Vintage glassware can add a little charm to any home. But sourcing the right pieces can be challenging. If you're wondering what to look for when you're buying vintage glassware, keep reading for expert insights.
But first, why is vintage glassware trending in 2026? According to design experts, adding antiques to your decor is an effective way to make your home feel more personal and charming. Just think of how chic it would be to pull out a set of vintage cocktail glasses at your next party!
Additionally, vintage glass is statement-making but approachable. While finding space for a vintage chair or antique console table can be impossible in many homes (not to mention costly), nearly anyone can find space in their home and budget for a vintage vase or decorative bowl.
We also asked experts for tips on how to care for your vintage glass pieces. While some antiques can actually be more durable than modern-day items, they're generally not meant to be put in the dishwasher or microwave, for instance. Like many antique kitchen items, your glassware is probably going to require hand washing.
Below, experts identify the vintage pieces you'll want to look for the next time you're browsing the thrift store.
Vintage Glassware to Collect
Handblown Glass Bowls
There are particular vintage glassware pieces that are trending, and it’s easy to see why. Some glassware is particularly colorful or distinctive, making them the stars of the show in a space. People are enjoying colorful mid-twentieth century handblown bowls from Murano, Italy, as Noralen Curl, a JustAnswer fine art and antiques expert and accredited appraiser, says. In past eras, they were used as hard candy bowls, and can still serve the same purpose today.
Swung Vases
With their elongated necks and irregular, petal-shaped mouths, and vibrant hues, it’s hard to miss a midcentury swung vase. Spotted frequently on episodes of Mad Men, these vases have grown in popularity. Sebastian Frost of @NomadicFindsVintage is an avid glassware collector and seller, and says that he frequently sells swung vases in his booths from the likes of Viking, L.E. Smith, and Fenton.
Retired Swarovski Crystal
Headquartered in Austria, the Swarovski brand was started all the way back in 1895, and is still going strong today. But according to Bob Lang, President of Blue Moon Estate Sales, vintage Swarovski crystal has become collectible. Be on the lookout for Swarovski crystal candlesticks, drinking glasses, and figurines that were manufactured before 1980.
Cocktail Glasses
“Instead of ‘cookie cutter’ fast-trend glasses from big-box stores, one can show their personality by carefully curating a collection of mid-mod cocktail glasses for your home bar,” Curl says. Look for glasses with charming atomic shapes, or groovy florals, and owls from the maker Georges Briard, along with ones with gold detailing from Libbey.
Jadeite
The green opaque milk glass jadeite has made a major comeback recently, with even Martha Stewart and Cracker Barrel mirroring vintage designs. To score real-deal vintage jadeite pieces, Curl recommends looking for maker marks on the bottoms of mugs and bowls, with names like Fire-King, McKee, and Jeanette, as Curl shares. She also suggests “feeling the heft of the piece itself.”
Buying & Maintenance Tips
✔️ Consider practical uses. While it’s fun to beautifully display vintage glassware, be mindful of their utilitarian uses so you’re interacting with them regularly. “A baseline start is to consider what items would bring you joy and why?” Curl says.
✔️ Shop in-person. “The best place to find quality pieces is at vintage and antique stores,” Frost says. “You can also get lucky at estate sales, thrift stores, and garage sales. Online shopping websites like eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Instagram, and others can also be used, but shipping prices start to add up, and it saddens me when amazing pieces break while shipping.”
✔️ Practice “slow” maintenance. “Vintage glassware, though durable, needs to be maintained more slowly,” Curl points out. “Hand-washing and drying pieces takes longer, yet prolongs the life of the item for generations to come.” Lang adds that it’s important to take care with pieces with colored details, such as carnival glass with its iridescent, spray-on finish that can be ruined by cleaning agents or high heat.
✔️ Do your homework. “It’s important to do your research,” Frost says. “I have collected books and websites that I use as references often.”
✔️ Look for valuable pieces. If you find vintage glassware for a steal at a garage sale, you might be pleased to know that it’s worth a lot more than you paid. “Some colors such as red or orange or jadeite may be worth more as they were sometimes more expensive to produce or less frequently developed,” Lang says. “Similarly, painted pieces are often more rare with handcrafted details.”
Shelby Deering is a freelance lifestyle writer who frequently covers home design and decor for national publications. She has worked as a full-time freelance writer for over a decade, and has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years, writing home tours, interviewing top designers, and beautifying her own home. She holds a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and when she's not writing, you can find her at thrift stores and flea markets, running, or exploring local trails in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and corgi, Dolly.
