Vintage vs. modern furniture doesn’t necessarily have to be an either-or scenario. Gone are the days when interior design is boxed into a certain style. The best way to highlight your style is to identify what it is and display it subtly. But how do you subtly merge two opposite styles without putting these styles in total juxtaposition? The tips below can be used to mix modern and vintage furniture successfully in your home

Do find the perfect balance when marrying vintage with modern

Vintage furniture can sometimes be perceived as outdated, while modern furniture can sometimes be perceived as unfriendly and cold. But the mixture of these two can be the ideal balance that a space requires. How to achieve it: Combine a modern dining table with traditional upholstered chairs or replace a dramatic coffee table with a light and modern coffee table and style it with various vintage pieces.

Do use different materials

Subtle repetition can tie a room together, but if a room only emphasises one material, it could result in the interior design feeling uninventive and ordinary. It is essential to balance the different materials in a room – if you have antique wood chairs, do not add a reeded carpet accompanied by a solid wood coffee table. You do not want to end up with a room full of wood/brown tones and textures.
How to achieve it: Combine steel tables with marble countertops or add wood chairs to steel dining tables.

Do choose vintage pieces wisely

Old doesn’t necessarily mean antique. Choose a focus piece that you want to keep and replace the rest of the furniture with modern pieces to achieve a cohesive look. The focus piece should have character and blend in well with the type of look that you have decided on.
How to achieve it: Replace heavy wood tabletops with a steel frame or reinvent your idea of a classic open shelf by replacing it with a lighter and more modern version of a shelf.

Do remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day

Not everyone has the means to reinvent and refurbish a room immediately. Decide what type of look and feel you would like to achieve with a specific room and plan your redecoration around it.
How to achieve it: Identify the pieces you want to replace and the pieces you want to keep and draft a plan according to what should happen each month.