Hi friends! Earlier this year I was invited to help decorate a vintage themed baby shower. After the wave of delight, I started thinking about how vintage can mean different things to different people. Regardless of your interpretation of vintage, there is probably a comforting nostalgia associated with vintage style. It's no wonder that design trends are trekking back down memory lane every few years, with stores offering new versions of your grandmother's parlor chairs and tufted sofa. So, how do you decorate your here-and-now home in vintage style without actually looking like grandma's house when you were little?
As StyleMutt is a blog created for various design styles, I thought it would be a fun challenge to take the vintage theme and run with it, throwing together three different rooms using almost only vintage or vintage inspired pieces. For this challenge I turned to the best resource for vintage finds, Chairish! Chairish is the hot-spot for buying and selling vintage furniture and home decor pieces. The curated collection of finds are fantastically organized by type, (Lighting, Tables, Seating, Decor, etc), making it easy to find something specific, or simply browse until something strikes your fancy!
Here are three rooms I designed using almost only what I could find on Chairish! My goal was to create warm, inviting rooms that are full of vintage pieces but still relevant for today. Let's take a look!
Room No. 1: Living Room
This whimsical room may not scream vintage, however there is only piece in here that isn't! Can you guess what wasn't found from Chairish's vintage collection? The blue lamps, (found here)! The lively wallpaper provides an exciting backdrop to an otherwise sophisticated, grown up space. Layering rugs is a great option for creating visual interest and architectural detail in a very natural looking way. Here, I used the Flokati Cream Rug to define the area, and layered it with a strategically placed Brazilian Cow Hide Rug. The sleek Scandinavian Style Sofa in the soft gray tweed contrasts beautifully with the distressed Siesta Leather Chair. I decided to mix up accent pieces as well, using a geometric Black Lacquer Coffee Table and Aged Brass Side Tables. A pair of Bamboo Detailed Mirrors break up the energetic wallpaper, while a Gold Leather Pouf balances some glamorous shine on the other side of the room.
Room No. 2: Dining Room
This casual dining room is 100% vintage Chairish finds. A little mixing and matching of eras and vintage style give this room a warm, collected feel which certainly translates as 'today', (as in, 2014). The Salvaged Wood Tresle Table accompanied by four French Industrial Stacking chairs takes the stage under the glow of the Halo Chanelier. A framed sample of the Flock in Flight wallpaper serves as a more than sufficient statement piece, while the quiet Industrial Medicinal cabinet invites guests to help themselves to a drink. The Reclaimed Wood stool is as functional as extra seating as it is a striking piece of art. The room is grounded by a not-so-quiet Turquoise Patchwork rug which contrasts easily with the other natural hues in the room.
Room No. 3: Bedroom
Finally, our third room which is almost completely designed of Chairish pieces. The bedding is Urban Outfitters, (here), which I chose for it's neutral palette and soft pattern which blends well with the rest of the pieces. Again, I used a couple rugs for this room: A colorful Moroccan Runner for tired morning feet, and a Zebra Hide rug under a quiet reading spot. While not everyone's first choice, I wouldn't hesitate to push a bed into a corner if that means available space for a reading chair. That extra area creates the illusion of a larger room and certainly elevates the coziness. This room is such a fun mix! While the floral curtains are bright and feminine, the Bicycle Handlebar Taxidermy above the mid-century Walnut Dresser are a more masculine nod, (especially paired with the mid-century Walnut Headboard). A couple shiny accents, (like the Metal Task lamp and the Gilt Frame Mirror), glam up the otherwise all-wood, rustic feel of the room. I used a mid-century Upholstered Chair in green to breath a bit of fresh life into the room, (which natural greens often do).
So what do you think? Are these rooms on point with blending vintage styles to create something relevant for today? Or are you ready for a nap after this post :) Either is okay with me. Speak your mind and let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you all for stopping by!
