Inspiration for Decorating with Vintage Pyrex

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Love the look of vintage Pyrex or have a small collection of your own, but don’t know how to display it in your home? I’m sharing a few of the ways I’ve decorated with Pyrex in two of our homes—both with very different looks. Hope you’ll be inspired to get yours out and start using it after reading this post!

How My Love of Vintage Pyrex Started…

I started collecting vintage Pyrex around 2011/2012 I think. I had a few pieces from my grandma, including the small red bowls that belong to the Pyrex Hostess Set, pictured above. I remember eating cereal out of them at her house whenever we would visit, so it was so special to me to get them when she passed away.

I also have the larger red Hostess Set bowl that these smaller ones came with and three of her turquoise Pyrex nesting mixing bowls. The largest bowl must have been broken along the way because we couldn’t find it when we cleaned out her house. I was able to source an entire set on Etsy a few years ago for a really great price, so I could finish her set and now have a few extras.

When I got my grandma’s Pyrex, I wanted to display it—the colors are so pretty and vibrant, plus the dishes remind me of her. I can’t remember where I put them originally in our old home, but something about seeing them often in my own home must have trained my eyes to spot vintage Pyrex “in the wild”, because I started seeing it all the time at the thrift store.

Thrifting is something that I’ve always done, but it was around that time that Instagram was really getting popular and I started following other accounts who loved thrifting and sharing their finds. Soon, we were all posting our goodies, including lots of Pyrex! I started posting all the vintage goodness I was finding at the thrift store and Pyrex was at the top of my list.

I was actually finding so much Pyrex back then, that I started a little side-hustle of reselling, that eventually turned into a business of helping people decorate their homes. Who would have thought?? Unfortunately, like everything, when Pyrex became so popular, it started getting harder and harder to find it at the thrift store. Prices were way high when I did find it, it seemed like it was never the pretty colors…only the more 1970’s browns and greens. Don’t get me wrong…there is nothing bad about the browns and greens…they just don’t fit in with my color scheme as well. I prefer the pinks and turquoises!

The quality of that first picture above is not the best, but it gives you a good idea of what my collection looked at one time. Clearly, the thrift stores were still good to me, even though everyone seemed to be on the lookout for Pyrex. I was also able to pick it up at garage sales, estate sales, and even an occasional antique shop (if the price was right). When you collect something and people start to find out about said collection, you will often get people reaching out to you to see if you want theirs, their mom’s, or someone’s in their family. I got several sets this way as well, and was thankful to those people for thinking of me!

My collection was so big at one time, that there were bowls, casserole dishes, and fridgie containers stashed anywhere in the house that I could find space. I was thankful for the built-ins around the bay window in our dining room at the old house, simply for a place for all the vintage goodness.

How to Edit Your Collection:

A few years before we sold our last house, I started the conversation about moving. I had to get Jason used to the idea, right?? When I thought about the process of packing up all the Pyrex I had, I started getting so stressed out. It probably doesn’t seem like it, but I’ve always been a travel lightly person. It took me a long time to really acquire much at our old house, and something about the thought of moving, made me want to lighten my load again.

When I started to weed out some of the Pyrex I wasn’t going to keep, I started by eliminating any colors that I didn’t love. I have a pretty specific color palette, especially now, so that was fairly easy, even though I loved most all of the pieces I had. Notice I said “most all of.” There is something about collecting that gets you all worked up about whatever it is you’re collecting. You can get so excited when you find those things, especially if they feel rare or hard to come by, that you end up buying pieces that you don’t actually love. I’m not saying that’s what happened with vintage Pyrex and myself, but I did seem to have a lot of it that I wasn’t crazy about.

I did a few different clear-outs of my vintage Pyrex collection over the years. One of the other ways I decided what to keep and what to get rid of, was by what type of dish it was. As weird as it might be, I don’t love the casserole dishes with the lids. It’s not that I don’t think they look neat, but there isn’t a very good way to display them with the lids intact.

I would end up storing all the lids and then nesting the casseroles inside of each other. I knew that wasn’t ideal, though and I wanted the dishes to go to someone who would really appreciate them. So, I kept a very few of my favorite colors and patterns and got rid of the rest! Honestly, once I started getting rid of some of the pieces, it just got easier. I still have the pictures to look back on and enjoy, but we don’t have near the display space in our new home, so most of this would have been packed away if I hadn’t gotten rid of it!

The pieces I decided to keep were limited to mostly bright colors and patterns, a few casserole dishes, the square pans (cake, lasagna, and bread), round cake pans, and nesting mixing bowls. I did keep a few sets of the Cinderella nesting mixing bowls (the ones with the pour spouts), if I liked their colors/patterns.

Display Ideas for Vintage Pyrex:

When we moved into our new-to-us house three years ago, it was clear that I did not have nearly enough space to even display pieces of my, now smaller, vintage Pyrex collection, let alone all of it. This was after getting rid of the majority of it! I mean, it’s fine to set the bowls out on counter tops and tables, but to display any sort of a collection, you really need shelves of some kind. A hutch or bookcase can work as well, but with an open-concept home, we just don’t have any walls for them.

