How to bring Antique Decor Pieces into your Home
Everything old is new again, at least regarding interior design. Finally, the monochromatic tones and stark lines of the aughties are gone, giving way to a warmer and, let's face it, cozier approach to decorating your home. And the best thing about this return to color and comfort is that it's sustainable, too—styling your rooms with antique and vintage pieces is good for the environment and your budget.
Decorating with Antique Pieces
Antiques—anything more than 100 years old—are having quite the renaissance. The "brown furniture" that trendy decorators used to look down on is now finding its way back to homes all over Colorado and the US.
We're not suggesting you load up your house with heavy fabrics and fringe, but rather that you find pieces that speak to you—decorate with antiques in your modern style. If you're unsure what your antique esthetic is, come to Old Crow Antiques and peruse our aisles of finds from all over the world. Don't worry about whether something will "go"; if you love it, it will work with other things in your home that you also love.
Why Decorate with Vintage Decor
The easiest way to make your home feel more welcoming and cozier is to add vintage—things more than 40 years old—to your existing decor. The great thing about vintage is that it spans so many iconic design eras, from the glitz of the Art Deco period of the 20s to the pared-down Mid-Century modern movement of the post-war era to the exuberant florals, chintzes, and more-is-more esthetic that defined the 80s.
Mixing Styles
If there's one rule for home design in 2022, it's that there aren't any rules anymore. It's all about filling your home with pieces that you love and letting those pieces tell your story. Just like you can wear silver and gold jewelry simultaneously, and redheads can wear pink, you can and should mix up your decor—if that's what you love. There's no reason you can't hang an ornate gilded mirror over a rustic hall bench—so long as you keep the accessories in the space minimal—the idea is to highlight the juxtaposition of style, not hide it in a mishmash of clutter.
Making Antiques the Accent
Start small if you're intimidated by the idea of putting antiques in your home. A Chinese garden stool, for example, makes a great end table for drinks, remotes, and magazines and is a surprise element in an otherwise contemporary decorating scheme. One of our favorite things about antique accessories is that you can repurpose so much. You can turn a moth-eaten Oriental rug into a footstool or use a paneled screen for a headboard.
Making Antiques the Focus
When you're to make a statement, make an antique the focal point of your room. This could mean a Venetian or antique iron chandelier, a mahogany George III sideboard in your dining room, a lacquered Chinoiserie secretary in the living room, or an antique work table becomes a work island in the kitchen. A pair of side chairs flanking a contemporary console in the entry hall draws your eye, and if you hang modern art over the console, those chairs will pop. The trick here is to let the antiques take center stage—be careful that you don't over-accessorize. Too much stuff take away from the oomph of your focal antique.
Old Crow Antiques is your one-stop source for a home refresh in the Littleton area. Our vendors scour the globe, from Denver to Denmark to Dakar, to bring you the best in vintage and antique furniture and accessories under one roof. If you're into doing your own refinishing, we also have the stains, paint, and oils you need for your projects.
Image credit:Khaled ElAdawy/Shutterstock