Many people tend to think of vintage as old looking. But students at interior design certificate programs in NYC learn that it’s about giving a room a sense of nostalgia without making it seem rundown. Vintage designs continue to be popular for this very reason despite the years.
Vintage covers a variety of styles from the retro to the rustic. It’s especially popular with the advent of minimalism. Here are some ways you can make your or a client’s home rock the vintage-look:
Choose Well-Crafted Antiques
Antiques are the backbone of vintage design because their unique sense of history takes a person back in time. Choosing well-crafted antique pieces is one of the first things you learn in interior design certificate programs in NYC when you learn to design vintage homes.
The first thing you learn isn’t to identify the oldest piece but the most well-crafted piece. An old piece without craftsmanship or history is just secondhand furniture. Secondly, the antique shouldn’t just look good, it should be able to withstand regular use.
Interior decorating courses in NJ teach students to identify a good antique by looking at its weight, joints and discoloration. A good piece is usually heavy, has steady joints and lacks rust or discoloration.
Mix Old And New Styles
You don’t have to make each and every element of your home vintage to get the look. You can mix modern and vintage elements to make sure that your home looks retro but not outdated. Rather than using elements of the same era in different rooms, try grouping elements from different eras in the same room for contrast.
You can do it by combining their scales to ensure that their proportions relate to one another. Scale and proportion are some of the basic principles of interior design taught in interior decorating courses in NJ. Oversized designs tend to work better than undersized ones.
Decide What Mood You Want To Create
Not all vintage styles create the same mood. Some exude elegance and sophistication while others add a rustic and homely feel. You need to choose the design elements based on the mood you want to set in your room.
Add Some Greenery
Plants have been part of the home decor for a long time. So if you love greenery, then feel free to add some to your home. Schools like NextGen Design Academy recommend it for the holistic feel they add to the home. You also get the excuse to make use of your vintage vase.
Keep It Minimal
Adding too many elements to the room clutters the design. You don’t need to add too much to get the sophisticated vintage look. You should choose every piece carefully to ensure that they add something of value to the room from both functional and aesthetic points of view.
Choose Colors Carefully
The color scheme plays an important role in setting a room’s ambiance. It’s why virtual schools like NextGen Design Academy emphasize on choosing the color scheme carefully. Bright and bold colors are part of the retro look. Neutral colors work well when combining modern and vintage.
Identify The Focal Point
Rather than adding as many beautiful pieces in the room, it’s best to add one showpiece that grabs everyone’s attention. It helps you avoid clutter and get the elegance you associate with vintage homes. It could be a painting or a display box. You can highlight it by playing around with its placement and contrast with the backdrop.
Layer Your Textures
Worn and weathered texture can add to the vintage look but too much of it will make the room seem like junk. It’s why students learn to layer their textures during their interior design training in NJ. You can do this by adding unblemished smooth surfaces between weather textures. E.g. add a mirror on a wall with weathered texture.
These are just some ways in which you can give your or your client’s home a vintage look.
