Antiques are old and valuable things. They often become objects of trade and are often acquired by collectors - people of high income and inclined towards aristocracy. Of course, there are few such people. However, almost every family has certain heirlooms, items that are passed down from generation to generation. Often they become interior items.
Let's look at the variations in the placement of antique items in modern interiors.
In the living room
The first and most important thing to remember when working with antiques is the game of contrasts. And the greater the contrasts, the more advantageous the antique item looks.
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Place old cracked wood surfaces in close proximity to clean new mirrors, chrome elements, velvet and pure natural linen. Find the most honorable place for the antique item - in the center of the room or so that it can be seen from the entrance.
Antique carpentry can be difficult to restore. If you live in a house from the last century, think twice before replacing this rare beauty with MDF doors. Give them for restoration, and your apartment will acquire that chic that will simply be impossible to replicate using new materials.
Perhaps you have real treasures in a closet or attic at your dacha. Explore this area, and if you come across something worthwhile, be sure to find a place for it in your living room. This could be an antique watch, as in the photo above, decorative items, sculptures or something similar. Don't hide in the background what should be proudly displayed.
In the bedroom
Antique photo frames and mirrors will look especially relevant in the bedroom. You can simply clean them from dust and dirt, or restore them. The main thing is not to overdo it and not turn value into a parody painted with a thick layer of paint.
In the dining room
Antique items such as chandeliers or floor sculptures look especially good in the dining room. An antique chair at the head of the table, which is adjacent to a modern set of seats, can also become a striking accent.
If you are lucky enough to become the owner of a dining room set good quality, light restoration will turn it into a masterpiece. New upholstery, painting with antique craquelure - and the job is done.
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The upholstery of antique furniture can be deliberately lush. Use tapestry, velvet, velor. To support the vintage theme, it is good to use a mirror with an antique effect in a duet. The rest of the interior items in the room should be demonstratively new and modern.
In the bathroom
In the bathroom, use old antique furniture, which is now practically not in mass production - pencil cases and storage cabinets with high legs and other artsy items. They will become the main decoration of your bathroom. You can support them with mixers in a classic design - here you should forget about a real rarity - functionality comes first.
In the fireplace
A fireplace room or just a place by the hearth - it doesn’t matter if you are the happy owner of an antique portal. Decorate it as you wish. You can, for example, create a holistic image of the hearth and use the antique design of figurines and frames standing on the fireplace. Or, on the contrary, you can again highlight the contrast with modernity and hang a fashionable print above the antique portal.
In the hallway
In the hallway, follow the above principles. The only thing you remember is that if the style of your interior is far from classic, you should not use more than one antique item. An interesting cabinet, pouf or sofa is quite enough.
In the nursery
Children's rooms always look touching. It’s good to use toys in decoration self made, antique frames. Place these items on higher shelves and create static compositions - your child will play with them occasionally, but they will bring something to the room special atmosphere. Old chests of drawers and cabinets with original elements also look good in the nursery.
When decorating any antique item, remember that antiques have value. And it must be presented accordingly, majestically giving it the best and most honorable places in the house.
Imagine that you have inherited a luxurious, but hopelessly out of fashion massive sideboard, chest of drawers or vintage hanger. We often get rid of such things simply because they are difficult to use in a modern interior. And in vain! Architect Marina Lapteva shares her secrets on how to correctly fit old furniture into a new interior.
Marina Lapteva is an architect. In 2012, she worked in St. Petersburg in a redevelopment approvals office; Since 2013 he has been developing design projects in the Flatsdesign studio. Architecture and design are inspiration for Marina. A professional gives the space a special harmony and emotion, which translates them into the plane of works of art.
Tip #1: Warn the designer At the very beginning of the design, familiarize the designer with the existing furniture that you want to keep. It will help to place vintage items in harmony in a modern interior. Typically, retro items are completely incompatible with the rest of the decor, but when you decide on a style solution, the designer will offer several options for its use.
Tip #2: Choose shabby chic Finishing in this style helps create an interior that emanates many years of tradition: wallpaper that imitates cracked paint, laminate that looks like aged wood, decorative plaster antique... “Shabby” chic is suitable for decorating a child’s room, a bedroom for a romantic girl or a delicate bathroom. But if you use only its individual elements, it is quite possible to decorate a living room in which all family members will feel comfortable.
Tip #3: Make an Accent Accentuated use of furniture can become a trump card in your deck of stylistic decisions. For example, a heavy buffet as the main detail of a dining room with modern finishing or an old sofa that is worth giving new life in an eclectic living room. Such things will attract the eye again!
Tip #4: Restore Of course, you can't do without updates. There are many ways to restore interior items. The best masters are able not only to qualitatively repair the product, but also to further decorate it. Thus, Soviet-style furniture can be decorated with inlay, painting or carving.
