To me, vintage décor and furniture make a beautiful home. I love homes that are filled with different colours, fabrics and antique/vintage furnishings because each item has its own story to tell.
I do love antiques and vintage interiors, but I also love HD TVs, MacBooks, downloading music and other gadgets designed for convenience – these two loves have to find a way to co-exist in harmony in my home. I love looking around markets and antique stores and picking up little gems and unusual trinkets but when time is short the high street and the internet have so many vintage-inspired products.
Much like faux fur, vintage look furniture is now designed with such craft and eye for detail it looks pretty authentic. This means there is plenty to choose from and also the designs can fit into a modern home, yay! Although we may now associate contemporary interiors with minimalist, de-cluttered spaces, many shops and retailers provide loads of home essentials in fabulous vintage designs.
Here are my top picks for bringing a vintage look into the home:
Contents
Vintage Bedroom
Dressing Table:
Nothing says vintage glamour like a dressing table and it is a piece of furniture that has become lost in contemporary design. I think it’s such a shame that we hardly see a dressing table in a home now. I will be honest and say that currently my make up routine is carried out on the floor of my bedroom in front of my mirror and I would absolutely love to have a classically styled dresser to sit at. Personally, for me, the dressing table is my absolute favourite piece of furniture for vintage style in the home.
The last thing I want is to do my make up whilst feeling like I’m at the office…
Just having a vanity/dressing table is quite a vintage idea in itself. However, I do feel that the more contemporary designs tend to look too much like a desk, and the last thing I want is to do my make up whilst feeling like I’m at the office, so I favour the vintage-inspired designs. Here are two of my current favourites:
Curved table legs effectively bring some antique style charm to a vanity table. The Primrose Mirror Table comes with a velvety cushion for the stool for extra indulgence. Meanwhile, this Sophia Dressing Table comes in Champagne, Ivory or Silver, so you can pick whichever tones you feel are ultra-vintage.
I love this Etienne Dressing Table and Mirror, which completes the dresser. It is a big buy but will be a real investment that you’ll be able to adapt even if you suddenly want the modern look a few years down the line.
Bed Frame:
I may fantasise about having an old school style dresser, but, in reality, I am less vintage glamour and more likely to be spilling my drugstore foundation all over the table and leaving fingerprints on the mirror. The one thing I can do well is sleep, and not a lot can be rivalled with sleeping on a comfy bed. Vintage style bed frames make more of a statement; four-poster, dramatic headboards and interesting detailing are all staple parts to vintage bed frames.
Thanks to high street stores, sleeping like a king no longer costs hefty prices. This Special Jayne Bed Frame from John Lewis is pricey but incredibly elegant and comes in a muted white colour. The Henrietta Bed Frame from Argos is beautifully ornate with a swirled scroll design.
Home Accessories:
Large pieces of furniture may be staple parts to a room, but the accessories tie it all together. All the trinkets and ornaments that we collect along the way are what make our homes unique. Our cushions, rugs, throws, mirrors, photo frames can all have a vintage touch. I like to display trinkets and things I have collected over the years with newer pieces I have picked up recently – giving me more reasons to shop!
Even if busy shelves filled with bric-a-brac simply aren’t your thing then you can make small changes that still make a statement.
Hooks and hangers are a great way to bring a vintage feature to the home. The Range has a good selection of affordable bits and bobs, like this Antique Brass Hat and Coat Hook. Vintage or unusual door knockers, knobs and handles can completely change the look of your front door, chest of drawers etc and it’s easy too. You can change the knobs on any chest of drawers and replace with vintage style ones or replace your doorknobs with antique ones, like these Ceramic Vintage Pumpkin Cabinet Drawer Knobs.
Mirrors are another great way to make a vintage statement into your home. They are great because not only are they designed with beautiful frames but also have practical uses and can enhance the size and space of your room meaning you can have an antique style mirror no matter the size of your living space. The Umbra Prisma Wall Mirror is vintage, modern and ‘different’ all in one. Think Great Gatsby vibes.
I personally love filling my shelves and surfaces with everything I have accumulated over the years (it’s not hoarding, its vintage style!) so I love displaying stacked miss matched bowls, sugar bowls, photo frames and teapots, like this Creative Tops Katie Alice “English Garden” Porcelain Tea for One Teapot.
Vintage Kitchen:
Speaking of filling shelves with wonderful bric–a–brac, the perfect way to display all this is on a kitchen/French dresser.
There are lots of new dressers available that are given a distressed look or are made from reclaimed wood to have a shabby chic look. The shabby chic trend creates beautiful pieces that incorporate and celebrates textures, colours and detailing that so that your home can get better with aged. The Wye Pine Cream Welsh Dresser is particularly beautiful.
Vintage Wallpaper:
Feature walls are a perfect way to add a splash of vintage style to your home, especially if you are not looking to change too much. You can get different types of vintage-inspired wallpapers from retailers like B&Q. Just a day’s work of making a statement wall or decorating the whole room can completely remake your room.
I particularly love the Contour White Vintage Tin Tile Metallic Effect and Graham & Brown Kelly Hoppen Black Damask wallpapers, both from B&Q. They get vintage right without being far too in your face.
Rustic Style:
A lot of vintage style furniture and décor tends to be quite feminine and girly, and although I love this, there is a limit. Industrial/rustic materials are a fab way to bring aged, suffered pieces into your home without looking too dainty and girly. Rustic furniture is basically anything that is made of natural or industrial materials and often looks a little worn with unique flaws and features.
This Rustic Wine Storage Crate Box is beautifully rustic and is also a fantastic storage space for wine bottles. The Rustic Farmhouse Pendant Light from Amazon is something really out-there and different, for anybody who wants to get adventurous with their decoration.
Almost everything we buy for the home is an investment that we want to last. Our homes are our sanctuaries and we want to make the most of them. Both high street and online stores are incredibly savvy with vintage trends and features and now create furniture and accessories that are perfect for your home and are made to last.
When it comes to choosing vintage style furnishings for your home it is best to shop around and get a good idea of what is on offer so you know you are making the right choice. There are great deals out there and there are also very special items that are worth the extra money, the best thing to do is choose items that you know you will love for a lifetime.
Have a love for vintage furniture? Know any great retailers? Comment below or share with us on twitter @SensibleReview or on our Facebook page.
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