Best of Etsy : Vintage Blue & White Porcelain

BySarah Gibson April 15, 2021April 14, 2021

It has been quite awhile since I’ve shared a Best of Etsy post (last July actually), but I was talking to Peggi about this series over the weekend and I realized I miss deep diving into Etsy! I’m always on the hunt for one thing… vintage blue & white porcelain. Since we chatted about that particular topic earlier this week in the 10 Design Elements That Will Never Go Out of Style post, I figured I was long overdue to roundup the best blue & white on Etsy. Want to see what I came up with? I’m also sharing some incredible inspiration from my friend, Gwen- the queen of blue & white porcelain. Click through for the good stuff!

I sprinkle blue & white throughout my house, but in small ways… here & there for a pop of color. I’d love to someday build a collection large enough to group multiples and take up more physical space (like you’ll see from Gwen later in this post).

Most of the blue & white porcelain I own was picked up during my travels. The last time we visited Amsterdam, I came home with this mini ginger jar that has been living in our kitchen ever since. I usually end up with smaller pieces since I usually find them while traveling- they’re difficult to transport home.

My favorite blue & white porcelain item is definitely the lamp in our guest bedroom, pictured below. It was an accidental Facebook Marketplace find. I showed up to pick up one FBMP item and ended up going through the guy’s garage, and found this lamp…

Ready to see what I dug up on Etsy?

Shop my finds by clicking directly on each blue & white piece below (it may take a moment to load)!

Pretty amazing, right? There are some incredible pieces floating around out there. If you’re looking to add to your existing loot, or a start a blue & white collection of your own- I hope this roundup is helpful. I’d love to hear your favorites!

Best of Etsy : Vintage Blue & White Porcelain - roomfortuesday.com — source : the makerista

Now let’s admire some of Gwen’s beautiful blue & white collection. She styles them so well and has SO many pieces. While these are great styled on their own, her home is the perfect example as to how they can look in multiples. I love the impact when they’re grouped together. That’s why I’m always hunting for more… to expand my collection. Id love to find some larger pieces.

Want to see more Best or Etsy roundups? I’ll link some past posts below… I’ve done a LOT of Etsy shopping over the years. It’s an awesome way to support small businesses, makers, artists, and source vintage. I’d also love to hear your ideas for more Etsy roundups!

If you’re not following along already, join Gwen’s thrift club to see how and where she scores all of the amazing blue & white (plus lots of other pieces)! Her thrift club is one of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow. I’m actually hitting an estate sale tomorrow morning and I know for certain there will be blue & white. I’m hoping I can get lucky and grab it before someone else does. I’ll keep you posted and show you our haul! I’m taking Jordan (she works at Tuesday Made with me) along and I’m excited to finally have an estate sale partner in crime. Send us all the good luck and have an amazing weekend! Emmett & I have to finish our scuba certification course (something we’ve always wanted to do!), so we’re planning one day of weekend work, either outside or on the office renovation and one day doing scuba. Here’s to hoping we pass! I hope your weekend is equally as exciting. Let’s make it a good one! See you back here on Monday, friends.

18 Comments

Peggi says:

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Oh Etsy, my favorite time stealer! And, hello blue and white porcelain! I love how you can find blue and white with different origins and motifs. You unearthed some intriguing shapes…numbers 11, 18 and 28 (wowza!!) are fab! I favor the Chinese motifs of cherry blossoms and dragons. I see Gwen finding Delft pieces on her thrift adventures, and I never stumble on any of that in our area. I did score some Meissen Blue Onion plates that I adore! Dishes are really all of my blue and white; I don’t have vases or ginger jars..or lamps! I definitely covet a pair of lamps! I’ve only found singles in the wild. Speaking of vintage safaris, I hope you have amazing luck with your estate sale today! Etsy affords hours of organized browsing, but nothing’s better than combing through strangers’ dusty castoffs…with a friend!🤣
(Good luck with your scuba certification, although just thinking about it makes my chest tighten with anxiety!)

