6 min readPictured above: This space, designed by Sarah West, strikes the right balance of vintage and contemporary decor, proving that a mix is always better than sticking to one design era.
It’s not just the Instagram algorithm playing tricks on you: Everyone really is looking to antique and vintage decor. Homeowners are growing tired of rooms that look as though everything was bought from a single brand in one fell swoop. We’re now at a point where a collected, curated, personalized feel has replaced quiet luxury.
“I think it’s important to add at least some kind of antique or vintage piece in every room,” says Sarah West, founder of Sarah West & Associates and a designer for over 20 years. “Even if you’re doing a more modern or transitional room, a sense of history adds weight to a space.”
It’s not necessarily as easy as plopping one antique into a room and calling it a day, however, and that can feel intimidating. Even once you learn to shop for antiques and vintage like a pro, what do you actually do with those finds when you’re home?
While the designers we spoke with are quick to point out there really are no strict rules here—it’s about your style and what you love—there are a few key mistakes that pop up most often when people start styling with antique and vintage decor. These designers have the scoop on how to avoid those missteps and make your treasures, and your entire room, shine.
Going Too Big Too Quickly
Committing to a massive piece of furniture or tasking yourself with overhauling an entire room with antique or vintage pieces can get overwhelming fast. You may make decisions you don’t love down the line.
If you decide you’re going to decorate a whole room in a limited amount of time, and you’re set on sourcing antique or vintage items, you’ll likely end up settling for things just because you need them, says Nancy Cavaliere, a New York–based interior decorator, stylist, and vintage collector. Go slow and start small.
“I’d rather live with an empty corner while I wait for the perfect piece than fill it with something I don’t love,” she notes. “The most interesting homes evolve over time. I think a room should tell the story of the person living in it, not the story of one shopping trip.”
Ease your way into decorating with vintage and antiques by starting small. Think one piece of art, one mirror, one vase.
“Don’t overthink it,” West advises. “Take a small piece, try it out in the room for a couple of days, see how it feels.” Do you like the piece in that spot? Does it work with other elements of the room? Does it inspire other styling choices for the space? Try moving it around and interacting with it to find its perfect positioning and see where that takes you.
Thinking Your Antiques Have to Be the Focal Point
As you start out getting a feel for that smaller piece, remember that just because it’s unique doesn’t mean it has to be the focal point of the whole room.
“Don’t treat vintage pieces like they have to be the star of the room simply because they’re old,” says Cavaliere. “Not every antique needs a pedestal. Sometimes the most beautiful thing you can do is let an extraordinary piece sit comfortably alongside something completely ordinary.”
Fully incorporating vintage or antique pieces into a space imbues the room with that richness and intrigue.
“These pieces give feelings to a room,” West says. “If you put something in a corner, as you transition throughout the room, it gives this element of surprise.”
This includes creating high-low mixes, says Cavaliere, who points out, “a $20 flea market find can look incredible next to an expensive designer piece. It’s all about how you put things together.”
In fact, that mix is something to strive for, says Alex Bass, founder of Salon 21, Art Advisory & Interior Design Firm.
“I love a contrast, like a room with modern architecture that leans heavily into antiques or vice versa. If you want to incorporate pieces from Pottery Barn, CB2, that’s fine, but there are also so many affordable vintage finds. And something like an antique light fixture can make all of these pieces work.”
Believing the Entire Room Has to Represent One Era
Speaking of contrasts, all of our designer sources say a very common misconception they encounter is that you can only decorate a room with pieces from the same era.
“Just because you have a Victorian chair doesn’t mean you need a Victorian living room,” Cavaliere says. “My own home is a mix of different periods, styles, colors, and patterns, and that's what gives it personality. I love the tension between pieces that seemingly have nothing in common. And it's fun!”
Bass cites the example of Art Deco being popular right now, while articles are claiming midcentury modern is “out.” She encourages people to think of pieces less rigidly, assuming they have to commit fully to one style, or toss another style because someone declared a new one the next big thing.
“These are not ‘trends,’ these are design periods that already existed,” she explains. “It’s about having the eye to pull pieces from different periods that speak to you and make sense in your room.” You can mix Art Deco and midcentury modern, for instance, by using elements characteristic of them both, like marble, warm woods, mixed metals, and bold color pops.
Being Afraid to Alter Your Pieces
There can be a fear with vintage and antique pieces that changing anything “ruins” them. But unless it’s a significantly valuable piece you’re investing in or something you plan on having appraised, Bass says, embrace the ability to make special pieces work for your space.
“Don’t be afraid to reupholster,” she says—and not just if the fabric is in poor shape. “If I buy a piece and the structure is beautiful but I want to add a contemporary fabric and print, that can make for a fun contrast with the frame.”
For example, Bass fell in love with a modular midcentury sectional, but its fabric didn’t quite complement the space she was designing, so she chose a contemporary fabric that worked with its aesthetic.
This, Cavaliere points out, frees you up from obsessing over condition when shopping for pieces. If something has great bones but its fabric or finish has seen better days—and if you love it—don’t pass it up. Remember you can reupholster, strip and stain or paint, and repair.
Just factor the cost of those fixes into the price of the item to help make your decision. Especially because, as Bass advises, it’s better to consult a professional unless you’re well-versed in certain projects. Stripping and staining a wood piece is fairly easy, but when it comes to reupholstering and other repairs, you’ll likely actually save money by outsourcing to a pro rather than potentially damaging the piece yourself.
…Or Being Afraid to Use Them
Similarly, it’s typical for people to feel they can’t actually make use of vintage and antique pieces, because they think they’re too precious. But especially considering how well-made many older pieces are, they’re begging to be put to work. Again, it’s actually incorporating them into your everyday life that gives your room and entire home that sense of personalization, curation, and storytelling.
“One hundred years ago, people were using their silver,” West says. “In my kitchen, you’re eating with hotel silver.”
This includes getting creative with how you use antique and vintage pieces—don’t feel bound by what something is “supposed to” be for.
“One of my favorite tricks is turning vintage drapes and valances into bed canopies,” Cavaliere says. “I did this in my daughter’s room and I absolutely love it.” Cavaliere also finds unexpected uses for small vessels and decorative objects: a creamer and sugar set in the bathroom to hold Q-tips and cotton balls; dishes, trays, and crystal bowls to sort accessories in her closet.
“A vintage china cabinet doesn't have to live in a dining room just because it was designed to hold dishes,” she says. “One of my favorite tricks is using china cabinets to display and store shoes and handbags in a dressing room or closet. Why spend a ton of money on custom cabinetry when you can repurpose a beautiful vintage piece that has so much more character?”
West agrees. “Purchase an armoire, flip the doors, add mirrors, and make it a bar,” West suggests. “Find an old door knocker you love? Hang a towel off of it. Use a tablecloth to make a pillow. Tell a story.”