Tip #5: Old furniture should be the center of attention Remember, the older the thing, the more attractive it is! If you have only one piece of vintage furniture, you can highlight it using lighting, zoning, or painting it bright color. But don't forget that there is important rule color balance: 60–30–10. This means that in each room the ratio must be maintained: 60% primary color, 30% additional and 10% accent color. Additional and primary colors should be neutral, and for accents it is better to choose bright, saturated colors.
Tip #6: Take measurements Taking exact measurements of existing furniture is incredibly important. The fact that it is old is not a reason for the designer not to focus on ergonomic standards in terms of convenience when arranging it. Just as in all other cases of design, you need to understand: you should be comfortable and comfortable living with this furniture.
Antique furniture appears differently in each apartment: some people buy antiques on purpose, while others inherit them. In the latter case, it is not necessary to throw away interior items dear to your heart; they can be made part of unique design, because they look great and sophisticated. The main thing in this process is to know how to submit the registration.
Antique furniture in the interior
It is worth emphasizing that most antique furniture is over 100 years old. Those furniture items that are younger no longer have such a high value and are considered a rarity at a stretch. Typically, connoisseurs and professional antique dealers make purchases at auctions. If a person doesn’t really understand this matter and wants to buy only a few chairs or a chest of drawers to complete a certain interior, he needs to go to an antique store. Only there you can see the desired item in its natural form and get advice from sellers.
Antique furniture itself, unless it is rare, is not of particular interest to ordinary citizens. It can be found at flea markets at a ridiculous price. Most of the costs go towards restoration, which, with the right approach, will return the piece of furniture to its former beauty.
The age and history of a rarity is not so important for creating an interior; the main thing is its laconic inclusion in the chosen design. In this case, the furniture should not be shabby, with a large presence of “antique”, as this may reveal the poor taste of the owner of the house. It will also look ridiculous, for example, one antique chair in combination with an inappropriate interior.
Important! Antique furniture is a bright accent, so the rest of the design needs to be selected accordingly.
A situation often arises when the owner of an apartment gets one antique piece of furniture and the rest of the decor begins to be arranged around it. In this case, you shouldn’t buy everything at once; you need to decide on the style of the desired interior and stick to it.
Antique Furniture Styles
Connoisseurs of rarities are so knowledgeable in this matter that at one glance at a thing they can tell a lot about it by its appearance. Those who do not do this professionally, of course, do not have such knowledge. That is why, in order to choose the right products, it would be useful to consider its styles:
Decorating your home with antique furniture
Antique furniture looks best in country houses or classic apartments with high ceilings. This type of furniture will favorably emphasize the style of romanticism, rococo, baroque or another similar one.
But you can use antique furniture in modern interiors. We are not talking about hi-tech or minimalism here, as well as those options that imply only modern design. In this case, we are talking about the introduction of antique furniture into the home modern man.
There are two ways to design modern house antique furniture.
- The first option implies that the furniture is the focal point of the room. In this case, all other interior details are aimed at highlighting it and showing it in better light. Thus, a unique background is created for antique furniture.
- The second method helps to dilute it using furniture modern interior. In this case, antique furniture will act as a background and can be used to place important accents.
You can use just a few pieces of antique furniture or decorate the entire room with them. For a better understanding of how to create an interior using antique furniture, it is worth considering options for such room design.
Living room and bedroom
The main rule when working with antiques is to play with contrasts, which should never be forgotten. For example, the cracked surface of an antique cabinet can be placed so that it is in close proximity to a new mirror or chrome interior elements.
Important! If there is only one antique item in the room, then it should be placed in the place of honor.
If the living room is in a house from the last century and it has doors or other millwork of a rare type, it is better to restore them to achieve a rich appearance. You shouldn’t exchange such beauty for modern, short-lived MDF options.
The living room in the apartment can be furnished as the owner’s imagination requires. But before that, it is best to look in the bins at the dacha or with relatives for those pieces of furniture that will help decorate the room. Moreover, this can be not only furniture, but also decorative elements.
A delicate bedroom can be equipped with antique frames for mirrors or photos. They will fit into the environment perfectly. If necessary, they are restored, but with maximum preservation of their original appearance.
Dining room and kitchen
An antique set in the form of a mahogany table with a set of chairs of a similar design is ideal for a dining room. If you only have a table, then don’t despair; it can be complemented with modern, discreet chairs.
To create a greater effect, the chairs are upholstered in such a way that appearance speaks of luxury and beauty. These include velvet, velor and tapestry.
If you already have a dining room set, then the rest of the furnishings are done in simple design, without frills, to highlight the rarity.
Conclusion
The use of antique furniture does not force the owner to decorate the entire apartment in a style that smacks of boredom. You can stick to the classics, but there is an option to combine rarities with modern design. Such a design will advantageously emphasize the advantages of antiques, but at the same time it will not seem too uninteresting.
