11 Great Vintage Buys to Bring Instant Oomph
Look to the past with these charming originals to make your space feel more unique
Cheryl F
9 August 2016
Houzz Contributor. I'm a London-based journalist with years of experience writing for the UK's top interiors titles. I love shopping for quirky accessories, have a passion for rummaging through vintage stores and I'm ever-hopeful of finding that elusive perfect paint shade.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a London-based journalist with years of experience writing... More
In love with the past? You’re not alone. Vintage, salvage and retro have never been more sought-after – and for good reason. Antiques and original furnishings tend to be built from quality materials, with a hand-crafted attention to detail that’s hard to replicate. Plus they exude character and a wistful connection to the past.
With our ongoing passion for nostalgia and (obviously) limited supply, some pieces inevitably aren’t as cheap as they once were, but you probably won’t regret investing. The following may be slightly rough around the edges, but all are stylish and charming.
With our ongoing passion for nostalgia and (obviously) limited supply, some pieces inevitably aren’t as cheap as they once were, but you probably won’t regret investing. The following may be slightly rough around the edges, but all are stylish and charming.
Go back to school
You don’t have to relive double maths lessons to love the character of old classroom chairs. With their ramshackle industrial vibe, they look great mismatched. Classic designs include plywood stacking chairs, sculpted plastic or metal and wood, as here.
If you can, check you’ll feel comfy sitting on them before buying (and, since they were designed for schoolchildren, that they’re big enough for your bottom!).
You don’t have to relive double maths lessons to love the character of old classroom chairs. With their ramshackle industrial vibe, they look great mismatched. Classic designs include plywood stacking chairs, sculpted plastic or metal and wood, as here.
If you can, check you’ll feel comfy sitting on them before buying (and, since they were designed for schoolchildren, that they’re big enough for your bottom!).
Rock a vintage cabinet
Old wooden cabinets from medical halls or offices are a wonderful way to inject period character. They look good anywhere, so think laterally: this one is a refreshing alternative to a conventional bathroom cabinet, but could equally work in a kitchen or dining room.
Old wooden cabinets from medical halls or offices are a wonderful way to inject period character. They look good anywhere, so think laterally: this one is a refreshing alternative to a conventional bathroom cabinet, but could equally work in a kitchen or dining room.
Suspend a factory pendant
The industrial look has gone mainstream, with metal pendants the go-to style for dining rooms across the land. A reclaimed factory fitting can look lovely, or go for one of the many convincing and affordable reproductions. Always check lighting is wired safely.
How to Select Perfect Pendant Lights for Your Kitchen
The industrial look has gone mainstream, with metal pendants the go-to style for dining rooms across the land. A reclaimed factory fitting can look lovely, or go for one of the many convincing and affordable reproductions. Always check lighting is wired safely.
How to Select Perfect Pendant Lights for Your Kitchen
Befriend a dummy
If your bedroom style is romantic or retro, a vintage mannequin could add the finishing touch. Tailor’s dummies are an attractive place to hang hats, jewellery or scarves. If you’re handy with a needle and thread, they’re also a potential home for your own dressmaking creations.
If your bedroom style is romantic or retro, a vintage mannequin could add the finishing touch. Tailor’s dummies are an attractive place to hang hats, jewellery or scarves. If you’re handy with a needle and thread, they’re also a potential home for your own dressmaking creations.
Choose a crystal chandelier
What’s not to love about vintage crystal chandeliers? They add glamour, elegance and charm to rooms, and make everything else feel, well, just a bit more sparkly. They can be expensive, though – and always make sure they’ve been rewired to conform to current electrical standards.
What’s not to love about vintage crystal chandeliers? They add glamour, elegance and charm to rooms, and make everything else feel, well, just a bit more sparkly. They can be expensive, though – and always make sure they’ve been rewired to conform to current electrical standards.
Hang an old map
There’s something inherently pleasing about a vintage map: the colours, the faded paper, the doorway into a different geography and way of viewing the world. They’re a great way to add a sense of history and a hint of mystery to any room.
Frame them, hunt down hanging wall charts (you can also buy classic wooden hangers easily online) or simply tack or even paste them to walls for a more relaxed look. And try to choose a map location that reflects your passion.
There’s something inherently pleasing about a vintage map: the colours, the faded paper, the doorway into a different geography and way of viewing the world. They’re a great way to add a sense of history and a hint of mystery to any room.
Frame them, hunt down hanging wall charts (you can also buy classic wooden hangers easily online) or simply tack or even paste them to walls for a more relaxed look. And try to choose a map location that reflects your passion.
Create a display of mirrors
Foxed antique mirrors possess that unique, lived-in appeal vintage fans lust after. Hanging several in a group is a pretty way to bounce light and add a retro feel. They look great set against a dark wall, like this one painted in an indigo hue.
Foxed antique mirrors possess that unique, lived-in appeal vintage fans lust after. Hanging several in a group is a pretty way to bounce light and add a retro feel. They look great set against a dark wall, like this one painted in an indigo hue.
Source a sideboard
A midcentury sideboard is the ultimate retro piece. Big enough to make a real statement, these practical items of furniture add warmth and instant quirky chic.
A midcentury sideboard is the ultimate retro piece. Big enough to make a real statement, these practical items of furniture add warmth and instant quirky chic.
Tackle a trunk
Old-fashioned trunks can be used in lots of different ways – as characterful side tables, bedside cabinets or even a quirky sideboard. With a nostalgic, romantic quality, they conjure up a Brief Encounter-ish world of steam train journeys and weekends in the country.
Look for leather, canvas or metal; seek them out on eBay or in antiques stores, or choose a modern lookalike.
Old-fashioned trunks can be used in lots of different ways – as characterful side tables, bedside cabinets or even a quirky sideboard. With a nostalgic, romantic quality, they conjure up a Brief Encounter-ish world of steam train journeys and weekends in the country.
Look for leather, canvas or metal; seek them out on eBay or in antiques stores, or choose a modern lookalike.
Try some radio love
With their pleasing, solid looks and warm, crackly sound, vintage radios are cosiness incarnate. If you can’t find, or don’t want, an original, there are plenty of vintage-style modern digital radios that mimic the old-school look.
With their pleasing, solid looks and warm, crackly sound, vintage radios are cosiness incarnate. If you can’t find, or don’t want, an original, there are plenty of vintage-style modern digital radios that mimic the old-school look.
Put up your plates
A stack of vintage plates can easily be recycled into a quirky wall display, and they’re often inexpensive at secondhand or thrift shops. Here, a mixed bag of plates adds character to an otherwise plain contemporary dining room.
TELL US…
Which vintage buys do you have in your home? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
A stack of vintage plates can easily be recycled into a quirky wall display, and they’re often inexpensive at secondhand or thrift shops. Here, a mixed bag of plates adds character to an otherwise plain contemporary dining room.
TELL US…
Which vintage buys do you have in your home? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
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petrol station chic?
A correctly place vintage chair, early 18th century elm chest really add character to our eclectic interior.
70s vintage American velvet tub chair
early 18th century elm chest
I used replicas of ship's cargo hold lanterns over the island in the kitchen. I'm also a big fan of vintage maps and nautical charts. Vintage nautical flags, athletic gear and trophies are also easy to find and display.