How to use antiques to transform your living space

Elegantly designed, great to look at and built to last – antiques make fantastic furnishings and eye-catching interior features. From tables to lamps to antique wardrobes – a well chosen piece of antique furniture can transform your living space and help you to create the interior you’ve always wanted.

As many antiques have distinctive looks and strong aesthetics, thinking carefully about how you’re going to use them in your space is a must. So, if you want to give your home a new vintage look, here are a few things to consider before you begin:

Choose an era or style

 It can be easy to put all antiques into one style category and many people are still unsure about exactly what an antique is. However, there are lots of different styles from different eras and design schools readily available.

Although a number of different looks will work well together, in general it’s best to choose one era and stick to it. In order to find the look that’s right for your home, try to visit an antique market or go online and compare images of different styles and design schools.

 Create a focal point

 A well looked after, beautifully made antique will make a fantastic focal point in your living room, bedroom, dining room or hallway.

Simply select a large, eye-catching piece and place it in a position that’s prominent enough to draw visitors’ attention the moment they enter the room. The look can be enhanced by moving other large pieces of furniture away from the antique to ensure that it stands out and looks as good as possible. It will also make a great talking point for visitors.

Use lighting to pick out your favourite pieces

 As a lot of antiques are embellished with mouldings, carvings or engravings, they look especially good when illuminated.

Use well placed lamps and spotlights to enhance the decorative aspect of your antiques – emphasising their contours and allowing them to stand out from the rest of your furnishings.

 Mix old and new

 Carefully chosen new furnishings and accessories will complement and enhance your antique pieces, helping you to create a stunning contemporary living space.

Although mixing old and new furniture can be difficult, it works extremely well as long as you choose subtle, minimalist modern furnishings and accessories.

Group antique furnishings and ornaments

To give your antiques and collectibles greater visual impact, try grouping them together in your living space.

By placing antique ornaments on or around vintage tables, wardrobes, bookshelves or display cases will allow you to create multiple focal points throughout the space.

Think about colour

The colours that you select for both your walls and furnishings can have a huge impact on the overall ambience of the room. The colour can also affect the way in which your antiques look and are perceived.

As antiques are often made from rich, dark wood – deep, warm colours like reds, greens or blues can work really well, balancing the space and creating a fantastic backdrop for your furnishings.

Effortlessly elegant and always on trend, antiques can be used easily and effectively to transform your living space and enhance your home.