Even though early 2000s and 2010s are the era about which many greatest Sci-Fi authors wrote about, when it comes to decoration, vintage and steampunk are all the rage. One of the reasons behind such popularity of this style is that it is extremely versatile. For example, if you were to decorate your home in a contemporary manner, you would have to get your hands on some purpose specific items like tech gadgets, and furniture mostly made from plastic and glass. On the other hand, vintage allows you to decorate with things you find on an attic or buy at a garage sale. With this in mind, here are a few ways of using vintage finds in decoration.
Shabby Chic and Rustic Home
One of the greatest aspects of the vintage style is the idea of shabby chic. What this essentially means is that when buying an antique furniture, you should be concerned with it looking authentic rather than it looking undamaged. This led people to stop painting old nightstands, while some took it even one step further. Rather than buying genuine vintage items, some people started painting furniture to look more antique on purpose. Others, however, decided to take a different approach. As soon as they get enough shabby chic items in their home, they start adjusting the rest of the household to this style. This usually included painting other wooden surfaces like doors, window frames and even floorboards white.
All About That Lace
If a vintage army ever had uniforms, it would definitely be made of lace. In fact, lace is the only thing you just cannot add too much in a vintage setting. There are so many awe inspiring ideas, like making pendant lighting from lace or even decorating your candleholders with it. Of course, making small lace ornaments and adding them to pillows, walls and lamp shades also goes, but don’t forget about your persona as well. Like a fashionista chameleon, try to fit in this vintage shrine of yours and reintroduce lace into your own armoire. Those who take a bit more out-of-the-box approach are even known to make lace jewelry such as earrings and necklaces.
French Country or Vintage Glam
Saying that you want a vintage style in your home is pretty much like saying that you want it to have walls- it really doesn’t reveal much. How tall? How many? What kind? Sure, you may want your home to appear like from another century, but do you want it to look like a French countryside manor or a Victorian villa. For the first impression, shabby chic in combination with natural hues like lavender, burnt rust and hunters green will do you just fine. On the other hand, vintage glam takes a bit more effort. Here, you will have to exploit all that shimmering metallic color palette has to offer. Your closest two allies are pale gold and cream, while satin is your weapon of choice.
Let There Be Light
Finally, no matter what you do with the rest of the home, proper lighting fixtures can make or break the entire impression. This is why going with modern lamps or contemporary downlights simply won’t do. The safest choice you have is to go with elegant yet subtle led wall lights. When buying, however, try to avoid looking at them as a separate items and try to focus on what they will look like in your household. In fact, this advice is something you should take in general, not just when buying lights.
Whenever you encounter a perfect vintage item, you need to ask yourself two questions. The first one is ‘does it fit with your home’. If the answer is no, then you need to ask the following- ‘can I make it fit?’ Some finds are just so perfect that it can be worth your while to redecorate your entire place just to integrate them.
Country & Victorian Times 