How to complement old furniture with new ones so that the interior looks chic: tips from designers

Ask any professional how to create a stylish interior with new accessories and old furniture, and they will answer: use color! This will help combine interior items from different decades and styles. “Decide on the color scheme of the room – this will make it easier to choose new furniture that will pair well with what you already have. For example, a vintage wooden table can be complemented by a modern sofa in the same tone,” explains interior designer Raf Michalowski. Having trouble choosing furniture by color? “Paint” the room in the colors of your choice using decorations: cushions, paintings, rugs, carpets and books.

Before deciding how to refresh the interior by adding new details to old furniture, think about who is the “key player” in the room? Designing a room is like putting together a stylish outfit: don’t wear your best all at once. First you need to decide what exactly will be the main accent of the room, and then select those elements that will help to complement it. Do not exaggerate with the quantity: interior designer Artem Kropovinsky reminds you that you should not fill a room with furniture – because of this it will be uncomfortable and uncomfortable.

In simple terms, first find the “star” and then add something simple to it. Mixing vintage and modern items requires a minimalist approach, otherwise your home will turn into a museum of antique furniture.

Have you ever seen an interior that you couldn’t take your eyes off? One of the secrets to creating such charming pieces is the placement of the objects: they are placed so that the eye slides from one “attraction” to the next. This technique, Artem explains, is also essential for mixing vintage and modern pieces. Do not group items from the same period or style together. Try combining them in pairs: for example, place a vintage chair with a curved back next to a modern, minimalist sideboard.

Just because a chair is 30 years older than a sofa doesn’t mean they can’t have anything in common. “Look for similarities in the shapes of the silhouettes of old and new objects, whether it’s the curve of a chair leg or the line of the back of a sofa. Choosing similarly shaped pieces will help create a continuous, visually cohesive design,” says Michalowski.

Designers’ tips for updating antique furniture are recommendations, and not a set of rules to follow: for example, sometimes it is the violation of the principle of similarity that gives the desired effect. Kropovinsky advises trying unexpected combinations of shapes and styles: “If all the furniture is similar in size and silhouette, then the interior can become boring,” he says.

Do you want to play in contrast? Experiment with the items you already own: are you finding new ways to combine them that will give the room a fresh, edgy style? Perhaps an old sofa will look great with a modern miniature coffee table.

When the room contains only wooden furniture, from different eras, you may feel like you are living in a furniture store. According to Kropovinsky, the best way to add depth and interest to an interior is to mix materials, such as adding a sleek metal table to a vintage chair for an eclectic feel of juxtaposing old and new. new.

The secret to combining textures is contrast: ask yourself which elements will have the most contrast between them. The classic version of this combination is made of leather and softer upholstery fabrics. So don’t ignore ideas for decorating old furniture: perhaps replacing the upholstery on your chair will give it a second life.

Also read: How to decorate a room in the style of “quiet luxury” without spending a lot of money

As Michalowski explains, you can combine different interior elements using small auxiliary elements. “You can make your mix cohesive by paying attention to the small details,” says the designer. The easiest way to create an interior “common thread” between disparate pieces of furniture is to scatter pillows. Don’t forget the art either: if the tone of the room is too vintage, then a modern painting can restore the balance.

You can watch hundreds of videos on how to use textile elements to update old furniture or choose the optimal color combination when designing a living room interior. However, the path to success, says Michalowski, must include experimentation: “Trust your intuition and have fun with your experiments – that’s the only way to develop your own style,” he says.

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