Adding antiques and collectables can inject a pop of interest and personality into any space. However, if you’ve just inherited an heirloom piece or have recently discovered antiquing, you might be unsure about how to use them. Thankfully, decorating is easy and enjoyable.
Wondering where to put grandma’s vintage piano, a collection of ceramic drawer pulls or the absolutely gorgeous hobnail, milk glass cake stand you found at the local flea? Antique collectibles and furniture look great in most any room. They can be functional as well as beautiful. It’s simply a matter of understanding your home’s design language and using each piece where it makes the most sense.
In the Kitchen
Definitely one of the best places to make practical use of your antiques is in the kitchen. Vintage Pyrex bowls can be used to hold fruit or for mixing up a batch of cake mix your famous cupcakes. A collection of old, wood rolling pins can add a vintage country feel when displayed as part of a feature wall or stored on end in a canister. Tin signs, coffee tins, vintage diner stools and even a fun collection of kitschy knick-knacks can add interest to your kitchen décor.
In the Bathroom
Antiques in the bathroom? Absolutely! Turn a milk glass trinket dish into a stylish home for pretty soaps or deconstruct vintage doilies and add them as trim to a set of hand towels. An antique bathroom vanity can add that wow factor to any bland bathroom. However, keep in mind that bathrooms have a higher humidity level than other rooms, which can be damaging to fragile furniture, so decorate with discretion.
Outdoors
Even your outdoor living space can get in on the fun of being updated with your favourite vintage finds. Beyond the usual chippy, shabby chic enamel watering cans and basins, or the rusty wheelbarrow turned planter, unexpected, vintage items can really awaken your garden or deck. Try decorating with pieces like vintage oars, coal scuttles, milk cans, old ladders, and even a gorgeous piece of wrought iron fencing.
Of course, it all comes down to the fact that decorating with antiques is an inherently personal thing, meaning you truly cannot go wrong. So feel free to experiment with different placement and uses. But, beyond everything else, be sure to have fun!
