Old & New: Decorating with Vintage

Hello!

If you follow my blog, you know that I gravitate towards vintage items. I particularly love the 1950's and 60's, because I love color. Pops of aqua, yellow and red are some of my favorite things. (Did anyone else just sing "My Favorite Things" in their head?) I also seek out well loved furniture. Old furniture was built with quality materials and is sometimes handcrafted on a level you rarely see today. Don't get me started on old houses. Moldings were often crafted on site and fit together just right.

As much as I love old dishes and furniture, I also like to mix in modern trends. I frequent the sales at One Kings Lane and Antique Farmhouse. One Kings Lane recently rolled out a guide for decorating with vintage items including a break down by era. (I immediately searched through the "Arts and Crafts" section.) You can also get the history of a style you've probably seen a million times, but never knew who or where the style came from.

I was inspired to share some of my favorite vintage items that have been mixed with more modern trends. 

One of my favorite projects was a bookcase my grandmother gave me. The bookcase belonged to her mother. It was just sitting in my grandparent's garage asking for a fresh coat of paint. I gladly took it off their hands. Since the back had been replaced with plain mismatched piece of wood, I decided to add a bit of modern trend by creating a bright chevron design on the back. (Click here for the tutorial.)

Chevron also made a splash on a old chair turned planter. 

A set of old light fixtures are turned around and used as candle holders.

I found this screen door sitting on the side of the road. We are renting right now, but the landlords agreed this wooden door was an improvement on the old one. Are you seeing a trend here? Yes, I am addicted to aqua. Admitting it is the first step, right? (Click here for the entire reveal.)

I found this old crate in a junk pile. It has been a wonderful planter over the past couple of seasons.

An old desk also looks great as a repurposed planter. Bonus: It's perfect for children's sidewalk chalk. (Click here for the before & after)

My son has a vintage inspired hunting lodge theme nursery. I found a vintage Clue game that has a second life as a piece of art. Since my son's name is Finn, I also found a vintage Huckleberry Finn book that was already fall apart. (No proactive book destruction here) A vintage Bingo card rounded out my vintage nursery. I mixed in modern prints with the vintage items I found. (Click here for the tutorials and entire nursery reveal.)

We inherited a desk from my husband's grandfather. It has wonderful lines. A new crisp white paint job and glass knobs moved the desk from hand me down to glamorous. (Click here for the before & after.)

Even our Christmas tree has a mix of old and new. An antique ruler tops our vintage themed tree. (Click here for our vintage Christmas decorations.)

It's no secret I am a Pyrex horder. I have packed up my collection, but have already planned a renovation in our new house that will showcase the wonderful aqua, yellows and pinks.

My current kitchen features some new Amy Butler fabric with some 1950's accessories. A metal stool is a favorite perch for our daughter while we make dinner. I also have a 1950's Betty Crocker cookbook. Our family has a tradition of a mother buying the daughter a Betty Crocker cookbook when they leave the house. My mom knew I loved the 50's and found this wonderful gem. The cookbook is full of all sorts fun advice including how every wife should wear heels and makeup while doing household chores. It includes an illustration of a 50's housewife ala Mad Men in her heels and pearls vacuuming. I would have been a terrible 50's housewife.

My most recent project was taking a old dresser and retro fitting it to hold all our tv equipment. The dresser adds some much needed warmth amongst our new style couch and chair. (Click here for the tutorial.)

How do you do vintage? Let me know in the comments or on Facebook!