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How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home

by on Jun 14, 2021

If you love to go antiquing as much as I do, then you’ve no doubt struggled with the conundrum of how to incorporate that beautiful new turn-of-the-century table into your mostly-modern living room. Have no fear, my friends, because today we’re sharing some easy tips and tricks that will have you blending furniture from different eras in no time.   

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Tessa Neustadt

1. Sofas With Coffee Tables

Blending a vintage coffee table (or a trunk in this case, in the photo above) with a contemporary sofa can be tricky if you have no idea where to start. But there are some simple tips and pointers that will help you learn to pair furniture from different decades like a star. Shape, color and size are the three most important elements to examine –  here, the trunk fits perfectly within the sectional’s negative space, leaving enough room for people’s feet. And the colors are tied in through the accents in the rest of the room. [Photo: Tessa Neustadt]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Classic Nest Interiors

2. Dining Tables With Chairs

The shape is one of the most important elements when combining tables and chairs from different eras. Here, a set of classic spindle back chairs pair nicely with a more contemporary farmhouse style table. The backs of the chairs mirror the round shape of the table, making them feel like they were meant to be paired together. If you have a rectangular table, make sure to choose chairs with more angular seats. [Photo: Classic Nest Interiors]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Domaine

3. Kitchen Islands With Stools

Scale may be the most important factor in choosing a set of barstools. Here, a crisp new island pairs nicely with vintage stools thanks to their perfectly proportioned size. The colors also tie in nicely with the rest of the space. If you’re picking up a set of vintage barstools, be sure that they don’t overwhelm the island that you’ll be using them with. [Photo: Domaine]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Leanne Ford Interiors

4. Light Fixtures

With light fixtures, scale is majorly important. Be sure to choose something that fills up the space, and with finishes that echo those in the rest of the room. It also helps to tie in the vintage look with other antique accents so they look more intentional. [Photo: Leanne Ford Interiors]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Glitter Guide

5. Layering Rugs 

Vintage or antique rugs often look beautiful layered over a larger contemporary one. The main goal here is to make sure that the one underneath is neutral and low pile, while the vintage one on top ties into the rest of the room in some way. This is a great way to use that too-small rug you fell in love with and had to buy. [Photo: Glitter Guide]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: BrePurposed

6. Bathroom Vanities With Sinks

Here it’s important to ensure that the sink’s size is appropriate for the vanity (which in this case was found on Craigslist!). The sizable width of the vanity called for a substantial sink, and the shapes worked well together too. If you have a small vanity or dresser that you’re using as the base, don’t go overboard with a large sink basin. [Photo: BrePurposed]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Domino

7. Vintage Tub In A Contemporary Bathroom

Tie in those curved edges by mimicking them throughout the room – in the hardware, the sink basin, the light fixtures, etc. Swap out the faucet for something that goes with the rest of the space, as they’ve done in the photo above with the beautiful brass tones. [Photo: Domino]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: BHG

8. Headboards With Nightstands

The bedroom is another great place to mix antiques with more modern pieces. This beautiful studded headboard has a contemporary feel thanks to its graphic look, and the vintage nightstand shares the same wood color which helps tie the two pieces together. Make sure they either share a color or perhaps a shape if you’re doing this in your own home. [Photo: BHG]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Daily Dream Decor

9. Desks With Office Chairs

The shape is the most noticeable correlation here… while the chair’s lines look vintage, the lucite material makes it clear that is a contemporary piece (pun intended). If you’re looking to pair vintage and modern in the office, be sure that they share either a similar shape, material or color. Are we seeing a pattern here?! [Photo: Daily Dream Decor]

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Photo: Front + Main

10. Vintage Wall Art With Contemporary Pieces

The key here is to choose a couple of main colors and use them throughout most of the artwork in the space. As you can see here, yellow and black can be found in many of the pieces as well as the decor. [Photo: Front + Main]

What are your favorite ways to blend vintage and contemporary seamlessly into one space? Feel free to share your tips in the comments section below.

How To Blend Vintage and Contemporary Furniture In Your Home
Share this post on Pinterest! [Photo: Domaine]

Are you looking for more retro charm? Here are 20 Kitschy Kitchens You’ll Love, some of our favorite Midcentury Fireplace Design Ideas, and 70s Interiors That’ll Make You Say, “Groovy, Baby!

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2 Comments

  1. It’s amazing how you’ve shown how even something as juxtaposed as a modern vs. old could be put together so seamlessly. Stunning work.

    -Michelle
    furnishr.com?utm_source=curbly

  2. Thank you for showing how you can combine styles effectively. So many people think it’s all or nothing. Just as you point out, the key is to using compatible sizes, shapes, colors, or materials. Your photos do a great job of bringing these points home – well done!!