A timeless space has an enchanting charm and is loaded with nostalgic memories. Antique furnishings bring this ethereal, classic charm into the space. You can’t stop getting home pieces you fell in love with at a flea market or an antique shop. Home decor with antiques is a journey. Antique furnishings are often passed on as precious family heirlooms. Whether we buy or inherit antiques, we always want them to be a part of our lives. We cannot let go of them. This is probably because humans tend to be fond of things that have endured longer than themselves, or the past connection is comforting.
Antiques are defined as at least 100 years old, whereas pieces older than 20 years are classified as vintage. Decorating with antiques and vintage items is similar, as they are both ancient and ornamental. They add a story, a context, and a different era to your space and enliven them with an alluring appeal.
Now here’s the tricky part, most of us live in modern or contemporary homes. So adding antiques or mixing them with contemporary decor can be a challenge. To help you with the challenge of integrating modern and antique furniture, we’ve curated a list of ideas and tips for decorating with antiques and collectables. Below is a list of 15+ Ideas, Hacks, and Tips for home decor with antiques:
- Juxtapose Different Antique Home Decor Ideas
- Mixing Modern And Antique Furniture
- Balance The Streamlined Edges And Curves With Living Room Antique Furniture
- Don’t Be Afraid Of Repurposing And Refining The Antique Pieces For Home Décor
- Don’t Recreate A Room Of The Past With Too Many Antique Decorative Items
- Try Antique Accent Pieces For Home Decor With Antiques
- Go Bold With Statement Pieces While Doing Antique Decoration For House
- Add Modern Accessories To Living Room Antique Furniture
- Antique Home Decor Ideas -Mix Wooden Pieces or Combine Metal and Wood
- Reupholster Antique Furniture In Modern Home
- Unify Modern And Antique Furnishings With Colors
- Follow The Basics of Scale And Proportion
- Use Rustic Elements While Decorating With Antiques
- Group Different Antique Wall Décor Items
- Don’t Clutter Too Many Home Decor Antique Items
- For Home Decor With Antiques- Go With Your Gut!
01. Juxtapose Different Antique Home Decor Ideas
Your room doesn’t need to be from a specific period or style. The goal of incorporating antiques into the space is to create an eclectic collection. Combining elements from various historical styles complementing one another creates a genuinely timeless space. This concept may appear strange to some ‘antique-obsessed’ people, but it establishes ravishing and elegant spaces. Mixing styles make a room that reflects your style; therefore, it should include all the pieces you love.
02. Mixing Modern And Antique Furniture
To make your antique furnishings blend with contemporary pieces, use them in conjunction. Layer the contrasting elements. Keep your modern decor accessories-vases, plants or any other artefact over an antique console placed against a plain wall. Or, you can add an antique sofa paired with a minimal contemporary rug. Sometimes, adding modern angular office chairs to an antique wooden mahogany table also works. Mixing modern and antique furniture in such a way gives an awesome look. If you want to know more about accessories for decorating your bedroom, don’t miss our blog on
03. Balance The Streamlined Edges And Curves With Living Room Antique Furniture
Antique furnishings are usually ornamentals and have curving organic forms. On the other hand, modern furnishings have sleek edges and straight lines. Both are contradictory to one another; thus, they visually balance each other. Use streamlined furniture alongside ornamental pieces for a composed look.
04. Don’t Be Afraid Of Repurposing And Refining The Antique Pieces For Home Décor
Sometimes, antiques have more potential when they’re refined. Maybe you liked a piece at the antique store that has great ornamental details but has a stained finish. Or, the grandmother’s old jewellery trunk has lost its shine and needs a retouch of paint and polish. Feel free to reimagine and refurbish these antique pieces to go with your home. Just a simple paint job could do wonders for the piece, giving it a striking new look altogether. There are numerous ways to repurpose old furniture differently. For instance, you can always think outside the box and use an antique tabletop as a headboard or a door or window as a tabletop or wall art.
05. Don’t Recreate A Room Of The Past With Too Many Antique Decorative Items
Allow the antique piece of furniture to stand out in your space. When decorating with antiques and collectables, you should not recreate a room from the past. No need to create museums out of the space if you’re adding an antique table; you don’t require velvety curtains to match it.
06. Try Antique Accent Pieces For Home Decor With Antiques
Not confident about investing in antique furniture? Start with soft antique furnishings. Using antiques adds a subtle dated charm to the space. Layering these furnishings makes the space sophisticated.
An antique rug works wonders; it brings character to the space, unifies it, and sets the tone for the space. You can also incorporate smaller pieces like wooden stools or side tables.
07. Go Bold With Statement Pieces While Doing Antique Decoration For House
Statement antique furnishings like a baroque-style gold-gilded chandelier act as a focal point in the space. They work especially well with muted spaces using only neutrals. In addition, grouped statement pieces anchor the space and bind everything together. For instance, an antique grandfather clock alongside a velvety sofa creates a bold statement for the space. So, go ahead and be bold and experiment with such antique decorations for the house.
08. Add Modern Accessories To Living Room Antique Furniture
Don’t let the antique pieces ride solo; that way, they’ll never blend in with your space. Add modern accessories to antiques; this will fuse the two styles and make the space look transitional. Use sleek modern vases over an antique table or soft modern furnishings over a country-style armchair. A modern clock over an antique bookshelf or an elegant wall sconce against an antique headboard is also great for layering modern and antique furnishings. For more interior decoration ideas for your home, have a look at our blog:
09. Antique Home Decor Ideas -Mix Wooden Pieces or Combine Metal and Wood
Warm wooden furniture pieces can easily define the tone of a space as they can be overpowering compared to other elements. Mixing different types of wood can help break that dominance, and the space looks more like an assortment of different pieces collected over time.
