BU7 Tips for Adding Vintage Home Decor to Your Current Design Style

 BU7 Tips for Adding Vintage Home Decor to

 Your Current Design Style

Decorating with vintage home decor adds a sense of time and history to your style, but you don't have to go all-out on antiques to get the look. The key is to blend flea market accessories, salvaged decor, and antique furnishings with your existing design to create a personalized mix of old and new. These decorating tips will help you incorporate vintage items into your home in fresh ways.

RETT PEEK PHOTOGRAPHY INC.

1. Refresh Your Living Room with Vintage Home Decor

Tuck vintage home decor finds among modern living room furniture for a unique, layered look. For furnishings you'll use most often, such as a sofa or accent chairs, it's typically best to invest in new items to ensure they'll hold up well with regular use. Then opt for antiques and thrift store finds for accent pieces, such as a small side table or coffee table.

For wall decor, frame and hang large vintage posters that coordinate with your color scheme, or mount flea market finds on the wall as standalone art. Cover the floor with an antique patterned rug, then lay a faux cowhide on top for added texture and interest.

LAUREY GLENN

2. Bring Vintage Home Decor into Your Bedroom

In bedrooms, vintage home decor, whether furniture or accessories, can help contribute to a casual, comfortable ambiance; everything doesn't need to match exactly. Choose items with similar styles or color schemes, then use the concept of symmetry to create a cohesive look.

Serving as nightstands, the two mismatched wood dressers next to this four-poster bed are tied together by their similar finish. Small antique rugs add a splash of color on either side of the bed. The vintage artwork mounted above the dressers shares a consistent  and the similarly-sized pieces are hung in the same pattern.

3. Use Vintage Elements in the Kitchen

KIMBERLY GAVIN

Even with a modern kitchen, vintage home decor can still be added successfully. Hang an antique sign or decorate open shelves with vintage dishware to quickly add an old-fashioned look to your contemporary kitchen. In this farmhouse-style kitchen, a found metal sign reflects the rustic look of distressed cabinets and shelves fashioned from salvaged wood. It's paired with other timeworn elements like vintage glass jars filled with dry ingredients and window treatments sewn from old grain sacks. These simple elements could also work in a white kitchen outfitted with stainless steel and marble. Each piece adds warmth without taking away from the other more modern features.

JAY WILDE

4. Decorate with Vintage Textiles

Old grain sacks and tea towels make perfect pillowcases, and old quilts can be beautiful wall hangings in an otherwise modern space. Frame vintage scarves for instant artwork, or use antique curtains or blankets in the place of contemporary fabric for a covered headboard with a vintage feel. Thinking outside the box and using vintage textiles in out-of-the-ordinary ways allows you to incorporate those quirky retro items you love without dating your home.

REED DAVIS

5. Accessorize Dining Spaces with Vintage Home Decor

White or neutral walls make a great backdrop for vintage home decor like a rustic table, chairs, or bench. Adding a chippy stool and decades-old blanket keep this dining room inviting without looking cluttered. A ceiling fixture draws the eyes up, while bright red artwork and an old dough bowl filled with fruit bring additional color to the room while contrasting with the warmth of the wood furniture. Don't be afraid to pile on some of your favorite finds in a neutral room; it's the perfect backdrop to show them off.

JAMES NATHAN SCHRODER

6. Add Vintage Style to a Bathroom

Vintage pieces have their place, even in a freshly updated bathroom. Instead of a new storage unit, repurpose an old dresser as a vintage-style cache for extra towels, bath products, and other necessities. Paired with flea market wall art and rustic wood shelves, vintage home decor adds interest and warmth to the black and white space. Other options for vintage bathroom decor include antique glass jars and wire baskets, which you can use to stash cotton balls and rolls of toilet paper.

MATTHEW BENSON

7. Continue Vintage Home Decor Outdoors

Add vintage decor outdoors to showcase your style on the porch or patio. Vintage jars and vases provide a beautiful way to display your garden's finest blooms or stems from the farmers market. For added height, layer them on old stools. On this porch, a vintage drop-leaf table tucks between two vintage chairs that have just been treated to a fresh coat of paint. A limited color palette is key to keeping your vignette cohesive.