If you want a fabulous-looking home, using antique and vintage pieces is a must! Whether you are designing your space yourself or hiring a professional interior designer, it’s perfectly fine to include a few new items. However, if you truly want your home to look exceptional, you need to seek out vintage one-of-a-kind pieces.
We recommend against taking the easy route of simply ordering new pieces from catalogs, as this often leads to a nice but uninspired space. Instead, it’s the unique vintage and antique items that will truly set your home apart from others.
One important thing to remember is that you should genuinely love everything in your home; if you don’t, it shouldn’t be there. It’s never too late to start making changes. Keep your eyes open and visit your local vintage and antique shops frequently. When you see something that makes you smile and that you truly love, bring it home. These pieces can inspire you in many ways. You can replace items one at a time until you love everything in your home. For example, a lamp can be more than just a source of light; it can also serve as a piece of art or sculpture that illuminates your room.
A sofa doesn’t have to be a bulky piece that looks lazy and drains your energy. Instead, it should be an eye-catching piece that impresses you from every angle—something that you could admire from across the room.
Your home doesn’t need to be boring; it should be a place that recharges and revitalizes all your senses, providing inspiration that flows into your cooking, and daily life. Living in an organized environment filled with things you love makes you a more positive person, carrying that positivity into the world outside your home.
If you have a primitive table, don’t place a primitive bowl on top of it; you need contrast. For example, a vibrant mid-century modern piece of art glass could provide the perfect juxtaposition. In a contemporary and modern space, a primitive piece would stand out beautifully. Conversely, a piece of modern art could shine in a primitive home.
Creating an impressive home takes much more than a simple shopping spree at a major furniture retailer. Your home needs a diverse range of materials, textures, sizes, and colors from various periods to meet today’s design standards.
When searching for artwork, remember that if you’re looking for a particular size painting, you should consider going larger. Many people shy away from larger pieces, opting instead for smaller ones that ultimately lose their “wow” factor. Each room should have something exciting and unexpected. Instead of perfectly matched colors and sizes, aim for unique interactions among your pieces, much like a family—no two people are the same, yet they coexist beautifully.
A great way to start adding vintage elements to your home is through vintage textiles. Whether it’s an old quilt, postal bag, or grain sack, you can easily transform these into pillows for an interesting and relaxed vibe. Vintage quilts add comfort and warmth, enhancing any room’s aesthetic. The appreciation for craftsmanship and artistic talent in quilting has surged, with designs ranging from traditional patchwork to abstract art. Quilting holds a significant place in American textile history. If you enjoy these textures, consider exploring vintage textiles from around the world, including African mud cloth or rare Japanese boro textiles, which are often heavily distressed and worn. Farmers once patched various fabric pieces together to create futon covers, bedspreads, or clothing, and these outstanding pieces can look stunning as wall art or table covers. Some top designers even create clothing from these finds.
Vintage wicker and rattan are additional ways to introduce interesting textures into a room. They can be easily sourced from antique centers, and you can soften their vibe with a modern cushion to add color.
Incorporate mid-century art, local artist paintings into your decor.
You have control over how much vintage you want to bring into your home. Through reupholstery, reuse and repurpose, or paint, you can create a modern aesthetic that harmoniously integrates antiques and vintage pieces into a fabulous, stylish environment.
