Creating Vintage Vibes: Make Your New Home Feel Like a Classic
Not everyone lives in a 100-year-old home. However, you may still want your new home to feel like an older house. Here are a few tips for creating an old-house vibe in your new home.
Creating that cozy, old-home feel is entirely possible—even in a new build! Whether you’re drawn to the beauty of aged wood, vintage touches, or architectural details that feel like they have a story to tell, there are simple ways to infuse your home with the warmth and character of an old house. Here are five tips from Sarah Chitwood of Our Little Blue Farmhouse on how to make a new house feel like it’s brimming with timeless charm.
ADD WOOD TONES
Older homes were often filled with handmade wooden furniture and often not painted but stained. Wood helps bring warmth and character to a home that new materials cannot match. Search your local antique shops, flea markets, and thrift shops for wooden furniture such as tables, chairs, and cabinets. Don’t worry about if there are some scratches or dings. The imperfections are what gives the piece character and leaves you imagining the story behind how they came about.
ADD BASKETS
You can never have too many baskets – Baskets were commonly found in older homes as a way to gather, store and serve food. Finding ways to display and use baskets in your home can add a nostalgic feeling of times past. Baskets are easily found in most antique and thrift stores today. Use them to display your favorite items or as storage for things like blankets, office supplies, etc.
START A COLLECTION
Many antique items are great on their own, but some items make more of a statement as a collection. Find a smaller antique or vintage item that interests you and start collecting them. The process of hunting and searching for them is part of the fun. And once you feel your collection is complete, display them together in your home. A unique antique collection can make a great conversation starter when a company comes to visit.
VINTAGE TEXTILES
Nothing says old home like a good old quilt. Antique and vintage textiles, including quilts, tea towels, and rugs, are a great way to add old home charm and coziness to your home. Drape an old quilt over your bed or sofa, or add a vintage wool rug as an accent to your family/living space. If you prefer to use new textiles, there are many vintage reproductions available that capture that old home feeling as well.
FAMILY HEIRLOOMS
Don’t forget about family heirlooms – one of the best ways to make your home feel older is by bringing in pieces from your own family. Reach out to family and relatives, they may have older pieces they no longer want or use, and these items can become treasures in your home. Having pieces in your home that you remember seeing in your grandparents’ house as a child is an excellent way to add old home charm. And even better, your preserving pieces from your own family’s history.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sarah Chitwood and her family live in a little blue farmhouse in East Tennessee. They have been there for three years, working on creating a homestead for their family. Their farm family includes dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, and ducks. They enjoy bringing back the old-fashioned way of living both inside and outside their home. Learn more here: Our Little Blue Farmhouse
You may also want to read Where Antiques Find a New Life.
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