A Handy Guide to Decorating with Antique-Style Furniture

Are you an antique enthusiast who loves the old-world charm of vintage furniture? Or do you possess some difficult-to-part-with family heirloom—your grandfather’s solid wood chest of drawers or great grandmother’s wooden jewellery box with brass embellishments? Either way, we understand it is not easy to incorporate antiques in modern spaces without making them look stale or out of place. While antique style furniture never goes out of fashion, not being choosy about what you flaunt and how you do it could be a mistake. You want each element in your home to sing in perfect harmony and not be a confusing mess of things from different times that have no reason to be together under the same roof. There are many ways to include antique furniture style decoration and vintage items in modern and contemporary interior design and decor ideas. Here’s our antique furniture decoration guide to help you showcase history and memories through your decor collection:

1: Make a statement

Others may have an idea, but only you know the true value of what you possess. You may weigh the value of an antique in money or sentiments, but the fact that it cannot be bought by simply walking into a store remains unchanged. When your antique furniture for home is priceless in its own way, then why not celebrate it in its full glory. Make it the centrepiece of your space. Play up that large carved cabinet in your living room and decorate its top with traditional brass lamps and other artefacts, or display a solid wood traditional recliner in the heart of your seating arrangement in the living room. The rest of the decor revolves around the statement furniture piece. You may choose to be in sync with it or create a contrasting visual treat, but there is no compromising on the splendour of the central piece.

2: Use it as an accent piece

Going completely the other way around, use your antique style furniture or the loved vintage item to add a surprise element to your home decor. Turn that metal truck from your grandfather’s Army days into a charming centre table and see how often it will feature in your conversations with your guests. Or consider placing a traditional brass chest on the entryway table to keep the change and keys. It will be a stunner, no doubt.

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3: Blend antiques with modern decor

Create your own eclectic space by bringing together furniture and decor from various periods and styles. You need not worry if your antique furniture decor does not follow a theme or a pattern. Blend modern, contemporary elements and style antique furniture that go well together to form layers of flair by using colour, textures, shapes and finish. Let it all fuse in a way that there is no demarcation or beginning or end. Let your decor tell the story of a home that came together over years and is not defined by the limits of themes and rules.

4: Old meets new, highlight the contrast

Perhaps the trickiest of all ideas, but if executed well, it can create a space the captures the essence of a time gone by while not overlooking the latest trends in modern home design and decor. There are two ways to execute it: use your antique style furniture with other traditional furniture pieces which may not be antiques but draw inspiration from time-honoured designs, or go wild with ideas and mix antiques with ultra-modern and contemporary furniture pieces. The choice is yours. Pairing a minimalistic white dining table with antique or traditional teak wood chairs can be an unexpected head-turner. There are indeed high chances of going wrong with bringing together contrasting elements and designs, but if done right you will not only have a space unique to yourself but be a trendsetter too.

5: Mix antiques with reproductions

You may not have a dearth of ideas. But do you have enough antiques or complementing furniture to decorate your home? Worry not. You can always buy antique style furniture and reproductions that blend with what you already have. The furniture pieces may not match to a T, but if chosen wisely, will not be in a startling contrast either. There are many wooden furniture and antique furniture online stores that deal with antique-themed furniture pieces. For example, if you have a colonial-style four-poster bed but no other similar piece of bedroom furniture, then you can go for a traditional solid wood dresser or a vintage-looking study table to complete the look.

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6: Use antiques to create something new

Sometimes what is handed down to you as the family heirloom is not exactly what you want for your home, but you may not want to part with it as well. And at some other times, the temptation to not let go of a stunning antique may trick you into buying something you do not need or have use for—such as a beautifully-carved door or an elegant antique bench you picked from the neighbourhood thrift store. Things that look fairly useless in your scheme of things can be turned into priceless pieces of furniture by just thinking out of the box. You can turn an ornamental door into a dining table top with a glass protector to get an even surface and protect the wood. And that antique bench, why not remove its legs and attach brass loops to its arms and turn it into a comfy swing for your guests to marvel at.

Antiques are the stories from the past. The stories that you incorporate in your today and are most likely to pass on to your children. Intriguing antique furniture pieces are not easy to come by, and if you happen to get hold of one remember there are many ways you can make it a part of your home decor. So, the next time your grandmother tells you to replace that old wooden chest in her room with a modern wardrobe, do not just grant her wish but get her some treats too.

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