Decorating with Wood Antiques

Have you ever pondered on how to utilize those inherited antiques for decoration purposes?

1) Determine Your Design Focus

If a room is filled exclusively with antiques, it can give your home an outdated and museum-like appearance. Unless you are intentionally aiming for a “boho” style, you must determine the primary style of your space, whether it is modern, traditional, contemporary, or any other style. By deciding on the dominant style, you can consciously select which types of antiques will match your aesthetic. This will enable you to gradually incorporate vintage and antique pieces that align with your specific design focus and add personality to the room.

2) Put Antiques To Work

Many people have been to a house that had a room labeled as “Do Not Enter,” or even worse, where the furniture was covered in plastic. Antiques were created with a specific intention, so it is best to utilize them. If you have a lovely antique dining table set, consider splitting it up. Combine the table with modern, industrial, or upholstered chairs, and then repurpose the matching chairs in another area of your home, perhaps as part of a cozy reading corner. By incorporating these family heirlooms into practical roles throughout your house, you revitalize them and the rooms they inhabit.

3) There is Harmony in Discord.

If you fill a room with antiques or vintage pieces just because they are old, it will give the impression of being a place that belongs to an elderly person. The impact of the pieces will be diminished, so we recommend seeking out “harmonic discordance”. This term is borrowed from music and refers to when a composer intentionally incorporates dissonant notes to emphasize a specific part of the music. Using your inherited antique pieces to create visual disharmony is an excellent way to add variety and prevent the room from becoming too monotonous, while also highlighting the wonderful qualities of the antique piece itself.

4) Create a Space For It

Merchandise stylists have long used a trick that has now been adopted by interior designers: creating a “backdrop” for challenging furniture pieces in a room. The idea is simple: paint large squares of color on a wall to frame the antique or vintage piece, or place a large period-inspired painting or mirror in a corner and position the furniture in front of it. It’s also worth considering placing the antique in an unexpected location as part of your plan. By doing so, the vintage piece will gain importance as a deliberate focal point rather than being treated as an afterthought.

5) Tell A Story.

In scenarios where the connection between your antique items and the rest of your decor is not immediately apparent, accessories such as pictures, lamps, mirrors, and art can be utilized to establish a subtle relationship with the rest of the room. Placing a pair of modern crystal lamps on a burled wood credenza or utilizing a vintage console to hold your family photo collection are effective methods for creating cohesive themes throughout the entire space.

When considering accessories, also consider the inherent characteristics of the antique or vintage item, such as its wood tone, leg shape, or finishes, in order to reflect other design elements present in the room.

By combining contemporary accessories with your antique piece, you can create a personalized and stylish space that truly reflects your taste.

6) Let It Go

If you have put in a lot of effort but still cannot find space for Great Aunt Sally’s piano or your Mother’s hope chest, forcing it into your home will only make you dislike it in the future. Instead of trying to squeeze it in, think about giving it to a sibling or family member, donating it to a museum, or selling it to an antique shop if it doesn’t fit.

5 Tips for Decorating with Wood Furniture to Avoid a Dated Look

To give old pieces a modern touch, utilize these guidelines on how to enhance the appearance of wood furniture with stylish decorations.

1. Decorate with old wood furniture in new ways.

When considering how to decorate with wood furniture, explore alternative uses that go beyond its intended purpose. For instance, if your bedroom is already furnished, a wooden dresser can be repurposed as a serving area for drinks or as storage for dishes in the dining room.

2. Style wood furniture with vintage finds.

To achieve an antique aesthetic, enhance wood furniture by pairing it with other vintage items. For instance, position midcentury chairs around a reclaimed wood dining table, or exhibit collected dishware in an ancestral hutch. Don’t hesitate to mix wood furniture from different time periods or styles; the weathered appearance will unify the diverse assortment of pieces.

3. Embrace dark wood furniture with deep colors.

When placed in an all-white room, dark wood furniture may appear unsuitable. Instead of attempting to create harmony by using light colors, embrace a moody selection of intense paint colors. For a bedroom, consider complementing dark cherry wood furniture with charcoal gray walls to achieve a warm and comforting atmosphere. Add small touches of white as accessories to prevent an excessively gloomy appearance.

4. Mix wood furnishings in a variety of tones.

If you are unsure about which color to combine with wood furniture, other wood tones are usually a reliable choice. Wood finishes frequently consist of undertones that are yellow, orange, red, blue-gray, or dark brown. When styling with diverse wood furniture, select accent pieces that possess a comparable undertone, even if their finish is significantly lighter or darker. Bring the whole scheme together by utilizing neutral paint colors and natural materials.

5. Pair wood furniture with painted pieces.

When decorating a bedroom with dark wood furniture, it is important to mix carefully. This is especially crucial when working with dark finishes like cherry or walnut, as using an excessive amount of wood pieces can make the space appear heavy and overcrowded. If you have inherited an entire set of wood furniture for the bedroom, opt for one standout piece – such as the bed or dresser – to keep in the room and get rid of the rest. You can either distribute the set among other rooms or pass on the unwanted pieces to someone else. To create balance, select bedroom furniture pieces with painted or metal finishes alongside the dark wood.