Vintage style in the interior. Discussion on LiveInternet

Vintage in the interior is a noble, sophisticated and unusual combination of the present and the past. Despite the fact that this style is just over fifteen years old, it has already won an entire army of fans. Since its appearance, it has remained in the top of the most popular room design options.

Why is the mixture of modern and antique so loved by people all over the world? Some explain this by nostalgia for the past, others by the incredibly cozy and stylish atmosphere. In any case, vintage design does not give up its leadership and is becoming more and more popular every year.

What is vintage

The word “vintage” came into design and fashion from French winemakers. This is what the masters called elite wines of high quality and, as a rule, long aging. Then the term began to be used to designate a whole trend in home decoration.

Vintage style in the interior is a skillful combination of modern and ancient attributes in room design. In this case, not just antique things are used, but objects from past eras that bear the imprint of time. They often become the center of the composition, around which the overall design idea is built.

But not only rarities and antiques can be used to create a vintage style in the interior. Designers often resort to the method of artificial aging of new furniture, which is popular today. In this case, various techniques and techniques are used, thanks to which completely new things have a patina of age.

Vintage style bathroom

Vintage style in the bathroom can give it a feeling of home comfort. You just need to choose the right decorative elements, which, together with antique plumbing fixtures, will help create a unique vintage style in your bathroom.

Furniture

It is better to choose furniture with patina for the bathroom to create the impression that someone has already lived in this interior before you. Very often, decorators use a simple technique for this purpose - they create the effect of a lived-in room.

Accessories and decor should be such that they emphasize the ancient style, but ultra-modern and newfangled items will not fit into the atmosphere of the style.

An ordinary cabinet, in which toiletries are usually stored, can be replaced with a simple chest of drawers, which can also be used as a stand under the sink. Mirrors in wooden frames will look very beautiful.

Plumbing

Antique plumbing fixtures must be selected correctly. To do this, you don’t have to go around all the antique shops, searching for original antique plumbing fixtures. Yes, this is a good option, but it is quite dangerous for the modern world.

Currently, many manufacturers of washbasins, faucets and bathtubs are producing a special vintage series that can captivate lovers of vintage style and fully complies with all necessary housing standards.

Color solution

A vintage bathroom will look best with muted colors, scratches and natural wear. The floor can be plank or wood, bleached white oak or painted white.

How did the vintage style come about?

“Old-fashioned style” was invented not so long ago. His date of birth can be considered 2002. It was then that American designer Patrick Willis decided to build an unusual house. The shape of the building is elliptical, the rooms are made in the form of a honeycomb. But the idea almost failed. The designer only had enough money to build an unusual house. There was no budget left for interior decoration. The project deadline was moving inexorably towards completion.

Then the inventive interior designer decided to find an original way out of the situation. He bought things from the flea market, washed them, put them in good shape and furnished the rooms with them. Willis called his brainchild “vintage,” thereby making it clear that second-hand furniture adds the same value to the interior as the aging of exclusive wine. The idea was accepted with a bang. And to this day, vintage style interiors remain the most popular for decorating homes, cafes, restaurants, and hotels.

What you can create yourself

Many people are interested in the question: is it possible to create a vintage style in the interior yourself? According to experts, the vintage style is practically the only interior design style that can be completely created independently.

Repair work in vintage style will not require you to have a perfect finish, be it painting the ceiling, floor or wallpapering. When carrying out work, it is permissible to leave cracks, cracks and unevenness. The selection and subsequent purchase of vintage furniture and all the necessary decorative elements is a matter of taste for everyone. Therefore, you should not be afraid and try to experiment!

Features of vintage style in the interior

Like any other trend, the vintage style has its own characteristic features that make it unique, unlike other trends in design.

Fusion of old and new. Modern design is necessarily complemented by antique objects (or things artificially aged).

Furniture “in years”. Vintage style is impossible without a sofa, armchair or chest of drawers with obvious “marks” of time: scuffs, faded paints, cracks.

Colors faded by time. Another prerequisite for style is a calm color scheme. The interior shades should be pale, look a little faded, having lost their brightness and contrast.

Natural materials for finishing. To renovate rooms, it is better to choose natural materials such as wood, forging, linen, cotton, silk, ceramics.

