How To Make Antiques Work In A Modern Space

Maybe a kind relative gave you a gift, maybe you went to a flea market and something caught your eye – however you got your new-to-you piece of antique furniture, you now have to make it work in your home. But if everything in your home is modern, you may be struggling. Here are some tips to bring antique pieces into your home and make sure they blend in or stand out, whichever works best!

Antique furniture is often made of more solid wood compared to lightweight, modern pieces which are meant to be moved between apartments by younger renters. An antique dining or coffee table will create a central statement piece in living and dining rooms. They’ll provide a nice contrast to lighter dining chairs and neutral toned sofas, and they’ll last for years to come – just don’t forget to use coasters!

The easiest ways for an antique piece of furniture to show age are through the tarnished finishes. You could polish them up, but if you have a new dresser or armoire, consider switching out old brass handles for modern steel that will give the piece a modern twist and likely save you some polishing time in the future.

Art tends to move homes the most, so if you have a large piece, pick the largest wall in your home to make a gallery out of it. Let your antique painting or mirror act as the center point and play around with smaller frames around it. You can go as modern as you want to make the piece stand out or opt for something a little more vintage-style to create an old fashioned flow.

Sometimes, heavy wood just doesn’t work in a lighter space, but a well-made piece of furniture is too good to just give away. This is where you might want to look into stripping the piece down and giving it a fresh coat of a lighter paint to integrate it better into a new home. But before you get started, be sure that this is what works for your home— you don’t want to destroy fine-quality craftmanship for nothing.

If you’ve got a new collection on your hands, show it off! Whether it’s vintage trinket boxes or grandma’s old perfume bottles, these could be an interesting conversation starter, so put up a couple of floating shelves for a more modern display choice and get ready to tell everyone the stories behind your new decorations.

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