Woman Finds The Holy Grail Of Vintage Heart Cutout Treasures

Is your true love waiting in the aisles of your favorite thrift store? A secondhand shopping trip left TikTok creator Jess Petersen falling for several vintage wooden shelves, including some with those iconic simple heart cutouts. If the grandmacore design trend has you in a chokehold, you know just how coveted these folksy, vintage pieces are when you discover them on a thrift store shelf. And you're not alone, which makes the competition through secondhand venues a little stiffer — whether it's heart-cutout pieces or other vintage finds like spoon holders, the forgotten thrift store find you can use to make simple wall decor.

This particular thrifting fan found several vintage wood pieces, including two matching shelves with heart cutouts in them. A larger shelf features a three-dimensional wood bow at the top and a small heart cutout door below. And another larger shelf has pegs along the bottom and two doors with heart shapes cut into the wood. But it wasn't just shelves that delivered lots of love — the drive also unearthed a magazine holder with large wood hearts forming the ends. Heart cutout finds would work perfectly in a cottagecore living room, but you can work those vintage touches into many different styles. You just have to get out there and start thrifting yourself.

Country-style wooden items with heart shapes were prominent in the 1980s and 1990s, which qualifies them as vintage. Most of the wooden items in this category are stained, but you will find some pieces that are painted a solid color or have painted detailing. Shelves seem to dominate the heart decor from these eras. A popular style is a single wall shelf with a heart cutout, but you'll also find larger pieces with cutout doors, like this creator, or an opening along the top. It's also possible to find hanging decor in the highly sought-after shape.

This particular creator resells some of her thrift store finds, but many thrifters scoop them up for their personal use. That means you'll have a lot of competition, so being diligent with your thrift store trips will help. Check the listings for local estate sales to see if any heart items are listed, or if the general vibe of a sale makes heart-shaped treasures a strong possibility. Finding the best items at an estate sale is easier when you arrive early. Garage sales could also land you the vintage wooden pieces of your dreams.

To maintain the grandma vibe, clean up the wood but leave it the same color. Lean into the style by draping vintage doilies on the shelf and topping it with decor pieces. If you want to modernize it, a fresh coat of stain or paint will do the trick. You could also add fabric, contrasting wood, or another material to the back side of the heart so a different color pattern shows through.