Decor from the past. Details also matter to create an atmosphere of modernized antiquity. Any items from garage or attic storage will do: retro photos, antique figurines, frames or openwork bedspreads.

Simplicity and a touch of roughness. The decoration of the walls and ceiling is done simply, without frills, mainly in plain neutral shades. Surfaces can be covered with wallpaper with a floral print, but in soft colors. Very often the design contains rough wood. A natural wooden texture peeks out from under the peeling paint, the roughness of which is revealed by the peeling paint.

Main features of vintage style

The vintage style has its own distinctive features that make it stand out among many others.

A combination of new and old (or artificially aged), antiques.
Furniture with scuffs. It’s hard to imagine such an interior without a cabinet, table or sofa that doesn’t show signs of use.
Restrained color scheme, without bright shades and riot of colors. You can even use sun-bleached and faded fabrics. It is advisable to think through the accents and draw up a design project for the apartment.
Almost only natural materials are used, and the amount of plastic should be reduced as much as possible.
Retro-style items are used for decoration and accents. A variety of old photographs, watches, books, figurines, bedspreads and furniture covers are suitable.
The decoration of walls, ceilings and floors is always simple, without unnecessary frills. Often, wallpaper or decorative panels of faded shades can be used for this.
Dim, warm lighting is also important and should be given special attention. There is no need to buy and install LED lamps and strips around. They will ruin the whole experience.

Vintage Style Rules

Some designers claim that vintage style has no rules. Other experts say that some nuances still need to be followed. So, what are the do's and don'ts of creating "distressed modernity"?

Recommended:

Use antiques to create a subtle hint of nostalgia for a bygone era. Most often this is the XIX-XX century.
Maintain symmetry. By its nature, the vintage style in the interior is close to classic. And for classics, a clear geometry of space is important. There is no need to clutter the room chaotically. Try to streamline it, achieve an atmosphere of warmth and comfort with a light retro note.
Do not use modern repair technologies. When decorating a room in this style, it is better to abandon laminate, linoleum, suspended ceilings, wall panels and other modern techniques for decorating the room.

Not recommended:

Overload the interior with antiques.
A thing from the past should stand out against the background of a modern environment and be a highlight of the design.
Decorate your home with dilapidated, dilapidated rubbish. A touch of antiquity, created by time or human hands, should decorate the rooms, and not scare away with its dilapidated appearance. Therefore, it is important to distinguish unusable junk from a truly beautiful antique item.
Dedicate all rooms to this style. No matter how beautiful it is, if you overdo it, you can give the interior a museum-like touch. Vintage should be present as a small inclusion in the overall interior of the home.

Otherwise, complete freedom for creativity is provided.

Features of the direction

Vintage is what the French call expensive wine that has been stored in the cellar for a long time. The literal translation means – vintage. And the history of creating the design style is attributed to the American architect Patrick Willis. It was he who decorated his modern house, built in the shape of an ellipse, with antique items from a flea market.

Since then, the unobtrusive introduction of things from the past into a modern interior has been called vintage style. The direction is reminiscent of classicism, with elements of retro and Provence. But in essence, this is an interior that has taken the most advanced of modern design, but at the same time manages to evoke a slight nostalgia for the past.

Comfort in the room is achieved with the help of decor from pillows scattered throughout the room Source archiq.ru

Antique items are used to create a vintage style. But you can simply use old things bought at flea markets and thrift stores. Many designers find a solution in special aging of things. For this purpose, patination and brushing technologies are used.

But there is a way that will not require any costs in stores or time for the labor-intensive processes of creating antiquities. To do this, it is often enough to visit the attic of the house. Many families store unnecessary things on it year after year, unable to throw them into a landfill. Sometimes, only after brushing away many years of dust, you can already place the object in the interior of the room.

Distinctive features of the vintage style that set it apart from other styles:

A touch of romance should be visible in the simplicity of the interior.
Old things are combined with new ones. Antiques and modern household appliances are welcome.
Furniture that has scuffs or a network of artificial cracks is used.
Bright colors are prohibited. Moderate tones are encouraged. But wallpaper and textiles with floral themes are approved. It is allowed to use even materials that have become dull or sun-bleached.
Naturalness is encouraged. Whenever possible, plastic is replaced with wood or metal.
Vintage accents create retro little things. Antique photographs on the walls, a cuckoo clock, various figurines and ancient tomes in the closet.
All surfaces are finished without unnecessary frills. You can paste wallpaper on the ceiling and walls or cover them with decorative panels. Linoleum on the floor is replaced with parquet.
This creates the illusion of a little clutter, which can be faked by leaving handicrafts or unread magazines on the table.
Lighting should be warm and not bright. Therefore, it is better not to use fluorescent lamps and LEDs.

