Can You Mix And Match Antique Furniture With Modern Decor?

We get it. Almost none of us can afford to have a home full of priceless antiques. But just because you only have a few pieces or even a single piece of antique furniture at your disposal, it doesn't mean you have to be limited by an overarching rustic décor theme or vintage theme. Yes, conventional wisdom may tell you that the two don't mix well, but that doesn't have to be the case. The trick lies in knowing how to adorn your interiors with vintage furniture to create a modern look – and this is exactly what you will learn in this post.

Create Contrast And Deliver A Design Impact

Create strong juxtaposition by placing an antique furnishing next to a modern decor item. For example, if you have a vintage English cabinet, you can choose to place a painting done by a contemporary artist on top of the cabinet. This will create a strong contrast and invoke plenty of visual appeal. Your guests will be intrigued to know about both of the items because they will notice the distinctive visual language that you have created in that space.

Get The Placement Of Antique Furniture Right

When you want your beautiful old furniture to work in modern décor, you definitely need to consider the issue of placement as well. The most common placement for antique furnishings in a room is to make that piece of furniture the focal point. When you do that, you are making a bold statement to your modern design theme. You can also place a few antique pieces all concentrated in one single area instead of scattering them around. Some ideal spots for placing antique furniture include the fireplace mantel, behind a sofa, in a living room corner.

Group Your Antiques By Color

Whether you have antique furniture or antique artworks, you can always decorate a room by grouping your antiques together by color. By using conforming hue to your advantage, you will create consistency for the space, and will not draw attention away from your antique statement pieces. While you are at it, don't forget that you can also mix your non-antique décor items into the grouping. In other words, feel free to place the gold-colored vintage candle holder on the contemporary gold-rimmed corner table that you just purchased.

Emphasize The Furniture Style

Look at the type of antique furniture you have and try to gather decorative items to support that particular style against the overall modern design theme. For example, if you have antique English furniture, get other vintage décor items made from wood or textile to accent your furniture. On the other hand, if you want a more steampunk look, source for metallic décor items to highlight your industrial vintage furniture.

Using Leather In Your Décor

Nowadays, leather is used in many modern homes. Leather sofas are one example. The leather material actually goes very well with antiques because it commonly comes in brown. Choose modern leather pieces to complement your antique furniture and see how magically well they go together. It will be brilliant if the base paint color of the room is white because the light hue will enhance the modern look while letting leather and your antique pieces stand out.

Don't Use Antiques Just for Decoration

It may sound silly but there are people who simply choose to use their furniture as a decorative piece instead of a piece of functional furniture. Antiques are usually quality made. After all they've lasted a long time. So if you have an antique chair, make sure it is meant to be sat on instead of just using it as a decorative item. That way, the chair will serve its practical function and be appreciated in all its glory within the contemporary décor setting.

Going Antique With A Modern Twist

Another creative way to mix the old with the new is to use an antique piece with modern parts. For example, you may have a beautiful and elegant-looking antique lamp that you want to feature in your modern industrial interior design. Use a LED light bulb for the lamp and enjoy the energy-saving efficiency it can afford for modern living.

Seeking Inspiration Is A Smart Move

When it comes to home décor, nothing beats seeing how others would do it to help you seek inspiration for your own décor decisions. And today, there's no better way to do it than online where bloggers and interior designers alike showcase their before-and-after images of using antique furniture against a modern décor backdrop. It doesn't mean that you have to copy those ideas, in fact you may hate them. But looking at what others have done can get your creative juices flowing and help you come up with something very original actually!

As you can see, there are many ideas you can explore when you want to make your antiques work in modern interior design. Buy a beautiful piece today and give it a try yourself – who knows, you might be a true master of marrying the old with the new!