How to Use Vintage Finds to Decorate Your Room
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Vintage is in vogue right now. Surrounded with a constant stream of disposable consumer goods, people have developed a palate for something older – items that harken back to the times when home appliances and furniture were both reliable and durable. Therefore, the market for vintage items has blossomed all around us.
However, many of these items are on the wrong side of expensive and it is much more cost-effective to go out to second-hand shops, yard sales and flea markets to search for vintage items. If you are new to this adventurous activity, here are some basics on how to use vintage finds to decorate your room.
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Comb through the local flea market for ancient painting frames
This is a fantastic “beginner’s adventure” – go to the local flea market and comb through it in search of ancient painting frames. You might just luck out and find baroque-inflected beauties molded from plaster and covered with a golden glaze. Try to dig up a collection of these – if your living room wall is monochromatic, hanging the frames can bring a breath of fresh air.
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Drag the old window shutters home
Wooden window shutters that have fallen off some forgotten mansion are usually bulky items, but they can look absolutely spectacular if you want to go for that rustic feel. Most people would go for a repaint job on those shutters, but it might be a good idea to leave them as they are – the worn-off texture, combined with some pristine new furniture and an equally old, vintage coffee table, can lend an appropriate eclectic appearance to your room.
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Be careful about those old lamps
Some lamps were put out for sale on these flea markets for a reason. The circuitry can be really damaged, and if you do not pay attention, you can end up blowing a fuse, or worse – getting jolted by a surge of electricity. If you buy any electrical equipment at a flea market, you need the services of a reliable Sydney electrician who can find the problem and get it fixed.
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The clock can make a lot of difference
No vintage item spells out class like a grandfather’s clock. Finding this item is easier than you would think – it is more a matter of whether it will need extensive refurbishing. A grandfather clock can look amazing both in your living room and your dining area. It can be a centerpiece of your space and serve as an example of a perfect marriage between décor and function.
In fact, if you walk down the right path at a flea market, you might just end up looking at a whole collection of antique clocks, both standing and wall-mounting beauties that would otherwise end up on a junkyard.
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Ceramic and porcelain are universal
Vintage items made of ceramic or porcelain can be found in every appropriate shop, market or yard sale. If you are crazy about those ornate Victorian figurines, they can stand beautifully on your mantelpiece or a cupboard. This also goes for dishes and plates with fading fruits and vegetables painted onto them.
The old china can be expensive but it is also a good investment if you want to decorate your room with vintage items. The more faded and cracked the surface of the porcelain looks, the more beautiful it will be.
Trends in aesthetics tend to follow a cyclical pattern – what was once old becomes new again, and vice versa. What looks good is a matter of perspective, and if you have a developed taste and absolutely know what you want, it doesn’t become a matter of whether it is vintage or new, but how you combine it. With room decoration, just like with anything else, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.
