A guide to incorporating decorative antiques into a modern home while still maintaining a contemporary feel.
For many of us living in contemporary homes, it can seem impossible to incorporate family pieces into our modern lives. However, it is possible to accessorise your home with decorative antiques to blend the past seamlessly with the present and here’s how.
Love what you buy
This may seem like we’re stating the obvious but it can be hard to live with something everyday that doesn’t touch you in some way. Whether you create a focal point in a room around a beautiful antique mirror or an antique painting, you need to be able to love what you see. Whether you have inherited a piece or have tracked it down by scouring flea markets and antique centres like Hemswell Antique Centres, do not fixate on whether it will ‘go’ with your design scheme. Instead, look at it as a means to add depth, texture and a link to the past to what you already have.
Antique lighting
If your new-build semi won’t cope with an elaborate antique chandelier, will it suit an antique ceramic lamp base with a modern shade? A decorative lamp can add charm and will instantly evoke a sense of nostalgia, while a new shade will maintain a contemporary feel.
Layer antique pieces
Although estate agents round the country extoll the virtues of a minimalist aesthetic when selling your home, the trend towards maximalism has grown over recent years. If you don’t believe us, just use the hashtag maximalist interiors on Instagram and you will see over 200,000 posts! Layering larger antique pieces such as period furniture with smaller decorative antiques and antique rugs enables different periods and aesthetics to come together in harmony. If creating a maximalist look is new for you, start small, with accessories such as a bon bon dish or an antique photo frame here and there and with soft furnishings (cushions and throws) of antique textiles. Build out from this point, adding larger pieces of art in the form of antique paintings and prints and introducing feature pieces of furniture.
Brown furniture
Brown furniture fell spectacularly out of grace in the 1990s thanks to interior design home makeover programmes that favoured MDF, and then large European retailers dominated the market with flat packed pieces. As consumers have become more aware of the sustainability of antique furniture, brown furniture has started to grow in popularity once more. However, if a dark wood is overpowering your space, consider upcycling it. If you don’t have time, some of our talented dealers have done the work for you in a selection of upcycled vintage furniture including some refreshed pieces of mid-century design classics.
Decorative antiques from Hemswell Antique Centres
Our top tips for decorating with antiques and our helpful guide to decorating your home with vintage ceramics will give you a great start and a trip to our centres offers a one-stop shop for all your decorative antiques. There are currently over 400 pieces of decorative antiques online with thousands more for you to browse in person. Where you have a specific piece in mind, we can reach out through our online dealer portal to source it for you.