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1. Sarah says:
  
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  Mine, too! I am always fascinated by the patterns, origins, and shapes of blue & white porcelain. It’s so interesting! My favorite patterns are the florals, but I really love them all. Like you, I very rarely come across Delft pieces in my area. I’m also envious of Gwen’s KC prices… most of the items here in SLC are much more expensive. Your Meissen Blue Onion plates sound incredible! What a set! I’ve only found single lamps in the wild, so you’re not alone. Today I scored a tiny blue & white lamp with a pleated shade, but I need to rewire it. I bought, brought it home, plugged it in, and it doesn’t work. Womp womp! It’s cute though. The estate sale was a smashing success- we ended up with SO many good things: art history books, original art, tons of brass, blue & white, a marble table, etc. I’m happy it worked out because we waited 40 minutes in line in the snow, to get into the house. Ha! What a day for an estate sale. I’m over the snow! You’re right- nothing compares to combing through strangers’ dusty castoffs. It was the best day and Jordan said her first estate sale was fun and she’d be willing to go again with me, so that’s a win. Hope you’re having better weather than we are and have a great weekend ahead. It’s almost pizza Friday :)
  
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Lauren says:

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Wowza-stunning roundup! I adore blue and white porcelain! It’s one of my favorite styling elements to stumble upon. It appeals so well to an individual’s style-no two pieces are ever the same. For me it’s like studying the patterns of a great toile wallpaper-surprises everywhere, but overall the whimsical, romantic charm calls to my soul. I gravitate towards the large and medium scale floral prints, or the leafy vine prints bordered with a geometric shape-if it has an element of geometric shapes it’s a huge plus for me! After your timeless styling post I realized that there are two pieces of blue and white porcelain I own: a gorgeous pot for plants that was given to me when a family member passed (it had a lovely plant that was introduced to my black thumb), and a large ginger jar that holds my grandmother’s ashes (that piece is perhaps my favorite pattern ever). I would love to plant something lovely in the pot and put it back on display in our entry, but plants and this home continue to elude me. For now, maybe I can utilize it in a different way. Any creative ideas? Like Peggi, I’ll probably run off on an Etsy tangent later today- thanks for the lovely Etsy reminder! I always forget Etsy as a resource for all things, but love combing through the treasure trove. Good luck on your scuba test-I have to admit I’m a bit jealous! Happy Thursday!

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1. Sarah says:
  
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  Me too, Lauren! I also love the surprising, romantic, and whimsical charm it adds to a space. I’m all about the florals! Your blue & white pieces sound so gorgeous and special. I can relate to keeping plants alive in a different home. We’re in the same boat there, so I can’t be very helpful on that topic. Ha! Maybe try a faux plant? A dried boxwood sphere or topiary? Or just leave it empty and let the pattern speak for itself! Depending on the size, you could use it as a catchall, shelf styling object, or style it on the mantle? Etsy really is the best for finding vintage treasures. It’s a great resource. I’m excited to finally have the certification, but am a little nervous about passing. Haha! Wish me luck ;) Have an amazing weekend!! xo
  
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2. Anne H says:
  
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  Oooooo, how about a toile etsy deep dive???
  
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  1. Lauren says:
    
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    Anne, you’re speaking my language!!😍😍
    
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Danna F says:

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I have always liked ginger jars, hexagonal pots, tea pots, & vases. I have never really liked or looked at blue & white porcelain. I agree that it is looks nice all grouped and displayed together. Your lamp was a good find. Love those kind of stories.
Good luck on scuba testing. We all love to snorkel when we go on vacations. It’s funny because I am the one who is terrified of sharks and scuba certified! I keep saying my husband and kids need to do it. Have a great Thursday & weekend!

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1. Sarah says:
  
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  I loved them grouped together too, Danna. How cool that you’re also scuba certified! I’ll admit- the process is definitely more intense than I expected. We’ve been working on the online portion all week long and take our final exam tonight. Here’s to hoping I pass! Haha! We also enjoy snorkeling and taking in all of the ocean scenes. It’s so beautiful! Hope you’re having a great day and have a fabulous weekend ahead :) xo
  
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Kinga says:

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Oh one of my favorite topics, this and gueridon en marbre – small piedestał tables with marble (I need one in my life, I’ve seen a few of them lately, in perfect shape, but I can’t go over 10km from my home uh). Just yesterday I bought white and blue porcelain lamp, it’s old and French (I live in France right know), but the tricky part is the old lamps have a very specific French bulb thread – all is well as long as I’m here, but it’s my 3 old French lamp hmm 😉 (in few room we don’t have overhead lights, so that’s my excuse ha).
I also loved everything from your previous post, great work like always.

