Vintage Style
How To: Mix Vintage and Modern Styles
By: Kelly Goldthorpe
If you think vintage and modern décor go together like oil and water, think again. Done correctly, without overdoing it, the two styles compliment each other and add a touch of flair to your home. Your home furnishings set the tone for each room, and combining the two styles can create a trendy look that brings modern flair to a traditional setting.
When updating your style remember to view the room as a whole, not just focusing on individual details or pieces of furniture. This will ensure that the room flows and maintains a uniformed style throughout, not just pockets of new and old. The key to integrating a modern edge is to make sure each item pops, and that it doesn’t get lost in a mix of clashing furnishings.
The first step toward creating a vintage look with a modern twist is to develop a color scheme. Neutral colors like beige and brown can help achieve an antique look, yet can still be brightened with accent pieces. Changing major furniture can be as easy as buying a slip cover or painting and staining furniture– there’s no reason to buy new pieces for your home. This color scheme can be incorporated into the walls, carpet, and decorations as well.
Once you have developed a color foundation for your home, it is time to accessorize. An easy way to combine styles is through mixing-and-matching antique and modern items. Such as taking an old family photo and encasing it in a new, sleek frame, or taking a wrought iron bed frame and putting trendy bedding on it. Another method is to take vintage furniture and finding new purposes for them, like using a trunk or hope chest as a coffee table.
The best way to make your modern accents pop is to buy one or two focal pieces. Don’t overdo the mixing of styles too much, because you will still want one identifiable theme.
Ultimately, it is about making the room reflect you. Allow your family history to speak through your older items, and provide an outlet for your contemporary style with modern home furnishings.
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Finding Vintage Deals
Pay what it cost the day it came out!
By: Kelly Goldthorpe
The trouble with vintage decorating isn’t finding places to shop, it’s finding the best places to look! You can spend hours antique shopping and go home empty handed. These days, your best bet might be to get with the modern age to find the vintage deals. The internet can connect you with the exact item you’re looking for in just one search. Below are some suggestions for online retailers, as well as some old fashioned hot spots in the vintage and antique worlds.
Etsy:
Etsy.com caters to handmade items. It has everything from jewelry to home furnishings, all hand-crafted with care. Etsy just hosts the goods of members, who live around the world. Despite the vast diversity of items sold on Etsy, it can be a gold mine for vintage items. It has entire category for vintage things alone with hundreds of thousands of items. Even in other categories you won’t have a problem finding items with an old-fashioned feel. The great part about Etsy is their search program. You can search by colors to find the perfectly matching accent piece, by seller location if you like to buy local, or by recently viewed or added items. These are just a few of the methods. These divergent search techniques help you find something new every time. You’ll find vintage, chic, antique, and everything in between on this web site.
Ebay:
Everyone knows about Ebay these days. Similar to Etsy, Ebay hosts sellers who post items. There is no limit to what is posted, so there is a much more extensive selection available. However, it can be harder to search and is not as specialized as Etsy.
Craigslist:
Although Craigslist started out getting a bad reputation, it has become an arena for local shopping. Check daily for new postings in the free section for great deals. While the goods listed might not be in the best condition, you’ll likely get a very good price and it is easy to negotiate. Typically you must meet the seller in person, so bring a friend along. You can search Craigslist and even put your own advertisement up for “items wanted” if you’re really looking to get your hands on something.
Freecycle:
This website is all about extending the use of items and keeping them from becoming waste. Although it sounds like a hippie movement, it has caught on. With over seven million members there are a lot of goods being passed on. Like Craigslist, this is locally oriented, so you’ll get to meet your neighbors.
Flee Markets and Garage Sales:
Any deal-hunter knows these are definitely worth your while. Your purchases may need a little maintenance, but the prices usually reflect that. Now you can find garage sales even easier. You don’t have to drive around looking for signs, instead go online and search for garage sales in your area. Craigslist has a garage sales category and YardSaleSearch.com posts garage sales going on in your area as well. These helps eliminate the annoyance of showing up at a house and finding out the sale was three weeks ago. Also check out the old standby of newspaper classifieds.
Don’t limit yourself to antique malls. You can find vintage pieces online or in your neighborhood. Use technology to help you and your house can be furnished sooner, for less!
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Defining your Style
By: Kelly Goldthorpe
Vintage, retro, and antique – if you think those terms all seem to fit into the same category, you are not alone. Unless you’ve had experience as an interior decorator you are likely to be unfamiliar with the subtle differences between these design styles. To develop a room that has a unique, but defined, style you should identify the fashion you are trying to create and then ensure that all your living room furnishings are from that same era.
Antique:
This is the most easily defined word of the three. Most living room décor experts insist that for furnishings to qualify as antique they must be 100 years old or older. The condition of these furnishings can vary, but generally for antiques to be valuable or presentable they should have been well maintained. Antique living room furnishings may fit more appropriately with a traditional home than a vintage home. However, there are always exceptions to the rule.
Retro vs. Vintage:
Distinguishing between retro and vintage styles is where things can get a little tricky. You might have identical living room furnishings, but one can be vintage and the other one can be retro. The largest determining factor is previous use. Vintage home furnishings are those which have been owned and used throughout their lifespan. You might buy vintage décor at a garage sale or used furniture store. Retro furnishings have those which resemble the style of a previous area and are designed to model that. Retro décor is new, but captures the look of decades before. Home furnishing stores would be a good bet for finding retro pieces.
Now think again about the terms vintage, retro, and antique. Yes, they are all technically words to describe dated furniture. But when you picture a retro couch or dining set you probably imagine furnishings much different than an antique couch or table. These nuances can be especially important if you are trying to convey the look you are trying to create to an interior designer or store representative. Knowing the difference can help you find items that exactly suit your needs and will fit perfectly with your living room décor.
