Vintage Home Interiors
It’s best to start with the basics. A house from your chosen time period is a good blank canvas. From here you can use vintage decorating materials to adorn your home. There are dealers who sell vintage wallpaper, paint and curtains; curtains in particular are highly sought after. In terms of colour and style, consider the room you will be decorating. Small rooms will look tacky if crammed with memorabilia, while larger rooms can look cold and bare if minimalism isn’t achieved correctly.
Tips:
· Be careful with the paint however, as health and safety was not as stringent in the past as it is now, and some old paints can be toxic.
· Remember to steam curtains and any other soft furnishings to ensure pests are not brought into your home.
· Vintage fabrics tend to be delicate. Handle carefully.
Vintage Furniture
License: Image author owned
When your home is decorated to your satisfaction, it’s time to pick furniture. One of the cheapest – and most earth friendly – ways to do this is to buy old classics and have them professionally restored. A beautifully made chesterfield or vintage leather sofa can be worth thousands; the cost of re-upholstery is a small price to pay for restoring a stunning piece of retro chic which will be passed through your family for generations. Vintage Ercol furniture is particularly worth restoration; especially as the frames are carved from quality wood, and curve sensuously.
Tips:
· Check for woodworm on all wooden objects – the creature can decimate a house’s woodwork in very little time.
· Measure the cost of restoration against buying an item in better repair. Buying vintage is better than buying new, but some vintage items are too far gone.
· Keep vintage furniture out of bright sunlight if possible to reduce sun bleaching.
Vintage Home Accessories
Time for the finishing touches - the little extras that give your home that real vintage sparkle. I would strongly suggest setting up a Pinterest board or using a notebook to gather clippings. You can get inspiration anywhere – a fascination with dark Americana means I love defunct / half blown neon signs, coca cola memorabilia and diner chic. There are hundreds of magazines extolling the virtues of the perfect plates to adorn a Welsh dresser, or where you can get an authentic absinthe trowel. Once you have a look you like, acquire pieces slowly. Going overboard, filling your home with cheap approximations, or wasting thousands on average tat simply because it bears the label ‘vintage’ – just say no.
Tips:
· Inspiration is key. Trawl Pinterest and ask friends for any old magazines.
· Hunt everywhere. Etsy, eBay, jumble sales, car boot sales, charity shops.
· Choose carefully. 5 exceptional pieces will have far more impact than 200 dancing Tiki girls.
Written by Helen Mitchell, writer for Plumbs Reupholstery.
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