Have you ever stepped into a living space and found it alluring without being able to put your finger on what’s special about it? That’s the magic a blend of modern and vintage style can deliver. If you want to create the most eclectic living space, mixing new and old pieces for your home décor is the trick.
You can create a theme that looks as if it has evolved over the years. So, how do you get started? In this post, we will share tips on how to mix modern and vintage styles to deliver a stunning home décor. Let’s get started!
First thing First: Get Inspired
So, now that you decided to transform your space and mix modern and vintage styles, what’s the first step? Get inspired. It is tempting to start shopping for antique furniture and modern art décor right away to get the ball rolling.
However, buying random assortments of décor pieces will limit your creativity and productivity. So, the first thing is to get a clear idea of how you want your room to look and what goes where. To get started, you can browse through the internet or catalogs for ideas. Of course, your home can also inspire you.
Take the time to familiarize yourself with your home and the layout. What décor items and furniture pieces will fit into your ideal modern-antique home? Which of your current personal belongings – whether pieces of antique furniture or modern artwork or thoughtfully chosen custom curtains – already fit within your vision? You don’t have to do a complete overhaul of everything you have.
You will be pleasantly surprised by how many existing items can go into your new home décor. So, what other ideas can help in transforming your space into your dream modern-antique room? Check out these tips!
Tips to Mix Modern and Vintage Style for Your Home Décor
- Highlight Dimensions with Lighting
Many people stay away from experimenting with light for genuine reasons. Lighting can be very tricky to work out and choosing bad lighting can mess up a good decor. Unfortunately, you can’t do without lighting if you want to add a unique personality to your space.
When mixing modern with antiques, you need the right sources of light to achieve the ambiance you want to create. Artificial lighting, such as table lamps and chandeliers were primarily the highlights of the Victorian architectural designs of the 19th century.
Adding them to your space will no doubt add the vintage feel. However, you need to first maximize the natural light in your space before installing more light. This is to ensure that your light sources are not competing, while getting the benefit of most natural light.
So, for instance, if the living room currently has a chandelier, it will not be necessary to add more hanging lights. Instead, you can pick a few antique table lamps to achieve dimensional variations. You should stick with small accent lamps with ambient light.
- Consider Bold and Complementary Colors
The great thing about mixing modern and vintage styles is the chance to explore colors from both eras. While modern décor focuses on cool and neutral tones, antique décor fancied more complementary and warm colors. Vintage styles of décor also use complementary textures as opposed to the single, thematic texture of modern décor style.
So, don’t get scared of the contrast in texture and color combinations. Instead, play around with vibrant colors to make your décor distinct. For example, you can opt for two vibrant shades that strive for dominance, such as slate blue and jungle green.
If you are not very adventurous, a single dominant hue with multiple tones would not be bad. Finally, on colors, try to focus on balance and personal style to create a cohesive style that evolves with time. Ensure that the chosen palette seamlessly runs through all elements in your room. From your upholstery to wallpapers to custom roman shades on your windows, a cohesive color theme can be the powerful force bridging the gap between the modern and vintage.
- Use the 80:20 Rule
So, whether you want to add a modern décor touch to your antique-themed home décor or introduce vintage décor into your modern-themed home, the 80-20 rule delivers the best results. Generally, the rule says the best ratio of antique to modern or modern to antique should be 80:20.
That means if you want to maintain your current modern décor, then, allocate 20% of the interior space for antique pieces. The smartest way to do this is to keep your large furniture, such as chairs and sofas, primarily modern.
You can then bring in small antique items, such as antique picture frames or leather-bound antique books for detail. If you have some antique china or a small wooden trunk, fit them nicely into your living room. This is a nice way to use inherited antique furniture or heirlooms in your space.
- Splurge on Patterns & Textures
Just like with colors, you can mix patterns & textures to your heart’s content when mixing modern and antique styles for home décor. You can step out of your comfort zone and ditch the minimalistic style for some unorthodox textures and patterns. That is because patterns and texture are features of vintage-style home décor and if mixed thoughtfully with the rest of the room’s decor, it’s bound to make your home fantastic.
One of the best ways to add texture to your space is to invest in an antique rug, such as hand-knitted carpeting or animal prints. When it comes to colors, choose earthy tones, such as copper-red, brown, or green. You can also introduce layers of texture with small plants.
Conclusion
Finally, consider adding timeless vintage artifacts, such as rotary dials, grandfather clocks, and wooden trucks. So, are you ready to mix modern and antique styles for your next home décor? Get started with these tips already!