What makes up vintage interior design?

There are many techniques, design techniques and materials that allow you to create beautiful interiors with a touch of antiquity.

Antiques. It looks elegant, gives coziness and gives a retro atmosphere to the room.
Artificial aging of objects. With this technique, any piece of furniture or decor can become part of past centuries.

Old-fashioned decoration of walls and floors. On the building materials market today there is a huge selection of finishing materials to achieve the effect of antiquity. For example, floorboards with a vintage finish or wallpaper with a print that has faded with time.

Stucco molding. Plaster curls and flowers perfectly reflect the spirit of graceful centuries gone by.

Wallpaper with large print. Lush flowers, large birds, leaves or ornaments - these are the kinds of drawings that adorned the walls in the last and the centuries before last. But the print must be faded and faded with time. Such vintage wallpaper can be ordered in a specialized online store.

Dried flowers. You can make bouquets of dried roses, chrysanthemums or asters yourself or buy them ready-made. This decor is actively used by designers for vintage style.

Dim lighting. Rooms should be softly lit. Lampshades, table lamps and crystal chandeliers are often selected for this purpose. They diffuse the light, making it less bright, and create a wonderful retro effect.

Stylish details. Various souvenir items will help you recreate the era of bygone years: plaster figurines, porcelain dolls, forged figurines, rare boxes, antique frames, retro photographs and much more. But here it is important to take precautions so that the room does not turn into an antique shop.

Rules for arranging a vintage interior

What is recommended and acceptable when registering housing in this direction:

When decorating, antiques are used, preferably real products and things of the 19th-20th centuries. Everything else belongs to other eras and is considered other directions.
When arranging, strict symmetry should always be observed. In this, vintage is similar to classicism and rarely allows for disorder. Harmonious arrangement of details and accents will allow you to achieve coziness and comfort.
Minimize the use of modern materials. Such as linoleum, laminate, suspended ceilings and plastic panels.
Among the most common mistakes it is worth noting:
Using too many antiques and cluttering the space.
There is no need to use frankly broken or dilapidated things that can only repel.

It is also not advisable to decorate the entire apartment in this spirit; a room, for example, a living room, where such a museum-like appearance is quite appropriate and would be preferable, will suffice.

Vintage furniture

Furniture plays an important role in creating a special, slightly rare flavor. And often it is she who becomes the “signal flag” of vintage style. Therefore, she should look accordingly.

Worn surfaces, chips, grooves with loose paint - everything should indicate that the furniture has its own, long history. Similar interior items can be purchased at construction hypermarkets. But there is an easier (and cheaper) way - to age the furniture yourself. There are a number of special hand made techniques:

"Crackle." A special “craquelure” varnish is used. Under its influence, the paint cracks and creates an interesting antique effect.
Dry brush. A very simple way to achieve scuff marks on any textured surface. All you need to do is dip a hard-bristled brush into the paint, dry it with a cloth and lightly paint over the wood or metal.
Sanding. This method can also achieve an antique finish. The result is that one color is visible through the other. The technique is completely uncomplicated. The surface is painted with two layers of paint of different tones, then lightly sanded with sandpaper.

Wax aging. The technique is similar to the previous one. But only after the first layer of paint you need to walk along the edges of the furniture with a wax candle. After which the second tone is applied. When it dries, the “waxy” parts of the surface must be rubbed with a regular sponge. The paint in areas rubbed with wax will come off quickly and unnoticed.

Bituminous varnish and patina. Two materials that are ideal for aging metal. Metal surfaces are painted with acrylic paint. The top is treated with patina or bitumen varnish. Excess is removed with a napkin. This method combines well with other types of surface aging.

Furniture for a vintage room

All furniture should be made of natural materials (wood, wrought iron, copper, brass) in combination with unusual fabrics. These should be items “with history.” Small scratches, chips, and abrasions will only add zest to the vintage interior.

