How to decorate with vintage
Apr 21, 2014 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
1930s living room, from Seattle Municipal Archives
Your living space reveals bits of your identity to every guest that visits. Choosing retro items tells your unique story and while we’ve already shown how you can make an apartment feel like home, how do you begin the process? How do you incorporate older things into your decorative routine? Join us as we show you how to decorate with vintage.
How to decorate with vintage
Because you can’t pre-order or know what to expect when searching for vintage, you must be an organized shopper. The first task is fairly simple: walk through your home and take an inventory of what you need. Focus on the functionality because that will be the most important part of your list. As Suzie reminded us earlier, you must consider how you utilize space so your purchase has staying power. You can enhance your diary by adding inspirational pictures, important dimensions, phrases, or items you may not need but want to add to your environment.
Having a guide will help you enjoy the hunt. It’s always thrilling when you shop for vintage because it’s completely unpredictable – you never know when an investment piece will find you. Knowing what you need will help ensure that key pieces don’t get passed by during your next shopping adventure. Rating by necessity will help you determine and stick to a budget. Remember that your feelings toward something will create its true value, so give yourself time to look, feel, photograph, and consider items on your list. But preparedness doesn’t just apply to list making – it also extends to shopping habits.
Buying vintage demands active shopping. Really inspect things before you buy them, ask questions, look to great resources (like Cause A Frockus!), and befriend shop owners. Building relationships with the people on the front lines will help you figure out authenticity and they’re also great in directing you to complimentary items. If you choose to make purchases at a flea market, reference our handy buying guide.
Three tips to decorate with vintage
Tip One | Say no to clutter
Coco Chanel always told us, “before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” Well that philosophy applies to the house itself. Don’t let your living space get too cluttered; pieces need room to breathe so they can be appreciated. This becomes more and more challenging as your collection grows, but see it as an opportunity rather than a problem. Our wardrobe is dynamic, so why can’t our homes have the same approach?
Table and shelf displays are kept simple, in groupings of three
Switch up your decor, letting new pieces enjoy the spotlight at different times. This technique will be especially pleasing if you entertain as guests will always have something unique to appreciate, with new conversations blooming as a result. The trick with this process is to keep things simple, while achieving a layered look. You can do this by taking our next two steps into consideration.
Tip Two | Say yes to nature
Nothing says joy like a fresh display of flowers. But interior gardens are not the only way to bring nature into your space. Consider what you have already: a few oranges in the kitchen, a rock collection from childhood, or even dried flowers. Fruit combines two extraordinary features: color and texture. Don’t just leave your oranges in any old bowl, put them in a place of prominence within depression era glass. Take a clear apothecary jar and house your rocks on the mantle. Showcase dried flowers in vintage frames with lace backgrounds. The possibilities are endless and your space will be all the cheerier because of it!
Tip Three | Be confident and embrace color
One of the best things about vintage is you are not beholden to trends, but are encouraged to buy what you love. Keep that in mind and don’t fret about perfection – embrace uniqueness. That means you should devote attention to every space, no matter how big or small. Always strive to create special moments throughout your home. Color and texture work hand in hand to make those experiences possible.
President and Mrs. Nixon loving yellow in their San Clemente home.
When it comes to color you will first want to study your color wheel. You can use this as a guide while building your color scheme. A basic plan will combine two or three core colors. Related schemes use hues that are side by side on the wheel, while monochromatic approaches explore the varying ranges of one color in particular. Remember color doesn’t just live on your four walls, but can live on the floor and ceiling as well. Experiment with pattern work to make an exciting backdrop for your decor.
Color wheel, by Sakurambo
If you want to heighten the drama use bold colors in small spaces or make unexpected color combinations. Your eyes experience different colors in different ways. Bold colors will advance while pale colors will recede. If you choose to closely coordinate your hues (like the monochromatic process) any spatial defects will be minimized. Once you step away from planned coordination and embrace contrasts, you will show off your furniture and interior architecture more.
Following inspiration is another way to express your confidence in vintage decorating. Let your purchases speak to you and inform your design work. It may be something as simple as a book with a stunning cover, a small statue, or even the hue of the ice bucket pictured.
Image by Grannies Kitchen
Start to put together your inventory, maintain your journal as you add pieces to your collection, and have fun! Decorating with vintage is a special process by its very nature, so let your personality shine in your own home. You’ll find that living this truthfully to be inspiring and soon your friends will be asking you to help them on their own retro journey!
Cause A Frockus would like to thank their tremendous resources: “Vintage Vavoom: Romantic decorating with one-of-a-kind finds” from the Editors of Romantic Homes Magazine, “Decorating Book” by Better Homes and Gardens, and the people who post their images without restriction.
For our readers: Tell us what’s on your decorating list! How do you approach buying investment pieces? What do you do as your collection grows – how often do you rearrange your space?