There’s a reason vintage decor is making a comeback in modern times: It creates a unique aesthetic that works well in any home. When you blend different eras, you create a feeling of nostalgia mixed with modern-day appliances and design. Don’t eliminate that old vintage typewriter or antique furniture; it pairs well with modern art and futuristic appliances! Vintage items also make great focal points in your home, so it’s time to clean off the dust and get decorating. Incorporating more vintage pieces into your space doesn’t have to break the bank either since you can find most of these items at your local antique store, vintage shop, or garage sale.
Start with Neutral Walls
You don’t want to take away from the vintage and modern decorations with bold and bright walls. Choosing neutral tones like whites, grays, or beige is a backdrop to your more impressive furniture, art, or trinkets. That way, these pieces can shine against the neutral walls. If you want a bold wall, choose one wall in your room for a brighter color and paint the other three in a neutral tone.
Mix Vintage and Contemporary Art
To create contrast, hang modern artwork alongside historical pieces, antique frames, and old film photographs. You can also create a gallery wall with modern and vintage art, placing pieces from different eras on one wall. Use different-shaped frames to make the space pop. For example, mix funky, futuristic art from the 1970s with subtler, more modern pieces.
Use Antique Furniture as Focal Points
Antique furniture makes excellent focal points. Place an antique armchair, coffee table, or chest as a statement piece in a room. This will draw your guests’ eyes. To make the statement piece pop, surround it with minimalist modern furniture. Use modern furniture with smooth, straight lines and vintage furniture with angles and antiquated cushions to make them stand out.
Keep the Layout Open
Open-plan layouts allow antique furniture to breathe, preventing your space from cramming, as antiquated furniture can sometimes swallow the room. Use these vintage pieces in your living room or bedroom with a lot of natural light. Don’t put too much furniture into one room, as it will make the space seem cramped and loud.
Add Sleek, Modern Lighting
Modern lighting is handy when decorating with vintage furniture. Contemporary lighting fixtures, like minimalist floor lamps and pendant lights, give your space a cohesive look when placed next to antique furniture. Modern lighting also works well in spaces that don’t have a lot of natural light. Often, vintage pieces are dark and heavy, so you’ll need to bring bright, airy, and lightness to the room with lighting.
Pair a Modern Sofa with Antique Accent Chairs
Soften the space with a contemporary sofa. It pairs nicely with vintage chairs. If you have several chairs around the sofa, this works well. The accent chairs will be your room’s focal point, whereas the sofa will be a base. The accent chairs will also give your space personality. Use a neutral-colored rug underneath the sofa and chairs to make them pop.
Blend Contemporary Fabrics with Antique Pieces
Blending modern and antique is easy with contemporary fabrics. Choose fabrics like velvet or linen and add them to antique furniture. This adds a modern touch and blends well against vintage wood and rocking chairs. If you have a living room sofa, use a neutral color that blends with the sofa to give the space a cohesive look.
Mix and Match Textures
Rough textures like vintage wood combine well with glossy finishes like glass or metal. Both textures balance each other out, and you can have fun mixing and matching them! If you have multiple pieces of wood in your space, use a glossy finish for half and a metal finish for the other. Other modern fixtures, like lighting and appliances, will balance out this retro-futuristic aesthetic.
Use an Antique Rug with Modern Furniture
Anchor your space with an antique rug. If you don’t want to use antique furniture or have none, liven up the space with an antique rug and complete the look with modern, minimalist furniture. This will bring a fresh vibe to your space without being too loud or crowded.
Pair Antique Mirrors with Modern Decor
Modern decorations pair well with antique mirrors. Hang the mirror above a contemporary console table to give your space a retro, eclectic feel. If you’re feeling brave, you can also make a gallery wall with several antique mirrors of different shapes, sizes, and frames. Mirrors also brighten the space by reflecting light, which works well in darker rooms.
Go for Vintage Accents in a Modern Space
Antique clocks, sculptures, vases, and trinkets look great in a predominantly modern room. They will shake up your space and add a little pizzazz. These pieces don’t need to be large or overbearing; using several will do the job. Finding vintage accents is the fun part. You can start by looking in your attic or basement, heading to a garage sale, or finding a local vintage shop that sells trinkets and sculptures.
Combine Modern Flooring with Antique Rugs
You likely have tiled or wooden floors in your home. Antique rugs can give your space warmth and a bit of vintage flair without installing an entire carpet to achieve the vintage look. Bold, patterned rugs pair well with minimalist furniture in a modern room. The rug will act as its statement piece, especially if the room already has subtle features and neutral colors.
Integrate Antique Bookshelves with Modern Books
There’s no better way to blend antique and modern than by filling an antique bookshelf with tons of modern books and sleek accessories! Your bookshelf can house more than just books. Decorate the space with modern trinkets, plants, and candles to make it pop. The antique bookshelf will act as a base, while the books and decor will give it personality. If you want to take it a step further, you can also use modern books on one half of the bookshelf and antique books on the other.