Furniture in a vintage room should be arranged symmetrically. Place two armchairs, place a sofa between them, two identical bedside tables with identical lamps or two floor lamps near the armchairs, a long coffee table near the sofa, this arrangement will visually lengthen the room, pastel colors will increase the area of the room.

Vintage loves a large number of accessories (photos in frames, ceramic figurines, candlesticks, mirrors, shelves).

Photo: symmetrical arrangement of furniture in a vintage style living room interior

Advice: choose plain light wallpaper if you plan to decorate the room with a large number of accessories; against the backdrop of bright contrasting walls, the decor will simply get lost.

Vintage in room design

Vintage elements will be appropriate in almost any room. You just need to know some of the features of embodying the antique style in different rooms.

Living room

The reception room can be decorated with antique sofas and armchairs. The main rule is to choose an era and stick to its features. For example, to recreate a 19th-century interior, the ideal option would be furniture with curved legs and rounded backs.

For the living room walls, it is better to choose a plain, neutral palette. You can cover the walls with wallpaper with large flowers or butterflies, but always with a faded effect. A good solution for the floor is aged parquet, antique ceramic tiles or large vintage boards.

Bedroom

The palette in the bedroom must be soft. Then the room will be filled with comfort, coziness and tranquility. Peach, pearl, beige, sand, pastel blue and light gray shades best cope with the task of pacification.

You can also use vintage wallpaper in pastel colors for wall design. A bed with a wrought-iron headboard and a canopy is a classic of the vintage genre. If you complement it with a chandelier with forged curls, you will get a stylish tandem from the past. You should also pay attention to textiles. Pillows with ruffles, curtains with tassels, knitted blankets and capes with frills - all this will be appropriate in this interior.

Hallway

Hangers made of elegant forging with skillful weaves are perfect for a vintage hallway. It would be nice to hang a large oval mirror in a wooden frame, decorated with carvings, in the hallway.

If the room allows, then the walls can be decorated with antique shelves, placing napkins on them and arranging rare figurines. But it’s better to avoid massive cabinets and chests of drawers. Firstly, previously it was not customary to place cabinets in the hallway. And secondly, a home “lobby” rarely pleases with a large number of square meters, and an ordinary closet risks “eating” the entire space.

Kitchen

The main requirement for a vintage kitchen is that modern appliances should not be too noticeable in the interior. An antique sideboard, antique kitchen utensils, worn chairs and stools, shelves with porcelain from bygone eras - all these touches will create a magnificent picture of the past, which by chance ended up in the modern world.

Since the early 2000s, vintage design has been so loved all over the world that it still remains the most relevant interior design option. But it is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Style lends itself only to those who know its history, features and rules. Read about all this in our article.

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Which rooms should I decorate and how?

Vintage style is suitable for furnishing and major renovation of an apartment. The exceptions are the children's room and the bathroom, where it is sometimes impossible to implement it. Therefore, it is most often found when finishing several spaces:

Living room. Here the main emphasis is on sofas, coffee tables and cabinets with signs of use. For walls and ceilings, a discreet, monochromatic palette is selected. It is advisable to leave boards or lay parquet on the floor; it will look most beautiful.
Bedroom. This is a solution for adults or teenagers who are passionate about similar topics. An exceptionally delicate, soft palette is selected. To fill the space with comfort and warmth. The highlight of the vintage style for this room is a bed with a canopy or wrought-iron headboard. The decor can be diluted with a variety of pillows with ruffles, blankets, figurines, a mirror in an elegant frame and other accessories.
Hallway. Here all attention will be focused on metal hangers, chests of drawers and shoe racks. It would be a good idea to decorate it with a variety of shelves and other storage areas on which to place photographs or other items in a retro spirit.
Kitchen. One of the main nuances is that modern technology should not stand out from the rest of the decoration. It must be hidden one way or another, or models with the appropriate design must be selected. A variety of plates, figurines, old jars and other kitchen utensils are used as decoration.

Furnishing an apartment in vintage style is not so difficult. It is enough to know the basic nuances and approach this process creatively, and you will get a cozy, beautiful and unusual space filled with the spirit of antiquity. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to buy only old items; now you can often find furniture and accessories with artificial aging that can become a worthy replacement for antiques.