Shopping for antiques can be a fun and rewarding experience. It also gives you the chance to find furniture pieces that are completely different and one-of-a-kind.
Choosing interesting vintage pieces is a great way to accessorise your home, but it can sometimes be hard to bring these pieces into the modern-day and blend in with your existing decor.
With vintage shopping on the rise and more people starting to embrace mid-century modern and antique styles, it’s important to add your own touch and learn how to incorporate new pieces into your existing modern style.
In this article, we’re going to be sharing some of our top tips on how you can blend your antique finds with your own personal decor style. Keep reading to find out more.
How Do You Mix Old With Modern?
Blending both modern and antique furniture pieces can give your home a beautifully blended appearance. Contemporary designs and beautiful vintage pieces can create your ultimate, unique space that shows your personality off in just the right way.
Mixing the old in with the new is simple, but it takes a special eye to notice which pieces go together and which pieces clash. If you want to blend your pieces, it’s important to first think of your overall colour scheme.
Like any interior designer knows, most rooms will work when they have one main colour that is used throughout the various decor pieces. Pick your main colour and then you can start to think about what pieces either match this shade or complement it.
For example, if your primary colour is going to be white, you can experiment a lot with colour as most things will go with this shade. However, you also want to consider how the different colours will blend together too, so it’s good to stick to 2–3 accent colours as a maximum.
Another way you could mix old furniture with modern decor is by playing around with different textures and dimensions. Vintage textiles can add a timeless feel to any room, so play up with pops of colour, printed rugs or eye-catching contrast that will grab the attention of anyone who visits your home.
Finally, you could consider the 80/20 rule of interior design. Using this rule, you can assume that 80% of your home is going to be made up of modern pieces – unless you’re an avid antique collector. So it’s only the remaining 20% of your home that’s going to be dedicated to mid-century modern or vintage pieces, so focus on the smaller pieces, fine details and accent furniture that will complement the rest of your decor.
7 Tips on Using Antiques in a Modern Decor
Unless you’re a professional interior designer, it can be hard to know just how to blend the various interior design styles that you like.
However, if you’re not sure how to incorporate your newest vintage finds into your home, we’re here to make the process a lot easier for you.
Here are 7 top tips that will help you use antiques alongside your modern decor pieces.
1. Let Your Antique Pieces Make a Statement
If you find an antique piece of furniture that’s a real show-stopper, give it the attention it deserves and make it the centrepiece of your room.
There’s no need to try and blend it in with your existing pieces when an antique piece can do all of the talking for itself. From charming vintage mid-century sideboards to statement antique rugs, let your vintage pieces take pride of place in your home.
2. Be Creative When It Comes to Colour
Good interior design is all about contrast, so don’t shy away from unusual colour combinations or vibrant pops of colours.
For example, the mid-century modern style was all about dark browns and wood. These colours aren’t always the easiest to style but can look great when paired with bright yellows, oranges or greens.
3. Try Out a Vintage Lighting Solution
If you’re struggling to find the right furniture for your room, why not look a bit higher up and search for some vintage lighting solutions to accessorise your space.
We find that lighting fixtures are often the easiest ways to combine contemporary styles with antique touches. Whether you go for an antique chandelier, or a fun mid-century modern piece to light up your room, it’s a small change that can make a big difference to any room.
4. Mix Your Vintage Pieces With Reproductions
Incorporating a more vintage style into your home doesn’t mean you always have to have a big contrast between old and new. You could find modern reproductions that blend in with the rest of your vintage pieces.
It can be really interesting to look at pieces that are designed to look vintage but utilise modern materials and design know-how. You can still create the same kind of vibe in your home, but your pieces will effortlessly blend in with each other – rather than trying to compete for your attention.
5. Don’t Be Scared to Start a Diy Project
You may have found the perfect vintage chair online or on an antique website, but that doesn’t always mean you have to keep it looking exactly the same.
Don’t be scared to start a small DIY project with your new furniture piece if you want to bring it in line with the rest of your furniture. Repurposing vintage furniture is a great way to show your personality and create an interior style that really speaks to you.
Whether you reupholster the chair with new fabric or give it a whole new lick of paint, a small DIY project can make all the difference to your new furniture addition.
6. You Don’t Have to Stick to One Era or Style
The great thing about vintage furniture is that it can all be so different. From the functionality of mid-century modern to the playful twists of the 80s and 70s, there’s a lot that you can play around with – and you don’t have to limit yourself to furniture from just one era.
Play around with different textures, styles, colours and designs to curate a unique space that you enjoy spending your time in. The more you focus on sticking to a strict theme, the more difficult you will find it to style and accessorise your home.
7. It’s All About Balance
Finally, our last tip is one of the most important. No matter what vintage style you go for, or the colour palette you choose for your home, it will always come down to balance.
Anything goes when it comes to interior design, and your home should be a representation of you and the objects that you love. Find the right balance of objects and furniture that have meaning to you, and explore unique ways of getting them to work together.
It’s not about coordinating absolutely everything but finding a way to have everything look comfortable and like it was meant to be where it is.
A balance of proportion in space will offer you the chance to get creative, hone your design skills and create a space that you’re proud to call your own.
Know Your Sources and Do Your Research
If you’re on the hunt for new vintage pieces to add to your home, it’s important to do your research and buy your furniture from trusted sources.
Not all vintage furniture is high-quality, or even genuinely vintage, so you need to check the credibility of the websites you’re buying from to ensure that they’re sourcing genuine items for you.
It’s normally easier to buy vintage furniture from specific antique websites, as they will normally come with a guarantee of authenticity with their items. The owners of these websites are also normally experts in antiques, so can help you find the perfect items.
If you’re searching for vintage pieces on websites like eBay, you’re more likely to run into fake pieces or damaged items that won’t last you very long – and can cost you just as much as a perfectly intact, genuine vintage piece.
Now That You’re Inspired, It’s Your Turn!
In this article, we’ve taken you through some of our very top tips on how you can restyle your home using both modern and vintage pieces.
Whether you’re an avid collector of all things vintage, or just want to add a new vibe to your home, antique pieces can completely change the atmosphere of any room and elevate your style.
If you’re starting off small with a few vintage pieces or managed to get your hand on a killer antique sofa that you’re looking to style, we hope that these tips have helped you decide how you want to decorate your home with your new pieces.
Now it’s your turn to unleash your inner interior designer and try out some of these tips for yourself. If you do end up using any of them in your own home, let us know how they turn out for you in the comments.
