Antique Decorating Ideas
- Vintage textiles such as scarves, tiles and door handles can add a quaint touch to your home. Use antique crochet doilies as place mats for candles and plant pots, or hang old lace curtains in your bedroom. Retro scarves featuring sweet embroidery details such as hearts and flowers add a romantic flair to the tops of dressers and night stands. Throw a warm vintage quilt on your bed, and replace modern doorknobs with opulent crystal antique versions. Replace boring vinyl bathroom flooring with old-fashioned porcelain tiles.
- There is nothing cuter than a 1950s diner-inspired kitchen. Buy a retro Formica dining set in a bright color such as lime green, red and orange. Use a vintage tablecloth featuring embroidered fruits or vegetables, or use a one with a red and white gingham check pattern. Replace your kitchen appliances with retro replicas, such as toasters and blenders. You may be able to find a 1950s refrigerator in perfect working condition as well. Set up an antique jukebox in your kitchen, which will entertain friends during dinner parties. Hang vintage aprons and use old soda bottles as vases.
- When you find a piece at an antique shop or flea market, breathe new life into it by putting it to use in your home. Small antique toolboxes can become spice holders, jewelry boxes or desk organizers, while vintage doll houses make one-of-a-kind bookcases. Turn antique rusty toy trucks into remote control holders or old buckets into plant holders. Vintage jars become charming flower vases, while antique wood figurines transform into stylish book ends.