Adding a Vintage Touch to Your Home

Several people could add a vintage touch to their home and each one be totally different. There are so many eras to choose from that it depends on the one they have chosen as to what pieces they use. It’s all up to your individual taste whether it be Victorian or mid-century modern you gravitate to for your home.

Of course, as with all décor in your home, personal tastes are a big factor. The market for vintage items is huge in the US at the moment, as these themes do not go in and out of fashion as many of the more modern designs do. They tend to be constructed with solid wood and well made unlike the current trend in particle board throwaway furniture. Needless to say, what era you go with or if like me you tend to the eclectic and mix your vintage eras, there are some things that decor themes have in common.

Start With The Walls

Most bygone eras used more color on their walls then is popular in interior design today. They would have used vibrant pinks, turquoise, or bright yellow for painted walls, but were more likely to use floral patterned wallpaper for part of the room at least. Research the era you want to mimic the effect of to find out what was the most popular then.

You should also remember that door and window frames were either left bare wood and varnished or painted with a color that would blend in with the rest of the décor.

Furniture

This is probably one of the hardest things to pin down to exact eras. Pieces were well made and often passed down through more than one generation.  This can mean that when you look at old photos of people’s homes, for instance, a side table could be very old already and not really from that time.

You can mix themes to some extent, but it needs to be handled carefully. You will find old pieces of furniture in antique shops or in online marketplaces where you can buy pieces like original Eames furniture, which look great. There are some things, such as grandfather clocks, that will fit into any time period and will even look good in a more modern environment. You may want to gravitate to these timeless pieces unless you are trying to stay with a specific theme. 

The secret is to not go over the top with too much old furniture or your house will look more like a museum than a home.

Wood

Sticking with wood is a must. You have to remember that there were no laminate floors or Formica until the middle of the last century. If your theme is from the 1960s or 1970s these things will be fine, but any time before that and there should be real wood included in the room.

Furniture was all made of wood, but also wooden flooring and wall coverings were also very popular.

Distressed wood is very effective when you are creating a vintage theme, or even reclaimed wood can do the job. The problem is that as well as being more expensive, new wood looks new, and that can unbalance the effect you are trying to achieve.

Accessories

Vintage accessories will be the finishing touch to your home. This could be lamps, heavy drapes, small tables or your center lights even. You will find them in all sorts of places, including some vintage accessory gift shops, thrift stores, and garage sales.

Discover what you like by creating a Pinterest board.  Look around and add anything you like to the board.  A theme will start to arise and you will know what style you like without investing a lot of money on furniture and decor that you end up hating.

Check out my Pinterest Decor Board for Ideas.

Getting a vintage feel for your home can be a lot of fun while you are searching for everything you need, and a lot of hard work to put it all together. Don’t be afraid to try something or be too rigid in sticking with a time period.  Find pieces you like and incorporate them into your rooms, after all, your house is a reflection of you and you want it to shine.