Aviation Compass

Indulge in the thrill of flight without leaving your home. Find a collection of antique, new and vintage aviation objects on 1stDibs that will unquestionably elevate your interior design.

Whether you’re drawn to scale models of airplanes or detailed technical drawings that depict 20th-century aircraft engineering in general, vintage aviation collectibles are bound to stir conversation and add character to any shelf space or barren wall in your home. As decorative flourishes or sculptural statement-making additions to your home office, living room or elsewhere — from desktop trinkets to authentic fighter-plane propellers positioned as conspicuous wall art that demands attention — aviation objects pay homage to a long history of innovation as well as to the childlike excitement and sense of wonder that persists every time we board a plane.

We’ve trained our eyes on the sky, dreaming of flight, for centuries. While history shows that pioneering aviator duo the Wright brothers wouldn’t leave the ground for a sustained flight in a powered aircraft until the early 1900s, inventors, venturesome industrial designers and artists all over the world were ready for one much sooner.

During the 16th century, Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook drawings of birds as well as human mechanical flight and famed blueprints for a “flying machine” captured imaginations and inspired future artists. Modern-day aviation fans might take to framing technical drawings and sketches of aircraft for a salon-style hang as a tribute to the history of air travel in their home. The breathtaking mid-century artwork of Italian aviation advertising draftsman Riccardo Cavigioli also makes for rich vintage aviation wall decor, telling stories of human ingenuity in watercolor paintings and pencil sketches.

On 1stDibs, find vintage aviation collectibles made from wood and metal in all shapes and sizes to meet any furniture style and decor plan that you may already have in place.