Antique furniture is a wonderful way to bring new life to your home interior. Superbly crafted and imbued with unique character, English antiques can transform a space with their warmth, vitality and, perhaps most importantly, style.
If you live in a more modern home or just haven’t decorated with antiques before, you may be worried about getting the balance of styles right. Let me reassure you that antiques are wonderfully versatile and, with a careful touch, can be used to create almost any kind of interior.
If you’re thinking about introducing the warmth and charm of antiques into your home, here are some of my top tips for letting antiques shine in both traditional and contemporary spaces.
Choose Stand-Out Statements
If you want to introduce antiques into your interior for the first time, it’s often best to start with a statement piece.
While it’s possible to add a lot of smaller antiques into an interior, particularly if going for a maximalist style, it’s very easy for a sense of style to get overwhelmed by multiple items. Instead, take the time to research and find a larger antique piece that you can fall in love with.
Statement antiques can serve as the focal point of the room, creating a point of interest that all your guests will want to ask about. This approach particularly suits more modern interiors, as you can balance the subtlety of modern interior design alongside an eye-catching statement antique to create a harmonious space.
Adopt Timeless Style Over Trends
One of the best things about antiques is that they offer a timeless quality that many modern pieces of furniture don’t.
The best way to style with antiques is to look beyond the interior trend of the moment. Yes, Georgian antiques might be trending on Instagram right now, but is that really your style? If it is, then great! If not, just try to find antiques that speak to you.
Interiors decorated with antiques always look better when there’s a sense of purpose. These pieces aren’t just stylish, they tell stories, and owning those stories in your design often creates a much more inviting space than if you fill your interior with the latest trend.
Tie Your Antique’s Story With Your Own
Antiques are much more than just beautiful designs and impeccable craftsmanship. Often, the real magic comes from understanding their stories and provenance.
These aren’t just antique chairs or cabinets, these are beautiful items that have been enjoyed for many generations, in different lands across the world. They’re history you can touch, connecting us to a shared human experience in a way that no other home interior can.
A great way to make your antique interior feel even more personal is to look for items that you can weave into your own story. That could be Louis XV antiques that remind you of your time in France, or Victorian antiques that speak to your love of the finer things in life.
Our homes are often the best reflection of our values, and if your antiques can speak to who you are, your connection and pride in your interior will be all the greater.
Layer History for Eclectic Interiors
Earlier, I spoke about how using a statement piece of antique furniture is a great way of balancing a modern interior design. However, it can also make a great starting point for a more maximalist and eclectic style.
If you want to add more antiques to your space, then it’s often better to find as many varied and unique pieces as possible. Instead of recreating a 19th-century Victorian home, pick a few pieces from different English antique periods. For example, contrast the straight lines of Jacobean furniture with the opulence and curves of Georgian antiques.
By picking from different periods and even combining with contemporary items, you create an interior where every antique is allowed to stand out and tell its own story. As mentioned, so long as those stories speak to you, you’ll find yourself with a maximalist interior that still feels cohesive.
Combine Textures for a Homely Feel
One common concern I hear from people trying to decorate with antiques is how to avoid a space feeling too cold. Many antiques favour dark woods, but with a bit of care and plenty of fun, any interior can feel relaxed and inviting.
A great way to add a homely feel to an antique interior is by adding texture. Rugs under tables or brightly coloured pillows on chairs can help to bring joy to old antiques without taking away from their craftsmanship or style.
You can even look for fun and quirky antique accessories as a way to add charm to larger pieces. Decorate a large cabinet with eccentric vases and plates with pops of colour to create a charming, personal interior.
As you might be able to work out, it’s surprisingly easy to use antiques in all manner of interior styles. Whether you want to add character to a modern interior or personality to a traditional family home, adding the right antique pieces can truly transform your space.