Crocheted and lace doilies, while not always used today for their original purposes, can be quite beautiful, boasting gorgeous hand craftsmanship and intricate designs. Vintage doilies, in particular, can look cozy and charming, especially when used in classic spaces. While there are many ways to repurpose old vintage doilies, an ingenious project cropping up online has DIYers upcycling doilies to give the space behind their beds a stunning transformation. The result is a unique and affordable textile accent wall that can be completely customized to your collection and any space.

Doilies can often be found for a steal in thrift stores, garage sales, antique markets, and estate sales, many boasting rich coloration from decades of use. You may also have a collection of heirlooms from previous generations that you treasure and would like to both preserve and display for this stylish wall décor that lends itself especially well to farmhouse, cottage, and boho style spaces. The lightweight construction and materials are ideal if you want a delicate piece for kids’ rooms that won’t fall down. It would also work amazingly in a hallway or stairwell to add interest to the walls without much bulk — or danger of it getting knocked around.  

There are many different ways to affix these vintage-inspired finds for your home. Add them over or inside embroidery hoops. For damaged doilies, pieces of lace, and other fabrics you do not mind upcycling completely, just use hot glue around the ring and press the fabric in place, trimming away the excess. If you do not want to damage the doilies themselves, use pieces that are not much wider than your ring, clamping them in the hoop like a regular piece of embroidery. For larger hoops with smaller doilies inside, you could also extend the crocheted sides by adding lengths of twine or thread sewn to the outer edges. While these tutorials use doilies specifically, the project could work equally well with any textiles used for styling your antique home décor, including old tea towels, dinner napkins, placemats, handkerchiefs, or segments of lace tablecloth.

Once the doilies or other textiles are in the rings, you can hang them alone or create a large installation of pieces in various sizes. To connect them, spread some hot glue on the rings and stick them together. For a less permanent install, you could also sew them together with thick thread or twine. Hang them with nails or other hardware. You could also suspend them from a wooden dowel or tree branch for a fun boho wall hanging or use them as an adorable vintage-inspired window treatment hung over your window.