Guest Post. Furnish Your Home with Antique Furniture.

Today we have a guest post from William Robinson is an interior design consultant who has built up a knowledge and appreciation of antiques over the years. William currently works for Loveday Antiques who specialise in modern art and antique furniture in London.

Interior Design by Kathryn Ireland

Antique furniture can be intimidating. When you are browsing a piece may catch your eye and appear to be full of majesty and intrigue, embellished with an inlaid rosewood or fine marble. The piece may concoct nostalgic thoughts of elegance and history and the price may be right. But inevitably you will ask yourself; “Where on earth would I put it?”

Design by Kathryn Ireland

One way to successfully incorporate antique furniture into existing décor is to choose accent pieces over anchor pieces. A Queen Anne marble-top table with cabriole legs stands out as a striking conversation piece against any contemporary sofa. But an antique divan between two pressed-wood end tables is clearly out of place. If the home décor is modern, use antique furniture to add an unexpected splash of interest and contrast to your room.

One possible exception to this would be an antique oyster cane headboards or a bed set. A large bed could be framed with this and Louis XVI nightstands and dovetailed drawers could also be used to complete the look. If the budget doesn’t stretch however, your bed will still stand out as an exotic escape from more contemporary offerings.

Another way to use antique furniture in the home is to find unique pieces and use them in a different way than how they were originally intended. An apothecary cabinet used for sewing notions, a cocktail cabinet re-purposed as a kitchen sideboard to store spices and oils, or a dressing table set up as a laptop station are all creative ideas for mingling the old with the new.

Interior Design by Mary mcDonald

Chairs can be reinvigorated too. A vintage telephone chair can be re-upholstered to match your colour scheme and come to life in its new cosy surroundings. A captain’s chair can be fitted with a new, comfortable seat cushion and placed in a corner of the sitting room.

No matter what the era or style of décor your home is, you can enjoy the lavish opulence of antique furniture and imagine the vintage, history and heritage of the pieces.

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