There is plenty to find appealing about interior design from different periods in history. However, living in a home that was built in recent years often means that playing into these traditional features feels like more of an uphill struggle. Some design experts claim that you should avoid borrowing too heavily from old-fashioned design trends in a modern space.
Of course, how you design your home is a highly personal decision, and there are no restrictions on which types of decor and furniture you should use to make your house feel like home. Here are some tips to help you successfully incorporate vintage pieces without clashing with newly built architecture.
It All Starts with Balance
If you look at images of other interiors where the designer or homeowner has tried to blend a variety of eras, you might notice that some are more successful than others. This is usually down to how well they balanced the different design styles. Attempting to include more than three distinct design periods can be risky and cause a visual clash. Choose the styles you want to include and think about which ones to dial up and which to dial down.
Statement Vintage Furniture
It takes time to hunt down the perfect vintage furniture pieces, especially if you live in a new home. Finding materials and styles that work with your contemporary architecture means developing a visual imagination and letting the process unfold slowly, if necessary. Rushing to fill your home with antiques is unlikely to yield the results you want, whereas carefully selecting beautiful pieces as you discover them will lead to more deliberate design.
Traditional Fixtures and Fittings
If you haven’t found any vintage furniture pieces that speak to you but still want to include some traditional elements in your home, consider installing some old-fashioned fixtures and fittings. Think about details such as taps, sinks, toilets, baths, and kitchen hardware. For instance, a well-fitted Victorian bathroom in a contemporary building can still look beautiful and elegant.
It’s all about high-quality execution and thoughtful choices. Trying to mix and match too many disparate design styles will likely come across as haphazard and uncoordinated, but blending two or three with the right lightness of touch can truly transform a space.
Accents and Decor
For homes with contemporary architecture, fittings, and furniture, you can still include traditional pieces through the artwork and decor in your space. Vintage rugs, lighting, and ornaments can look just as beautiful in a new home as they would in their original setting.
Although it’s understandably challenging to seamlessly include old-fashioned pieces of design in a home that was built recently, it is possible with the right approach. Having a strong sense of your own personal taste is the key to following through on your interior design goals successfully.
When you know that you can trust your own design vision and have a clear idea about what you want to achieve, you will find that incorporating traditional designs becomes much easier. Patience and confidence are the main ingredients to finding vintage home decor items to elevate your contemporary home.