Styling a home with antique furniture has become a trend among young homeowners. Head on over to TikTok and you’ll find that the #antiquefinds hashtag has nearly 37 million views, while other influencers are proudly showing off their finds on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Decorating with antiques is a sustainable way to enhance your home, and it also gives your living spaces a sense of historical significance.
Some vintage pieces can be costly though, so to refresh your decor without hurting your wallet, think about mixing modern accents and furniture with antique finds. If you’ve never combined old and new decorative pieces in your interiors, you may think that the end result would look slightly chaotic, shabby, or even tacky. But there are ways to mix and match items to create a cohesive and elegant look for your home. Here are some stylish ways to blend vintage furniture with newer decor items.
Consider Placement to Create Balance
A Queen Anne chair here, a French armoire there… and a modern legless cylindrical coffee table right in the middle of it all? Having various pieces from different eras in the same room may seem like a bad idea, but if you consider your furniture’s scale and placement, you’ll find that mixing vintage and modern pieces can create a nice balance between the old and new that feels fresh and unique.
So, let’s say you have a custom sleeper sofa in your living room. You can place your Queen Anne chair beside it to serve as your accent chair, then position the French armoire so it’s touching the wall. All dark and heavy wood pieces should be placed near a wall, while light pieces with thin legs, like a small antique serpentine side table, should be placed near bulkier pieces, such as your couch.
Use the Same Color Palette
One of the reasons why some homeowners think twice about blending old and new pieces is that it’s difficult to create a cohesive look when you’re working with furniture with different styles. The easiest way to make everything look as if they naturally belong in a room together is to use the same color palette. So for instance, if you love the clean and minimalist look of your all-white IKEA furniture, paint your thrift store antique finds in the same bright white shade. Next, add color with cushions, throws, and other accessories and decorative items, but see to it that you stick to a color palette to give your interiors a chic look. White furniture will look stunning with soft gray, pale blue, golden orange, and muted sage accents, and they’ll also look great when combined with warm hues like terracotta, cognac, and sienna.
Create a Focal Point with an Accent Piece
If you scored an eye-catching thriftstore piece that looks as though it wouldn’t work with the rest of your decor, why not use it to create a focal point in your room? It could be an old painting, a Chinese-style wedding cabinet, or a colorful tapestry– whatever it is, give it the place of honor in your living space. Position your furniture to create a seating area that’s facing your accent piece, and if possible, add some lighting around to highlight it and create a sense of drama in your room.
Blending vintage finds with modern decorative items allows you to create a room with a unique vibe. Consider these tips to mix your old and new pieces, and experiment with placement and colors to see what works for your home.