Blending vintage and modern decor creates spaces in a league of their own.
By Susan Hollis
Most people have one: A beloved, if somewhat out-of-place, relic (or 10) that’s been handed down through the family and doesn’t exactly match the feel of your home.
You don’t want to give it away, and it feels wrong to keep it in storage, but how to make it work in a way that doesn’t disrupt your carefully crafted aesthetic? Can a dreary but beloved painting made by a late uncle or your grandmother’s crystal bunny collection that you’ve loved since you were five become a part of your living room without looking stuffy?
The answer is yes. But it comes with a cost.
Scarcity is Key
Blending eras — and tastes — is a bit of a specialty move in the design world. To figure out how to make it work, you might have to remove everything and build the culture of the space around that one, prized element, adding only what’s necessary to bring the room to life.
“Sometimes, less is more — it’s important not to overcrowd a space, especially when you have pieces you want to stand out,” says Jenny Martin, founder and principal designer at Jenny Martin Design, who notes that many of her clients design their homes around beloved family treasures. “If you’re wanting to have a more contemporary interior, it’s important that these old-world pieces aren’t dominating the space.”
When mixing the old with the new, she says the key is to pick cohesive finishes that complement both elements.
If you are working with a big piece like a painting or sculpture, Martin suggests investing in an art light or two, which can draw specific attention to that one part of the room. If the piece looks too stark, consider a carefully curated selection of books and plants to soften the transition and bring some layering to the space.
Lean into Original
Designer Amy McGeachy of McGeachy Design Studio says painting the room based on hues in an item can ensure it blends well with the rest of the space while maintaining its presence.
“Say it’s an original art piece. It’s a great way to pull colours out of that piece to really make it meaningful,” says McGeachy. “It’s a win-win situation, because you’re not choosing things from Home Sense that don’t have any value to you.”
As McGeachy points out, choosing something because it’s trendy is “so passé.” And heritage items are anything but that.
If you are displaying lots of little things, McGeachy’s tip is to try for small groupings or the odd one here and there versus having an entire area dedicated to a collection. Unlike previous generations, today’s home dwellers are increasingly focused on decluttering to ensure the home feels clean and functional. That doesn’t mean all the small treasures need to go to the basement. McGeachy herself has a curio cabinet on display in her home that features her mom’s crystal glasses, a piece from her grandmother’s Royal Doulton set (given to each of the grandchildren) and her baby cup.
Show Off the Story
Whether it features a single statement piece or a collection, the goal in a well-balanced room is to create spaces that draw the eye without being jarring (unless that’s your goal — brutalism is having a moment).
If built-in niches are out of the question, open, floating shelves are a popular, affordable way to showcase a showpiece. McGeachy also recommends the use of curio cabinets that suit the style of the home (such as mid-century modern or contemporary country) to house items that need a pied-à-terre.
Be sure to mix up what goes inside, though. The thing about heirlooms and vintage décor is that they need a supporting cast to look at home in our modern world.
“I think it comes down to the scale and colour, versus matching styles together,” McGeachy says. “You can mix super modern and soften it up with vintage pieces or antiques. It’s important to have things with meaning in your space; things that have a story to them — maybe it’s something someone saved for, or some cool design piece handed down through a family.”
When It’s Time to Let Go
Sometimes, we hold on to pieces we don’t even like (or don’t fit our lives anymore) out of an obligation to someone else.
If you’re tripping over Aunt Millie’s old rocker — or you avoid sitting in it because it’s uncomfy and never did match the décor — consider this your permission slip to let someone new find meaning in an old gift.
Sending it to a thrift store, selling it online or offering it to a community centre might just unite this item with the person who will cherish it for more years to come. Wouldn’t Aunt Millie want that?
TIP! When It’s a Large Piece
Let it have its moment. If it’s important enough to keep, give a significant treasure its own place in your home, celebrating and syncing it to the room with accent lighting.
Ease the abruptness of a dramatic shift from historic to modern by blending the space around it with transitional elements (like books, botanicals, pillows or textures) to soften the space.
Lean in and pull colour from your treasure through wall paint, rugs or accessories that tie the room together with thematic resonance.
TIP! When It’s a Collection of Small Things
If the piece (or pieces) you’d like to display are small and many, choose your favourites and create a small, interesting cluster instead of displaying all of them.
If choosing is too hard, keep the layout interesting and not overwhelming. For instance, scattering the pieces in groups among a few succulents instead of grouping them together on one level.
Try offsetting small features with larger objects like a lamp, vase or plant (in limited quantity) to break up the monotony.