browsing on vacations, lazy Sundays, and even the occasional everyday errand.