Thursday, March 20, 2014

Vintage Love: Incorporating Vintage Elements in a Modern Way

At Wise Design, we love vintage style. However, sometimes it can be challenging to work with some vintage elements that preexist in our homes. Sometimes unusual tile, quirky cabinetry, wood paneling or dated details can make it hard to bring your design visions to life. If you are in a position where you cannot remodel or change your vintage home (ie. renting, or on a budget) you may have to embrace the unique vintage elements of your home. Many times the real challenge is bringing these details up to date and giving them a fresh modern look. The best solution is to embrace the uniqueness of your vintage home and work with the space and not try to hide it or fight it. Here are some great examples of vintage put to great use in a modern way.


Kitchen

 

http://www.houzz.com/photos/6403138/Seaside-Beach-House-beach-style-kitchen-portland

 

http://www.houzz.com/photos/559152/My-House-spaces




http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chelsea-alexs-mixed-styles-homehouse-tour-175330#gallery/39056/16



http://www.houzz.com/photos/7882922/Portland-Art-Deco-Funk-eclectic-kitchen-portland



Bathrooms

 

 
http://www.houzz.com/photos/362231/Vintage-Tile-Bathroom-traditional-bathroom-los-angeles

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/paul-and-tyras-eclectic-charme-109962#_


http://www.houzz.com/photos/127995/City-Chic-eclectic-bathroom-san-francisco



http://www.houzz.com/photos/6693503/A-Charles-Goodman-MidCentury-Design-midcentury-bathroom-dc-metro



Living Rooms

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/house-tour-199581#_


http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/marks-original-mid-century-mod-162638#_


http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/mark-macek-house-tour-169926


As you can see, the best way to embrace your vintage home is by keeping a streamlined palette and working with the preexisting details even if turquoise or pink tile wouldn't have been your first choice. Changing out hardware and fixtures in your space will also do wonders to bring it up-to-date. With a fresh modern facelift, your funky vintage space can look modern and best of all, it will be unique!