Sheila Rich Interiors

Clients have asked me over the years whether they can use antiques with their furnishings of different styles or eras.  The answer is definitely YES!

Antiques tend to soften the starkness of contemporary décor and work beautifully with French, traditional, and other styles as well. One of the wonderful things about antiques is that each piece is a slice of history with a story connected to it, and walking into a room dotted with antiques is like opening up a book with lots of little chapters.

The Green Side.  Not only are antiques beautiful, but they’re also eco-friendly – they contain none of the modern-day chemicals that emit dangerous vapors into our homes and into the air, nor are they made from pressed woods (such as plywood or particleboard) that typically contain hazardous VOCs.  And they fit right into the green “reuse and recycle” philosophy.

Antique Furniture. As with all furniture, to do it justice you should place antique furniture in a spot where it fits well proportionally and becomes part of the room as a whole. You can try to place the piece in a spot similar to where it would have been in its own era; however, sometimes it’s fun to use something in a completely different way than it was intended. An example of this would be something I did for a client whose son was graduating from a crib to a bed. For his room, I purchased an old wooden school desk which will be painted navy blue and used in his room as a night table.

Using antiques in surprising ways like this adds some whimsy and interest to both the room and the piece. Since this school desk has become something of a dinosaur because it’s too small to be used for its original purpose today, finding another functional use for it helps preserve a bit of history, while the very same features that make it outdated tell a story of a bygone era.

Accessories. You can also add antique accessories to your décor – because they’re small, there are many more placement possibilities and less risk in placing them incorrectly. They also tend to become interesting conversation pieces.

Value. While antiques tend to gain value over time as opposed to newer pieces that typically lose value with age, don’t just buy pieces because you feel they might increase in value unless you’re a knowledgeable collector or very well versed in trends. If you buy what you like, you’ll never be disappointed.