Using antiques in a modern home

When people think of antiques, they often conjure up ‘brown furniture’, or a home that is old fashioned, dark and stuffy. Yet antique furniture has so much beauty, and is normally extremely good quality. It is abundantly available too, in antique shops, charity warehouses and secondhand ads.

Perhaps you’ve inherited a piece that you don’t necessarily like but has a huge sentimental connection to a loved one.

Even having one item of antique furniture can help to liven up a room and provide a talking point, making it well worth the investment. The final look is utterly unique to you, and is of course a very sustainable way of furnishing your home.

Why we should be falling head over heals for antiques again

Antique furniture is beautiful and oozes character. Not just in the shape or style, but in the patina of the wood too. When referring to pieces made from wood, you might find stunning detail in some marquetry, or beautiful carving.

Often using techniques that are not around now. Even craftsman-made furniture made nowadays using modern tooling and machinery.

Plus, with antiques, there’s a story. You might not know what that story is, but you can be sure there is one. An antique piece has lived a long life, and will continue to do so in your care. It may have been owned by more than one person, having passed through many hands. Each person may have used a piece in a different way. A dining table for a family might be a roomy desk for someone else. A pretty bedside in one home, could have been a plant stand in another.

Buying antique furniture means you become part of that history and preserve its heritage for future generations.

Antique furniture is generally very good quality, and probably made by a craftsman (or craftswoman). Again, another page of that item’s story.

Furniture in an instant

You can quickly and easily pick up antique furniture in your local area, making antiques just as ‘immediate’ as new furniture, sometimes quicker. Antique furniture is solid and can therefore be heavy. But a local antiques shop will be able to deliver it to you, often placing it in a room of your choice.

Here on the Isle of Wight we have plenty of antique shops and warehouses, charity shops, second hand shops and a few auction houses too.

And there’s no assembly required with antique furniture, unlike modern flatpack. Even large antique wardrobes were designed to be split into manageable sections. Dining tables too. An antiques shop will be able to do put things together for you.

Furniture can be a long time coming too, in terms of tracking down the right piece. Sometimes it can take months to find something perfect.

Using period antiques in a modern way

It’s how you fit antiques into a room scheme that matters, and there are number of approaches you can take.

Not always, but often it’s best to keep the decor simple, and stick to a limited colour palette. And work to a 80:20 ratio, be that 80% antique furniture, 20% modern, or visa versa.

I love the eclectic look that you get when using period furniture in a modern setting. The two dining rooms pictured below demonstrate this effect well. One uses a period dining table with ultra modern chairs, and the other uses a high-gloss modern table with period chairs and cabinetry.

In both rooms the walls decor is light and airy but kept plain, and the window treatments are simple or non-existent. Both feel high-end and timeless and it’s easy to imagine having friends over for dinner in these inviting rooms.

When you mix antique and modern pieces together, it is important to let the antiques stand alone and be the focal point of a room. Don’t scatter them around, as it will feel disorganised. You can also group them together. Both these approaches draw your attention to the older pieces which makes the room feel more fluid.

In the first of the two very different living rooms below, we see an antique armchair and footstool that have been reupholstered in a modern linen print, sitting beside an antique cotton reel table. The bookcases behind are modern, and have been painted to match the surrounding walls. It gives the room a modern country feel, particularly with the jute rug. It’s warm, inviting and becomes a cosy corner for the Sunday papers and a relaxing cuppa. For the rest of the week, I’m sure your cat or dog will claim that chair as its own!

The other room is a more eclectic mix of antique and modern furniture, accessories and wall art, and introduces punches of colour into the predominately white decor. This room is a real talking point and allows the owner to build upon on their collection of antique bits and bobs, without having to adhere to any one period or style.

And now a bedroom. The first image below has a modern country style with the exposed natural stone wall and the mix of antique and contemporary furniture. The plain white decor makes the room feel relaxing, and it a good backdrop for the black antique bedside chests. It’s a mix of styles but it really works.

The other bedroom features a stunning antique chest with natural polished stone top. It works beautifully sat next to an ultra modern cube nightstand and the modern upholstered bed. The accessories and wall art are a mix of modern, adding to its eclectic charm. The white walls set everything off. I bet the view through that enormous window is fantastic!

A mid-century home

I have left this one to last because it deserves its own section. Despite being very much antique, Mid Century furniture has a modern style all of its own. Furniture anywhere from the 1940s to the 1970s fits into this style. There is ample furniture like this available on the Island, and also from the likes of Vinterior, an online marketplace for sustainable and antique furniture.

This is probably THE most sustainable of modern interiors because the entire room can be furnished with pre-loved furniture, yet it will feel brand new. Mid Century furniture is sleek and stylish. You can create light and airy spaces, as shown in the bedroom below. Or funky, colourful rooms like the living room pictured.

Make it you

Mixing antiques with your existing furniture gives you such a brilliant way to make your home speak volumes about you. Rather than having everything perfectly coordinated, you can select pieces that you love. Each time you pick up something new from an antique shop, it’s an opportunity to have a move around. It’s a bit like an art gallery.