Blending traditional décor with modern interior design style means multi-layering your home with inherited, vintage, and antique pieces to develop a cohesive and personal style. Sleek modern lines mixed with a touch of vintage design are a sure way to create an eclectic look in your home. The approach helps find the perfect place for heirloom pieces adding a unique contrast to any room. The only challenge is to get the right visual balance by blending the right amount of contemporary design with antique pieces.So, here are ten essential tips for mixing modern and antique furniture, artwork, and styles to get you started: –
1. Play with proportions
It makes good sense to place an oversized antique piece of furniture in smaller spaces. It attracts attention and brings a sense of grandeur into a small contemporary space. Use a single antique piece of furniture as a focal point in the room and surround it with modern accent pieces. Placing an oversized antique leather sofa, an English writing desk, or a carved dining table with matching sideboards can help make a living room, study, and dining room appear more spacious and grand.
2. Group vintage and modern Pieces
Once you get the proportions of each piece right, it is necessary to group them correctly by finding a balance between the number of pieces used. To achieve the right blend of modern furniture and vintage looks, start by considering the visual attributes of the furniture or art pieces. Ascertain what attracts you to that furniture – its shape, colour, texture? By defining this, you can group a collection. It will allow you to tie the styles together and make the room appear classy and not chaotic. Also, try placing a few accessories from the same era like chandeliers, clocks, and frames to achieve the desired look.
3. Determine the overall look and feel
Interior decor affects your emotions at home. So, when mixing old and new decor styles, it is essential to begin by determining the overall feel you want to create in a room. Whether you’d like to make a great first impression, feel comfortable and cosy, opt for child safety, or embrace romantic vibes, the overall feel will influence the selection and placement of vintage furniture, rugs, and more. Colours, textures, and lighting also contribute to creating an overall look and feel of the home.
4. Let one style dominate
Traditional and modern décor differ dramatically in style, shape, size, colour, and textures. Therefore to create a balance and make the blend work, it is essential to let just one type dominate the space – either antique or modern. Once you decide on the style for your room, the best is to let that furniture piece become the focal point. The rest can blend in. You can design a vintage style with modern accents or a modern look with vintage pieces, using either one to dominate the space.
5. Add drama with colour
A neutral palette is a good and safe option for placing together old and new décor pieces. But remember, just as mixing modern and antique furniture styles is all about contrasts, you can also add drama to the space with contrasting colours. Go bold with two vibrant dominating shades, or use a colour palette with a single dominant hue with multiple tones. Play with colour combinations to create a bold yet cohesive look.
6. Introduce textiles
Plain or patterned, silk textiles lend a sense of richness and warmth to any room. Use them to help blend in the new and art decor furniture. Try throwing in some cushions on your sofas, or add a silk panel behind a queen size bed to get the perfect look. Also, natural textures, such as leather, faux-fur, wool, and linen, can create the right environment blending old vintage pieces with contemporary lines.
7. Use the backdrop as a feature
Backdrops like fireplaces, exposed brickwork, textured wall finishes, and glass windows work as focal features to integrate vintage pieces with contemporary art. A well-designed backdrop will accentuate the perfectly blended décor and help to maximise the sense of space.
8. Emphasize lighting
If your dominant style is contemporary, use ornate light fixtures or French deco chandeliers to combine old with new. On the other hand, if the predominant style is vintage, throw in some modern light fittings or led lighting. These dazzling possibilities integrate the decor seamlessly. Mirrors placed strategically also reflect light giving the room character.V
9. Introduce the power of repetition
There is one easy way to blend two styles – repetition. Repeated patterns, textures, and colours help to unite disparate style elements to create a cohesive look. So, repeat at least.
One mutual powerful attribute is to tie the vintage and modern pieces together. Try using earth-toned wall paint on opposite walls, pair wall lamps, or place a pair of matching end tables to harmonise the look with repetition.
10. Use the 80/20 rule of interior design
Lastly, the most crucial interior decorating tip when mixing modern furniture with vintage pieces is following the 80/20 rule. Don’t cramp too many vintage pieces into a space. Even if you are a collector of antique pieces, either distribute your collection throughout the house or group them well. Follow the 80% contemporary and 20% vintage rule so your heirloom pieces can stand out to tell their own story.
Having understood how to style your home with a mix of modern and vintage pieces, you are now ready to create your style. Do not give up on those distressed pieces as they tell a story and add visual excitement. Tie items together using the above tips to find the perfect balance in your home.