Since the first time we saw The Little Mermaid, Ariel's song has danced away at the back of our mind, bringing with it an obsession with antiques. “Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat, wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete.” There is just a charm to it, a quaint way of decorating with one-off pieces that boast such craftsmanship. It’s a way to give a home a truly warm and distinctive feel. They are unique, interesting, conversation-starting and able to offer entirely fresh angles to even the most modern of homes.
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[ctt template=”4″ link=”f6yUN” via=”yes” ]Decorating with antiques is a quaint way of decorating with one-off pieces that boast craftsmanship. It’s a way to give a home a truly warm and distinctive feel. Antiques are unique, interesting, conversation-starting and able to offer entirely fresh angles to even the most modern of homes.[/ctt]
There is one challenge to overcome, though, and that’s finding the right balance when choosing pieces and then displaying them, and that’s what we’re going to help you with.
- The More Minimalism The Merrier
As tempting as it can be to go down the Ariel route of hoarding loads of fascinating pieces in one place, you run the risk of turning your home into a museum. You run the risk of cluttering a space and not giving any one piece the spotlight it deserves. Our advice: try and limit each room to just one or two pieces, and make them the focal point. It could be a painting, a clock, a chair, a sofa or an unusual sculpture. Whatever it is, let it sing.
- Run The Risk When You Can
We live in a day and age where everything needs to have more than one purpose, and that has hit the antique world with a pretty punch. People may get stopped in their tracks by a gorgeous grandfather clock, but when they see it’s only right twice a day, they recoil. Don’t. Instead, run the risk. Take a gamble. Make the purchase and take it to a clock repair specialist. Antiques are rarities and so letting the chance to own something amazing slip through your fingers will only haunt you. Even if you don’t get an antique working again, thinking outside the box can bring it back to life in a whole new way.
- Create A Sense Of Colour
It doesn’t matter what you are decorating with; when you decorate a room, you should always give colours some careful consideration. The reason we’re saying this is because most antiques are dark in colour and heavy in textiles and that can be quite oppressive in a small space. However, pop these same items in a larger room with tall ceilings and plenty of natural light and the effect can be the best kind of dramatic.
- A Juxtaposition Of Old And New
One of the best things you can do to get vintage pieces to work well in your space is to surround them with more contemporary touches. Its creates a sense of juxtaposition that’s both refreshing and exciting and that’s what interiors should be. Let’s say you’ve got your hands on an amazing antique sideboard; spruce it up with a couple of colourful vases, and then slip a geometric rug beneath it for an extra bit of wow. If you have an age-old lamp, pop it on a modern-style side-table. Things like that work wonders.
This is a contributed post.
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I agree with hoarding antiques and it makes a risk of cluttering a space especially if the items are not well taken care of. My wife loves antiques and we just bought a grandfather clock that is not functional, unfortunately. We will need help from a specialist from a clock repair shop that can fix the problem.