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1. Sarah says:
  
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  Hi Kinga! Perfect timing. I went to an estate sale this morning, and we ended up with a beautiful gueridon en marbre! Your blue & white French lamp sounds incredible- and functional for your space. Great find! Thanks so much for sharing and for your kind words :)
  
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Anne H says:

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Beautiful roundup and Gwen’s collection is stunning. Blue & white porcelain has alway been a bit too traditional for me, however, my late mom used to have a vintage Dutch Holland Delft wall mounted coffee grinder that I would love to have today. Alas, when she was downsizing years ago, she ended up selling so many of her antique pieces and it appears that was one of them. As I kid, while I pretty much hated having to visit ALLLLLL the antique stores within a 50 mile radius when we were on vacations, I of course, now look back on it with fondness and wish I had several of her pieces that I grew to love over the years. 💙So excited you had a partner and crime with you at the sale – always great to divide and conquer!

Speaking of Etsy, I still have some of the wood hands you linked to a while back, favorited, but I haven’t pulled the trigger because I’m still hoping you’ll find someone to make some for TuesdayMade. A girl can dream, can’t she? Do you ever watch the AD At Home video’s on YouTube featuring celebrity houses & mega mansions for sale? One of the more recent ones was Daveed Diggs and Emmy Raver-Lampman’s sweet L.A. Home and guess what was on the coffee table in their living room??? 👋Yup, a big wooden hand. SO wild. (It’s at about the 3:09 mark.) Definitely check it out the whole video, though – one of the coolest celebrity homes I’ve seen – so much personality, color and style – and she gives lots of credit to her designer. 🧡The record room she surprised him with was just the sweetest.

Good luck w/ your certification, Sarah! While I love to snorkel, the thought of scuba diving totally freaks me out. It’s snowing here today, too – we’re currently in Winter Park – and we’re sooo over it! Here’s to dreaming of island getaways!

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1. Sarah says:
  
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  Thanks, Anne! Your mom’s Delft wall mounted coffee grinder sounds AMAZING! I’m trying to envision it. I love that you have happy memories antique shopping with her- that’s so special. Jordan and I definitely divided and conquered. Ha! It was really fun, and nice to have someone to wait in line with. It makes the time pass more quickly. I am struggling to find someone to make wood hands I’m happy with. We’ve bought samples from 3-4 artists and they’re just not what I had envisioned. I’m not giving up, but if you want one- no hard feelings at all to snag one from the Etsy roundup. I so appreciate you thinking of me and our small business though :) You really are the best! I wanted the home tour (I hadn’t seen it)- so cool! Thank you for sharing that. I feel like I have a new YouTube series to binge now. Loved that! Luckily we passed phase 1 and 2 of snorkel cert, but have a couple more to complete. I also love snorkeling! Now that we’re both fully vaccinated, we may or may not have a beach trip planned. Ha! Hope your weekend was amazing :)
  
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  1. Anne H says:
    
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    Such a bummer the hands aren’t working out. Three or 4, too?! Wow. We shall see though, I really like yours so much more than the others I’ve seen anyway. What did you think of Daveed & Emmy’s hand? What you could see of it anyway!
    
    I actually haven’t watched a ton of them (so many people I don’t know featured!), but I also really enjoyed Aaron Paul’s Idaho house (a sauna w/a view? a stuffed peacock? yes please!), Mandy Moore, and Dakota Johnson’s, but I still want to live in Daveed & Emmy’s. They could stay, too – just an adorable & sweet couple! 😄
    
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    1. Sarah says:
      
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      I know. If you know of any amazing woodworking artists, please let me know! I love theirs- they really do seem to be the sweetest :) Thanks again for sharing that!
      
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Kristie Baysinger says:

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I love this post! You and Gwen are my style go tos for decor in my home! You already know I love your kitchen and living room, well my master bedroom and library are literally Gwen look alikes too. So glad you admire her stuff as well and you bet I’m part of her The Makerista thrift club too!

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1. Sarah says:
  
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  Well you made my day, Kristie! Gwen has such an amazing aesthetic. I’m honored to be included alongside her, and your home is equally as gorgeous :) Hope your week is off to an amazing start! xox
  
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Jennifer Laura says:

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I love blue and white so much, this is such a great round-up!!

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1. Sarah says:
  
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  Thank you! It’s one of my favorite combinations, too :)
  
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Best of Etsy : Vintage Blue & White Porcelain

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