A couple of years ago, I had a bit of a makeover done in our laundry room, including having shiplap added to the walls, a counter built over our washer and dryer, and floating shelves hung in the space above. We had cabinets there before that felt very heavy in the space, plus, they were so high, I couldn’t reach them at all—they weren’t functional. The shelves aren’t really functional for me on a regular basis either, but they are a great display space. I’m able to use the back of the counter to store detergent and other items I need to get to.

It might seem a little out of the ordinary to have mixing bowls on display in the laundry room, but this space is right off our kitchen. Plus, the colors are bright and cheery. This room tends to be dark, so I love anything that will help to lighten it up! One of the best things about vintage Pyrex is all the colors and patterns it comes in. If you collect to go along with the color palette of your home, it’s fun to see all the ways you can add a piece of Pyrex here and there with your other decor.

I also had shelves added to an empty corner space in our kitchen, that hook onto the end of the cabinetry. This was such a wasted space and was begging for something special! I love that I have a spot to display a few stacks of my favorite Pyrex bowls, including the turquoise nesting bowls that had belonged to my grandma!

I love seeing all the colors here in one spot. There is a lot happening on the shelves, but they don’t feel busy because there is plenty of space between the items and they’re all nicely arranged. Also, everything is part of a cohesive color palette, so all the pieces work together to tell a nice design “story.”

I have several seasonal pieces of vintage Pyrex as well, including some with pinecones and snowflakes on them. You don’t need to have specifically seasonal ones to use as holiday decor, though. Choose a bowl with a color that works for the holiday or season and use it as a catch all or display piece! I used a limited edition red Pyrex 404 to hold vintage silk ornaments a couple of years ago and loved the pop of color!

Other Ways to Use Vintage Pyrex:

-The fridgie containers (think early Tupperware) make great pieces to organize with! You can leave the lid on or off, if you want closed storage. I’ve used them for craft supplies and currently use one as a salt cellar.

-The smaller mixing bowls are great for ingredients when you’re putting a recipe together.

-I have a whole stack of bowls for everyday use. Some were dishwasher damaged when I got them, so we put them through the dishwasher too. Some are nice, so I’m sure to hand wash those.

*Please don’t put your Pyrex through the dishwasher, unless it’s already damaged!! It will ruin the pretty shine and there’s no way to restore that.

-Use the bowls as cache pots for your favorite plants. Place a saucer of some sort in the bottom to catch water, so it doesn’t ruin the bowl.

-Any of the smaller pieces make great catch-alls—keys, jewelry, even makeup.

-The lasagna pans can do double duty as a tray to corral items on a counter top or even look pretty styled on a coffee table.

The blue diamond Pyrex bowl is one of my best finds! Certain pieces of Pyrex don’t have anything written on the bottom as far as brand or information. Since you have to know the patterns in that case to identify them, most thrift stores won’t price them like they would if the piece were marked Pyrex. This particular piece can sell anywhere between $250-$350 dollars and I got it for $2!!! I always remind people, though, whatever you have is only as valuable as what someone is willing to pay you for it. Don’t collect something with only reselling in mind—buy it instead because you love it!

I don’t have many rare pieces of Pyrex, but there are some amazing ones out there! The turquoise Atomic Starburst Casserole is at the top of my wishlist, but who knows if I’ll ever find it—at a price I’m willing to pay, that is.

Image courtesy of microwavecookingforone.com

Where To Find Vintage Pyrex:

If you are looking for Pyrex of your own, I would tell you there are still pieces to be had. Check out your local thrift store, garage and estate sales, and antique shops. If you want to get into collecting, start learning about the different patterns to become familiar with the ones you might want to buy. This will help you know what a good or bad price for them is too. I’m pretty cheap, so I don’t like to spend too much on anything, although, for the good ones, sometimes price is no object.

If you prefer shopping online instead, you can find Pyrex on Ebay, Etsy, and Chairish!

I may not seek out vintage Pyrex the way I used to, but it is still fun to look at and I definitely love the pieces I’ve decided to keep. Even though my collection is much (much) smaller than it used to be, it’s almost better that way, so I can truly appreciate it the way it should be. As the saying goes…”It’s hard to see the forest for the trees.” When my collection was so large before, it was hard to see each individual piece and really show it the attention it deserved. Now that my vintage Pyrex hoard is much less, I can fawn over the pieces that are left!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tour of what my Pyrex collection used to look like and how it looks now. I have several other pieces still that I didn’t show in our new home because…I don’t have anywhere to put them! I’m working on our basement right now and am excited to be able to get more out on display. Stay tuned for more on that!

If you have some vintage Pyrex of your own that you love, I would love to see it! Share a picture of yours in your Instagram stories and tag me when you do! You can find me on Instagram at @hilaryprall.