How to Decorate With Vintage and Antique Finds
Antique and vintage pieces can add a sense of history and eclecticism to your decor, not to mention being budget-friendly way of embellishing your home.
Shopping flea markets or online, there are endless ways you can incorporate secondhand finds into your home decor. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Find The Right Pieces
Antique furniture and vintage items add timeless beauty to any space, but can sometimes be dauntingly complex for homeowners to incorporate. Here are a few tips to get you started when adding these one-of-a-kind pieces into your home.
When purchasing vintage or antique pieces, always bring home measurements with you to ensure they fit properly in your space. Also pay close attention to details like hardware finishes and patina on wood surfaces to make sure that what you buy is authentic.
Many antique pieces are one-of-a-kind and make great conversation starters in any room of your home. Try repurposing antique furnishings as decorative accents for modern styles or using them to bring eclectic home decor aesthetics together. A repurposed bookshelf or trunk can add timeless character and express your personal taste in every space throughout your house.
Don’t Overcrowd Your Space
Vintage pieces can add beauty and charm, but too many can overrun a room and appear disorganized and distasteful. To fully appreciate their charms, use them sparingly so you can truly appreciate each one!
One great way to showcase an antique piece is by making it the focal point. For instance, an old Swedish armoire with intricate carvings and gorgeous wood finishes could become a striking centerpiece in your living room.
Feel free to combine various pieces of vintage furniture – like an old Persian rug can add depth and contrast when placed against modern leather sofas or Mid-Century Modern coffee tables.
If you’re new to antique furniture, take some time browsing online or visiting local flea markets. When shopping, keep an eye out for signs of age such as hand-painted marks or printed symbols on ceramics; also keep an eye out for stains, faded areas, or wear that add character and tell their own stories about each piece you come across.
Keep It Neutral
Vintage wall art, furniture pieces and accessories can have a big impact in any space – but to achieve harmony between their look and the overall design it’s crucial that their look be balanced out by carefully placing each antique with their respective color options. Cultivating an eclectic style with your antiques requires placing them strategically and selecting colors carefully.
Wooden crates that were originally intended for book storage can easily be transformed into coffee tables with decorative frames or antique vases displayed. Furthermore, an old tin box filled with old-fashioned illustrations could serve as an inexpensive desktop organizer or stylish plant pot holder on a windowsill.
Flea markets and thrift stores provide an endless source of secondhand finds, adding character and history to any room’s decor. To ensure that everything works seamlessly together, try sticking to the 80/20 rule: make up 80 percent of your space with modern pieces while 20 percent should contain antique or vintage elements.
Give It a Makeover
Antique and vintage pieces add elegance to a space in ways newer items can’t. Additionally, these unique items add history and can tell a unique narrative – but be mindful how you incorporate these items into your home!
Avoid overwhelming your space with antique decor; too much can make the room appear out-dated and disorganized. Instead, select some key antique pieces to display in the rooms you use most frequently.
An antique frame can serve as the perfect way to showcase family photos in the bedroom, while an old crystal figurine or porcelain doll could become an eye-catching accent for your coffee table.
Repurposing antique items as storage is also possible, such as this wooden crate used as a coffee table. With such options at your fingertips, there’s no limit to your creative imagination when it comes to finding new ways of using old pieces of furniture! Plus reusing can save money when purchasing brand new pieces!
