Mastering the magic of vintage and retro furniture in your home

Bring a bit of history and luxury into your home by becoming an expert in vintage furniture

Giving your home a fresh new look is an exciting project to undertake, and it all depends on your own personal tastes as to what look you decide to go for. For some people, the modern look has the most appeal, while others may prefer something more traditional or even quirky. There is no right or wrong answer about what kind of look you should go for.

However, sprucing up your home design also takes a lot of time, and this is a time you may not necessarily have if you have work and family commitments to attend to. To save yourself a lot of time early on, it’s important to settle on a look you want to go for and stick to it.

One look which has truly stood the test of time, and seems to be more popular than ever, is the vintage look. This is really all about taking stunning items of furniture with a rich history and building a completely unique and eye-catching look around them.

There are plenty of benefits to choosing vintage furniture. For one thing, it is durable, having already proven that it can stand the test of time. It’s also a more environmentally friendly furniture option than more modern items as you’re putting existing items to good use rather than increasing the demand for new pieces. But on top of all this, vintage furniture just looks great. Even if it is worn out or broken on the edges, you can easily restore it by hiring a Personal Property Restoration Company. This class of furniture is attractive, luxurious, and completely unique. By adding vintage furniture into your home, you’re making sure that your home environment is unlike anybody else’s.

If you find yourself drawn to vintage furniture, we’re going to show you the best ways to bring it into your home. This is our in-depth guide for understanding what vintage furniture actually is and how to add it into your home successfully. Let’s take a look at how to master the magic of vintage and retro furniture in your home.

What is the difference between vintage and retro furniture?

Simply put, retro furniture refers to something which was once extremely popular, then become unpopular and is now starting to become popular again. By contrast, vintage furniture refers to items which transcend trends, and therefore never go out of style.

Shopping for vintage furniture means shopping for items that are old, but not too old. Furniture which was made long before the turn of the twentieth century is technically classed as antique furniture, and filling your home with these items tends to create a more historical, regal atmosphere than the more accessible world of vintage furniture. For example, if you’re buying antique treen, this may look classier than a piece of vintage furniture. It’s all a matter of personal preference though!

Both vintage and retro furniture provide real sense of uniqueness to any space, as they are pieces people aren’t necessarily used to seeing these days and they are therefore more likely to turn heads for all the right reasons. They can also pair well with more contemporary pieces, like those from Belleze Furniture, helping you build a truly unique look for your home.

Adding vintage and retro vibes to any room in your home

There is no right way or set rulebook when it comes to filling your home with vintage furniture – it is extremely versatile. You can choose any era you like, and arrange your items in a way that speaks to your specific tastes and vision. You can go all out and create an entire room which harks back to a particular place and time, or you can simply add some vintage flair by introducing one or two key elements that you really want to stand out. However, some items and eras lend themselves to certain spaces in the home.

In the bedroom, more traditional pieces, such as a bedside table or a headboard, can really help create a sumptuous vibe that’s perfect for relaxation. By contrast, more youthful pieces from the sixties and seventies can help create a unique social hub in the living room that feels fun, and in the dining room you can afford to go all out with luxury pieces to create a truly decadent space.

Accentuating the effects with prints and colours

How you accessorise your vintage furniture really depends on how dedicated you are to your chosen era of design. If you really want to hark back to a bygone era, you can research the patterns, colours and styles which were used during that time and use these to determine the overall look of the room. This will allow your piece of furniture to act as the icing on the cake of the space as a whole.

Alternatively, you can create contrast by pairing your vintage furniture with more modern or neutral décor. This will allow your vintage piece of furniture to really shine and stand out as the centrepiece of the room. It also creates a dramatic juxtaposition between the new and the old, giving your retro item a new use rather than changing your décor to suit its traditional look.

Carrying a vintage vibe throughout your home

If you’re planning on creating a vintage flow throughout your whole home, it’s probably best to start with a few key furniture items rather than trying to completely transform every room in your home. Keep the main chunk of your décor fairly neutral, and this will ensure that the eye is immediately drawn to your new, old additions. For example, rustic dining tables made from wood can create a cosy, lived-in feel within the centre of your home. Over time, you can use your main vintage piece to inform the room’s wider décor, introducing other elements from the era to create a bit more harmony in the space.

Vintage furniture can be anything. From a sideboard or dining room table to an armchair or ottoman, vintage furniture can be grand or simple; fun or elegant. If you want to fill your entire home with vintage furniture, it’s up to you whether you choose all your pieces from the same era to create a cohesive theme, or choose pieces from a variety of periods to give each room a distinct feel.

What about cost?

One thing that often puts people off going vintage is that there is a misconception that vintage furniture is much more expensive than modern alternatives. However, you may be surprised at how cost effective it can be to go vintage. Unlike modern furniture, there is no set cost in place which determines how much vintage furniture has to cost, and instead it all depends on each individual piece. This creates a great opportunity to hunt down some bargains and snap up some amazing vintage pieces.

Using vintage furniture to transform any space

Knowing where to go to find vintage furniture is half the battle when it comes to finding the best options for your home décor. In the past, you would have had to locate your local flea markets and independent vintage retailers to find the right furniture. For many people, this is an enjoyable experience, but realistically it can also take up a lot of time, and modern life is busy enough as it is. Thankfully, online vintage furniture marketplaces like Vinterior allow you to find the perfect vintage furniture solutions from the comfort of your own home. This makes the beauty of vintage and retro furniture more accessible than ever before, so there’s nothing stopping you filling your home with vintage magic.