Antiques and vintage treasures add Old World holiday charm and character to this holiday home.
Vintage pieces are cherished for the stories they hold in their worn and weathered appearance. At the holidays, this feeling is amplified by memories of Christmases past. Leben Riebe, a collector of vintage and antique Christmas décor and holiday-home-designer extraordinaire, enjoys displaying vintage pieces in his Fort Worth, Texas, home throughout the year, but especially at Christmastime.
From vintage ornaments to antique trees to Putz houses, Leben gathers pieces from around the world to give a sense of traditional Christmas flavor to the overall look and feel of his home. “I strive for a warm and fuzzy feeling with my holiday décor—a feeling of nostalgia and comfort that I think only vintage holiday décor can really bring,” he says.
The Treasure Hunt
Leben has mastered the different avenues for finding just the right piece for his vintage collection by doing some research. Between antiques shops and shows, estate sales, Instagram, Facebook Marketplace and eBay, he has been able to amass his current collection. Out of all those options, eBay has proven to be the best for procuring exactly what he is looking for. “eBay is also a great resource to get an idea of the value of something if I am in a shop,” he says. “Doing this little bit of research has helped me avoid overpaying many times.”
Originally, Leben had started his vintage Christmas collection to fill an entire full-sized Christmas tree, but over time that has expanded into the rest of his home. When it comes to adding more to his holiday collection, he selects carefully, only choosing items that catch his eye. “I buy what I come across that I think will fit in with my overall displays,” he says. “Once I have a couple of the same type of ornament or one of a particular style of Putz house, I find it harder to buy more unless it is a style I just am particularly fond of or I find it for a really exceptional deal.”
A Cut Above. Leben took the festive décor outdoors to create this fun and welcoming holiday scene. “I used colorful LED vintage-style large Christmas lights and garlands with red bows,” he says. “I made the wood cutouts of Santa, sleigh, reindeer and choirboys with vintage patterns from the 1950s.”
Colors play an important role in Leben’s design and serve as the primary inspiration for his holiday décor. “I love the color palettes of antique and vintage Christmas ornaments and decorations.”
Setting the Scenes
Creating his holiday home takes quite a bit of time and effort, but with a large helping of fun and spontaneous style. “I usually spend the whole year thinking about Christmas and how overall I want certain trees and places in my house to look, so I do have a general outline in mind by the time I start decorating,” Leben says. “But when it comes down to it, I just wing it and try to have fun, and things tend to change along the way.”
Bird Wreath. Glass clip-on birds, another Old World vintage touch, nestle into this charming wreath adorning the dining room doors. “The birds vary in ages, but most were made in Germany from about 1920 to 1950,” Leben says.
To avoid boring repetition, Leben will often change the location of items, color scheme, ornament styles and arrangements of various pieces. This is especially seen in his Putz house collection on the mantel. “The first bit of decorating I start with each year is my Putz house village,” he says. “It is the fiddliest bit of decorating and I spend quite a bit of time making sure I get it just right.” These houses bring Leben lots of joy and a touch of whimsy. “I find myself wondering about the residents and what their lives must be like in their little confectionery world,” he says.
A European Touch. Leben’s stunning tree is a new piece made to look vintage. “I flocked my living room tree in lilac and draped the branches in handfuls of vintage tinsel,” he says. “I chose vintage Soviet and Polish glass ornaments for their beautiful retro colors.”
Colors play an important role in Leben’s design and serve as his primary inspiration when it comes to holiday décor. “I love the color palettes of antique and vintage Christmas ornaments and decorations,” he says. “The mixing of pinks, blues, purples, yellows, browns and, of course, reds and greens really make a statement.” Throughout his home, the arrangements bring together different textures, colors and patterns for just the right blend of charm, nostalgia and Christmas magic.
Mantel Magic. Garland, vintage Christmas cards and blow molds add a festive feel under Leben’s village-adorned mantel in the living room. “I particularly like the soldier blow molds and the cutesy charm they add to the room,” he says.
Blending New + Old. Pieces do not have to be authentically antique to complement a vintage-inspired design. “I have always loved nutcrackers, and while most of these I have amassed on this chest are newer and not vintage, I think they complement the overall vintage scheme,” Leben says.
Architectural Arch. Working with the various architectural and design features in your home while decorating helps give your décor a more organic, cozy feel. “This arch between my dining room and kitchen provides a perfect opportunity to display even more vintage ornaments,” Leben says. “I have chosen larger, mostly Polish, ornaments for their lovely teardrop shapes.”
Backdrop Beauty. This peek from the dining room into the living room gives all the cozy Christmas vibes. Leben’s passion for the holiday even influenced his year-round design choices for this space. “I chose the wall colors of both rooms with the intent that they would be the best backdrop for my vintage holiday decorations,” he says.
A German Treasure. This little blue feather tree is one of Leben’s special treasures. These were the first artificial trees made in Germany circa late 1800s with goose feathers dyed in a variety of colors. He found it in an antiques store. “The ornaments are mostly antique German-made specifically for these small feather trees,” he adds.
Everyday Blues. A bit of blue blends into the reds and greens of traditional Christmas colors in Leben’s dining room. “I love to layer my vintage holiday collections over my existing everyday home décor,” he says.
A Favorite Vignette. In the dining room, Leben mixes colors, patterns and textures to create visually exciting spaces full of festive charm. Here, he combines vintage Santa mugs with pieces from his Delft Blue collection. “I love the contrast in style and color, and this is one of my favorite vignettes,” he says.
Peekaboo View. Vintage pinecone elves mischievously pop out of vintage teacups.
Everything Has a Place. Using furniture to place your miscellaneous holiday finds is a great way to still incorporate them without disturbing the look and feel of other spaces. “I use this small cupboard in my mudroom to display quirky and kitschy little treasures that do not necessarily fit elsewhere in my home,” Leben says.
Playful Friends. Leben displays much of his vintage blow-mold collection on top of his mudroom cupboard. The seated Santas are vintage 1940s stuffed toys. “They look a bit mischievous when placed on chairs,” he says.
Glassware and Greenery. Old and new come together in this table setting featuring vintage glassware, fresh greenery, and other festive pieces.
Bow Ties. This antique hall tree serves as the perfect display for Christmas decor. “I tied red ribbons to a small real tree and used more garland and vintage ornaments around the hall tree,” Leben says. “The transferware plates are always on the wall, but I used silk fabric to make bows and ribbon and placed them behind make them feel more festive.”
Putz Village Pride. Leben’s vintage 1930s Putz village is the crowning achievement of his holiday décor. “Each house has a round hole in the back in which a Christmas light is placed to illuminate the windows,” he says. “The houses are made of paperboard and are covered in a glittery material that resembles the colorful shredded coconut used on cakes. Some are quite detailed and some are really quirky. They often have small hand-painted figures of snowmen, children or Santas in the front lawns.”