Combining wooden furniture with metal can help blend antique and contemporary styles together. When refurbishing an antique sofa, replace the wooden legs with metal and see what kind of difference it makes. It gives the piece and the space a distinct look. You must implement such antique home decor ideas.
10. Reupholster Antique Furniture In Modern Home
Reupholstering antique furniture in a modern home is the best way to retain the charm of the piece while making it contemporary. Using surprising fabrics with bold colours and patterns transforms antique furniture. An elegant, ornate sofa reupholstered in rich velvet fabric elevates the look of the living room. You can also use floral or geometric printed fabrics to reupholster antiques; this will add a layer of your style to the timeless piece. These tips for maintaining various antique articles in your home are really wonderful.
11. Unify Modern And Antique Furnishings With Colors
It is not easy to marry styles and create a balanced space. Having too many non-matching pieces can create chaos and confusion in a space; you need to somehow unite them. One of the easiest ways to create coherence within the space is to unify it with colours.
Either, group similar hues together in one space, or if your antiques use loud colours and patterns, balance them out with neutrals. Be bold and paint the antique furniture; it will do better in your space if it goes with the space. Conversely, retaining the piece may make your interiors look out of place.
12. Follow The Basics of Scale And Proportion
Antiques belonged to homes of a different paradigm, which were generally large and spacious and had dark interior tones. Antique pieces for home décor are often dark-toned and look bulky in tiny modern homes. Balancing the scale and proportions of these antiques is crucial.
How you style these antique decorative items will decide the experience of the space. For instance, heavy, dark wooden pieces look comfortable against a white wall with minimal decor. Similarly, a dainty and elegant antique decor piece looks great alongside an item of heavy furniture.
13. Use Rustic Elements While Decorating With Antiques
Antiques go really well with rustic elements; the styles complement each other. You don’t have to do too much to unify the space if you use a combination of antiques and rustic elements.
The ageless nature of both styles makes the space look holistic. Use them away from each other, for example, a rustic coffee table with an antique light fixture or an antique armchair with a rustic bar cart.
14. Group Different Antique Wall Décor Items
Grouping together several small antique pieces for home décor justifies the style. A gallery wall with antique frames or small decorative antiques on a bookshelf adds depth to the space. Layering old-fashioned furniture with smaller knick-knacks enhances the character of the space. A dining table, a console, a fireplace mantle, etc., are perfect places to add elements.
15. Don’t Clutter Too Many Home Decor Antique Items
Antiques are already richly ornamental pieces; using too many home decor antique items can clutter the space and make it look unwelcoming and chaotic. Careful layering of antiques is crucial, and leaving a little space for appreciation of the piece is essential. Even small decor pieces or frames require balanced use and a sense of composition.
16. For Home Decor With Antiques- Go With Your Gut!
Visual balance is the key to designing spaces with antiques. It doesn’t matter if the pieces are of the same style, era, or period; if you like the piece and think it will look great in your home, go for it. There are no rules here; as long as the piece resonates with your styles and you can be balanced within the space, it should be incorporated.
Blending the past with the present is great for your home, as it gives the space a timeless charm. Your home becomes an assortment of different styles; it possesses an evolutionary design narrative and becomes an artistic expression. Antiques juxtaposed with modern elements can complement each other, creating a quirky yet mesmerizing space.
FAQs Related To Home Decor With Antiques
01. What is the difference between Antiques and Vintage Home Decor?
Antiques have been around for at least a hundred years. Vintage home décor pieces are the ones that are older than 20 years.
02. How to Blend Modern and Antiques?
There are several ways in which you can blend modern and antique furnishings. A few tips include:
- Unify the space with colour.
- Use the 70/30 rule that most designers use, 70% modern and 30% antiques.
- Balance the scale and proportions of the furnishings accurately.
- Use antiques as a statement or accent piece.
- Refurbish, reupholster, and repurpose antiques to match the rest of the interior.
03. How to get a Timeless Interior Look?
- Mix old and new elements.
- Don’t be bound by one interior style.
- Use statement pieces against a neutral background.
04. Is Antique Furniture making a comeback?
The timeless interior style is making a comeback, and so are antique furniture pieces. People now want their spaces to have an elegant character and look sophisticated. Many people just want to relive the nostalgia of their old homes, which is why antiques are trending.
05. Is buying Antiques a good Investment?
Antiques are never going to go out of style. The value of antiques depends on their rarity and quality. They have higher returns on investment as they’re only ageing with time, thus becoming more valuable. Therefore, antiques are an excellent investment to make. However, be careful about the piece’s authenticity and always check for the structural quality of the antique furnishing.
Now that you have a good idea about home decor with antiques, also have a look at
5 Vintage Bedroom Design Looks for Your Home
Author Bio
Saili Sawantt – She is an Architect and Interior Designer by profession. Writing is what she treats as her passion. She has worked as an Architectural Writer, Editor, and Journalist for various design as well as digital portals, both national and international. Formerly she has also worked with Godrej Properties Limited (GPL) Design Studio, Mumbai, due to her keen interested in learning about Sustainability and Green buildings. Apart from this, she runs her blog ‘The Reader’s Express’ and is a practicing Architect & Interior Designer.