We love nothing more than decorating with vintage and antique furniture and incorporating into our interior design schemes our client’s inherited furniture (think Granny’s old rocking chair) or shopping for vintage/antique pieces. Not only is it more environmentally friendly to be reusing or repurposing furniture, but incorporating personal items or older pieces can add character and depth to a home.
Consider the following when either reusing existing older pieces of furniture or shopping for antiques and you won’t fail to create a home that is unique to you and reflects your personality.
1) Reupholster vintage chairs. This not only breathes life into pieces that may have seen better days but provides a great opportunity to have some fun! There are many quirky fabrics on the market (look at House of Hackney or Timorous Beasties for ideas), which look fantastic when repurposing a vintage chair, and give you the opportunity to let your personality shine through.
2) ·Draw inspiration from the architecture of your home when decorating with antiques. Some houses suit lots of vintage finds, whilst others benefit from a mix of old and modern.
3) You can blend and mix periods and styles in order to make a space come alive. You may just add one antique piece in an otherwise modern interior for major impact, or a whole house for a settled comfort.
4) There are no hard and fast rules when incorporating second hand/antique pieces – just make sure that you love it!
5) Start your scheme with a focal item. For example an existing rug is a great place to start building a scheme around, pulling the colours then into the rest of the room.
·6) Consider adding antiques to kitchens and bathrooms. An heirloom dresser or chest of drawers can look great in a kitchen, whilst a converted vintage sideboard makes an inexpensive and durable vanity unit. And antique rugs add colour and pattern to a bathroom.
7) Get creative when repurposing old treasures. Headboards can be made from old rugs, urns or unused trumpets can become lamps and tables can become kitchen islands. Have fun with coming up with unique uses for your old finds!
8) Don’t be afraid to upcycle your old pieces of furniture if you have fallen out of love with them. A lick of paint can work wonders on old brown furniture or a new frame can transform a vintage painting.
9) Consider restoring your inherited furniture to give it a new lease of life. There are some excellent furniture restorers who can breathe life into pieces that have suffered from wear and tear over the years.
