Interior design always requires a steady hand. Your property needs to say something about you, even when the furniture you use tell a story of its own.
Objects that are over 20 years old are considered to be ‘vintage’. However, when that threshold surpasses 100 years, they reach ‘antique’ status, highlighting their vastly greater reach toward a thrilling history. Despite the greater scope, greater precision is arguably required when utilising the latter as part of your home décor.
Towards the end of 2020, 40% of homeowners thought their properties would never be finished, despite people feeling more motivated to decorate over lockdown. Often, it’s the finishing touches that give that final sense of completion and cohesion. Antiques could occupy that role rather splendidly.
Here are some tips to consider if you wish to decorate your property with antiques.
Plan Expectations
When decorating a home, it can be tough to put any limitations on yourself. In an ideal world, you’d simply be able to design your home as you please.
However, you may need to show a little bit of restraint when making antiques a part of things. Otherwise, you risk your property calling back to different periods entirely or creating a confused, disorganised smattering of them. If you’re not careful, the logical and thematic flow of your home can be compromised.
There’s also the case that many antiques can be hard to find or viciously compete for in an auction setting. If you’re striving for an encapsulating theme in your property, you could be waiting for months, years, or even in vain for certain antique objects or rare flowers to come on your radar. A measured approach is best. That way, you can appreciate every antique that comes into your possession and refrain from making your pursuits a lifelong obsession.
If you don’t have such expectations, then the disappointment you inevitably experience on occasion can be crushing. A strong mindset is required when decorating a property, even at the best of times, but more resilience is necessary when incorporating items of a rarer nature.
Source Objects Smartly
Before you can start decorating, you need to efficiently source the belongings you desire. Who you turn to will determine how much success you have in acquiring what you need.
While these types of belongings can be rare, some sellers have a great range of antiques available for purchase. From furniture and art pieces to items of a more accessorising, decorative nature, thousands and thousands of quality items can be perused online from online marketplaces like Antiques Boutique. Their page also features an array of antiques that have been arranged by how recently they were added. Check back for any new arrivals.
Despite your good intentions, there are many ways you can take a wrong turn when shopping for antiques. You must always shop with reliable and reputable vendors. Do your research into the background of any business you deal with, and ensure that they’re an informative presence.
Remember, these entities should have a distinct passion for what they do. For example, they could be running an insightful blog detailing the intricacies of their industry or the subtleties of era-specific collections. There should be more on their minds than a mere profit, which should be clear from the start.
Contrast Your Antiques
A sense of purity can be associated with antiques. Some people may only feel comfortable utilising them if similarly prestigious belongings surround them like getting a grey carpet around grey walls with an orange shade antique.
Obviously, that sense of perfection isn’t wholly necessary. More interesting and inspired design choices can be made if more contemporary contributions are featured around your antiques. Arrangements can be more effective when a sense of juxtaposition is at work. The industry currently feeds off that notion more than ever, with more young people purchasing old stuff in general.
Part of the fun of home décor is creating a space that communicates everything you are. Though antiques may enthral you, other things will undoubtedly vie for your attention as well. Embrace that side of things too. If you combine the old with the new, the rooms you design will be an exciting breath of fresh air, instead of looking like a museum that you happen to live in.
Mixing and matching can be exciting in and of itself. Are you arranging by a colour scheme? How does a sense of scale in your chosen items enter the equation? There are many more thrilling décor options to explore if you don’t let your love for antics become overpowering.
Play to Your Interests
If you’re going to decorate with antiques, you should do so enthusiastically. Much of décor comes down to simply choosing what’s nice, but a deeper correlation should form with these additions.
Antiques in your home aren’t just interesting features. They’re also revelations about your character that invite further discussion. Visitors will undoubtedly wish to know more about each inclusion you feature in your décor. Ideally, you would be able to talk about your purchases, elaborating on finer points such as:
- How the antique was made – The rules of craftsmanship have changed through the years. Unique techniques and materials may have been used to fashion the object. When and where was it made?
- Why the antique was made – Many historical factors could be discussed here. What purpose did the antique once serve? Has its importance changed through the years? What was it eventually replaced by in terms of function and use?
- The origins of your interest – Your friends and family may not be familiar with your interest in certain antiques. Perhaps there’s a story worth telling about where your intellectual curiosity began in each individual object?
Many people purchase antiques due to gut feelings and feature them in their homes as a vague and artistic addition. However, it’s always best to learn more where you can. They can break the ice conversationally and reflect positively upon you as a person with interests.
Conclusion
Antiques should perhaps not be incorporated into your home décor on a whim alone. If you put more thought into the proceedings, you can manage the process much more acutely, work with reputable vendors, and get your creative juices flowing more freely. You may also more fully appreciate the opportunity to own some of these items, developing your sense of character along with the décor of your home.
