Antiquarian Antics: Tips for Styling Vintage Home Décor | the ReFab Diaries

My family is well aware of my love for waste-free living. So, when antiques or heirlooms need a home, they typically find one with me! I’m also a fan of thrifting and antiquing at resale shops when I’m able. Regardless of where it might originate, every new piece feels like finding hidden treasure.

But the challenge of adding vintage pieces is figuring out how they fit into a space. So here are a few fab tips for styling vintage home décor that will help you find an ideal place for those gorgeous, upcycled finds.

Antiquarian Antics: Tips for Styling Vintage Home Décor

Consider the size of each item

When I try to incorporate an antique into my décor, I like to start by assessing the item’s size. This might sound like strange advice. But the truth is, knowing how much space an object will take up will determine a few key factors about how you’ll use it and in which areas. For instance, the size of your antique pieces can reveal:

  • Which room it would look best in
  • Whether or not it should be a focal piece
  • What other items you might put with it

To put it plainly, your grandmother’s crystal party lighter might look fantastic as an embellishment for a larger item like a vase or oil lamp. However, because it’s smaller in size, it wouldn’t do very well as a central piece of your décor. That’s why evaluating the size of an object is crucial to finding the best place for it to go.

 


 

Select your aesthetic focal pieces

Once I have a loose idea of where all of my lovely antiques might fit, I select the furnishings that would work well as central features. Usually, the more significant heirlooms like chandeliers, desks, or even side tables are best for creating interesting focal points, so I always look at those first. To illustrate my point, you could hang your authentic 1920s chandelier in your entryway.

Then, dress up the walls around it with similarly-styled artwork, color pallets, and wall décor. Then, you can take your great grandfather’s carved mahogany desk into your home office and fill it with vintage knick-knacks and antique picture frames. Using larger pieces to create the central points of your décor is another practical tip for styling vintage home décor that’s worth trying.

 


 

Mix and match what you have

I’ve found that the real trick to pulling off that incredible eclectic vintage style is fearlessly using everything available to me to create an unforgettable aesthetic. More specifically, I’ve learned not to be scared to mix and match my antiques with upcycles and more contemporary stuff that my home is already decorated with. And don't be scared to mix patterns and textures!

Think about what you're storing, eg. that old Oriental rug in the garage. It's often a great rug and bold art that ultimately pull an eclectic space together. And once that delicate rug is treated and cleaned, it can be used to accentuate a modern sectional or upcycled coffee table sitting pretty in the living room.

Maybe you have some vintage cola crates lying scattered around the garage. If so, with a bit of elbow grease, you could give them new lives as retro spice racks or wall planters for your new air plants. In any case, using everything available is a surefire way to achieve a genuinely unique vintage look.

 

 

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