SALUTE TO Old Glory

Written by KELLY McMASTER

Photography by EMILY KELLEY

Styled by EMILY KELLEY

Celebrating Independence Day in Style

Emily Kelley has a home in Pennsylvania full of found treasures, and a flair for styling them, that immediately caught our attention! It’s always fun to add a splash of red, white, and blue to spaces for the summer months, but it can oftentimes be challenging to know how, where, and what to incorporate. We asked Emily, who has mastered the art of Vintage Americana styling, for her tips and inspirations:

FMD: Please tell us a bit about your home and how you add your festive summer styling?

Emily: My husband is an Army veteran, so patriotic colors are sentimental in our home. I love to use old flags; especially the tattered and torn, the stained ones, the ones that most people throw out. I watch for them at flea markets and grab them whenever I get the chance. The material with the well-worn flags is so much softer and allows the flags to drape nicely.

FMD: Where do you find good spots to mix flags into a vignette?

Emily: A mantel is an ideal spot to hang or drape a flag and add items around it. The large flag draped across the mantel is a 48-star linen flag found at a flea market. I also like to add small flags into my kitchen vignettes, along with my old breadboard and vintage style prints. Old books, ironstone, seashells, and vintage toy sailboats work well for this theme as well. I also have an old schoolhouse flag and flagpole in our dining room, too. I homeschool our children and with a Veteran husband, the flag is a special part of our lives; I like to have them on display.

FMD: Do you have any tips on where to find pieces that fit into a Vintage Americana style?

Emily: I love to stroll through flea markets when the weather is nice (Pennsylvania winters pretty much limit this to spring and summer seasons), antique stores, and I consistently watch Facebook Marketplace and auctions for goodies. Retailers such as Antique Farmhouse, Etsy and eBay offer neat “found items” along with vintage-style new pieces. I also like to find pieces and utilize them in “out of the box” way. If an item is rusty, chippy, or junky, it is probably calling my name and fits my “junktique” style.