Everything Old Is Timeless Again

Whether as a statement piece or thoughtful accents, antiques can add personality and a sense of history to modern interior design. Vintage items often offer features like rich patinas, different woods, or decorative inlays that create depth and interest in your design, but it’s important to pair them with more modern elements.   

You can just imagine the hundreds of years of conversations held around the beautiful dining table featured in a recent project. We kept the table and antique crystal chandelier but updated the space with peacock print wallpaper, an unexpected bright green, color-drenched enamel ceiling - including painting the medallion, and more modern accessories, console table, rug, and drapes. The result is a glamorous, unique dining room anchored in time by vintage pieces but made current by the design choices surrounding them.

Incorporating antiques and vintage pieces while keeping your design elevated and current requires balance and unity. 

It is important to balance antiques with modern design choices. Too many antiques may make your space seem dated, but two or three thoughtful, one-of-a-kind pieces paired with updated furnishings and accessories will create a timeless, curated look. Consider lighting, rugs, and art that will compliment the vintage items and bring them into the future. And let’s be honest - modern furniture is often more comfortable, so think about combining a comfy new sofa and chairs with accent pieces like an antique console table or commode and a gorgeous Louis Phillipe mirror or vintage artwork. 

A cohesive color palette is a great way to unify your space. Select colors that will complement the antique pieces and give your design a more current feel. Nectar and Nest principal designer Kattia Easterly found two fabulous mustard yellow leather mid-century modern chairs on a buying trip to Paris last year. They found their home in a room that allows the yellow to be the star and compliments it with melon and navy accent colors. In another project, a stately study, a beautiful antique recliner that was a family heirloom was given new life with green velvet fabric and surrounded by semi-gloss navy walls and a crisp tartan plaid rug that incorporated both colors. The result is both timeless and modern. 

Here in Atlanta, many interior design clients have beautiful antique pieces that have been handed down for generations. Incorporating antiques in thoughtful, modern ways creates timeless, bespoke spaces that allow these storied pieces to live on for generations to come.