Modernize Antique Lighting Fixtures
Modern and antique lighting fixtures blend well. To make an antique chandelier pop, quickly refurbish it with a modern bulb style or finish. Use soft, dim lighting to give your space warmth without making it feel too crowded or overwhelming with bright lighting. Hang the chandelier above a modern dining table and vintage rug to complete the aesthetic!
Use Industrial Elements with Antique Decor
Modern design elements like metal shelving pair well with antique furniture. The industrial look gives it bold character, while the antique decor creates a sense of timeless nostalgia. Because metal furniture doesn’t do well, balancing it with vintage furniture and other trinkets is essential to soften the space.
Antique Wall Clocks with Minimalist Design
Adding a gallery wall of clocks is a great way to blend modern and vintage. It might seem outlandish, but vintage clocks make excellent statement pieces that contrast beautifully with modern, minimalist interiors. You might have a ton of vintage clocks lying around your attic, or you might find a bunch on sale at a local vintage store. If you don’t want to add them to a wall, add them to an empty shelf on a bookcase.
Add Antique Sculptures in a Contemporary Room
Contemporary walls scream for antique sculptures! These sculptures make a bold statement in an otherwise simple, modern setting. When done correctly, they act as focal pieces that draw the eye and complete the room. Sprinkle in other antique trinkets, like frames and clocks. If you want to go extra bold, use sculptures of varying sizes, with one large piece and another smaller one.
Use Modern Colors with Antique Furniture
If you don’t want to use neutral colors, pair sleek modern colors like charcoal gray or navy. These pair well against the rich wood of antique furniture and make a sleek yet powerful aesthetic. Use furniture that has dark oak wood to give your space a warm look without being too overbearing.
Modern Technology Hidden in Antique Cabinet
Flat-screen TVs look great inside vintage cabinets or armoires. Because it’s not what you’d expect, this pairing gives a feeling of nostalgia. It’s timeless and simple and is a look that’s easy to achieve. You can also use modern computers, cameras, or speakers inside vintage furniture in your bedroom, office, or living room.
Use Antique Doors in a Modern Setting
Repurposing old doors is a fun DIY project that completes the modern look. Use vintage doors as sliding barn doors or accent pieces in an otherwise modern space. This efficiently acts as a focal point. Best of all, it’s eco-friendly! Try going into your attic or basement and seeing if there’s an old door stored away somewhere. For a bold look, you can replace closet or bedroom doors with vintage pieces.
Balance Antique Upholstery with Contemporary Designs
Mix minimalist, modern pieces with antique upholstered chairs for a unique, interesting contrast. This is where those retro-futuristic or modern art, statues, and decorative pieces come in handy. Display them around vintage chairs in your living room to seamlessly blend modern and antique.
Antique Lamps on Modern Tables
Antique lamps pair well with a clean-lined, modern table. They easily create a timeless ambiance with dimmed lighting for a warmer, softer setting. Brass lamps do a great job of adding smooth texture to the room. Their designs and details also stand out when antique lamps are set against simple tables.
Layer Modern Cushions on Antique Sofas
Mix and match modern and vintage by layering modern cushions on antique sofas. Modern throw pillows and cushions can easily update antique sofas without taking away from their character or swallowing the details of the sofa. You can get creative here by designing DIY cushions for your sofa instead of going out and purchasing new ones.
Mix and Match Antique and Modern Dining Chairs
This is a fun way to achieve an eclectic dining room with minimal effort. Use a vintage dining table and a mix of vintage and modern chairs. Use three antique and three modern chairs if the table seats six people. Choose chairs with similar colors so one doesn’t stand out against the other.
Create a Fusion in the Kitchen
Your kitchen is one of the best spaces to combine modern and unique designs. Combine sleek, modern appliances with unique-style cabinets for a vintage-inspired look that’s functional and up-to-date. Think about those 1950s kitchens! You can go for that aesthetic but use modern appliances. Choose colorful cabinets and a patterned mosaic backsplash.
Add Modern Wall Panels with Antique Accents
Pair modern wall panels or wainscotting with antique furniture to balance the atmosphere. This is an easy way to blend different eras without revamping your space or knocking down walls. If you already have a modern space, you can focus on adding vintage furniture to balance the room’s atmosphere. You can also use wood panels or other textures for a dynamic look.
Mix Antique China with Modern Table Settings
Antique china has a timeless look. Mix it with contemporary table settings for an elegant, playful look. If you have a large vintage cabinet, you can decorate one section with vintage china and another with clean-lined, simple, modern pieces that balance it out. The focus will be on the antique china, and the modern table settings will help it not be overwhelming.
Decorate With Your Typewriter
If you have an old typewriter collecting dust in your attic, it’s time to break it out and bring it downstairs. Place it on a sleek, modern coffee table, or display it inside a glass cabinet. Remember that displaying this will become the room’s focal point. It’s important to make sure other items in the room aren’t too bold and overwhelm the space. You can display other minor vintage trinkets nearby for a more cohesive look.