How to create a vintage decor in a living room?

All you need to know to create a vintage decoration in your living room

Vintage decoration has been particularly popular in recent years, all over the world. This fashion looks to the styles of past decades, in their most characteristic way. It is a skilful use of typical objects and aesthetic codes that marked a certain era. Like many, you are seduced by this trend and would like to create a vintage decor in your living room. Whether you are a fan of pop, retro or industrial elegance, discover our advice and the mistakes to avoid for a harmonious vintage living room.

Choosing an era to give coherence to the room

Decorating your living room in a vintage style is good, not integrating everything and anything is even better! Before jumping into a random combination of styles, it’s best to take a step back. You need to think about the type of decoration and the era that really appeals to you. Because yes, vintage covers different eras, each with its own specificity. If you mix fashions and periods, you risk a lapse in taste.

Victorian-inspired vintage living room with lots of details and embellishments

Here are a few guidelines to help you decide which era is best for you in terms of style.

Victorian Era

Inspired by the gothic, oriental or baroque style, it is not afraid of embellishments and assumes its romantic side. It favours gilding, floral ornaments, crystal lights and carved wood.

The Art Deco style

Adores geometric lines, repetition, symmetry and floral motifs. Glass and iron are the preferred materials. As well as intense and rather dark colours such as black, grey, bronze, gold with touches of blue and deep green.

The Art Nouveau period

Lovers of curved and rounded lines imitating nature. Animals and the abundance of plants are celebrated in an explosion of patterns and colours. Pastels and soft shades are particularly appreciated and used in the art of stained glass, which was found on windows, but also on decorative objects.

Typical Art Nouveau decoration

Decoration of the 1950s

It was based on pure and straight forms, furniture with straight lines and thin legs. Mixed materials such as wood, formica, metal and leather were common.

The pop art of the 1960s

This was the decade of plastic in bold and sometimes garish textures and colours. Designer furniture developed and dared to use geometric or deconstructed shapes.

The psychedelic style of the 1970s

It was a revolution in morals, but also in aesthetics. People dared to mix colours, and to use unusual, curvaceous patterns. This was the decade of funk and flower power with flashy, but also natural ornaments inspired by the hippie trend. Formica, resin, stainless steel, wicker and smoked glass were very popular.

As you can see, before you start decorating your living room with vintage, define a key period or a particular style that appeals to you; pop, bohemian, industrial, chic or romantic… Once you have selected a specific trend, it will be easier to make appropriate choices. Ultimately, make sure there is a real consistency in your decorative elements. If not, your living room will look like a messy jumble.

Installing a leather club chair, an irresistibly old school piece

What were originally called “comfortable armchairs”, because of their cosy seating, are a must-have in vintage decor. The curvaceous and inviting shapes of these high-end armchairs were quickly adopted by private clubs and other prestigious venues, which made them their favourite seats. Many models of club chairs and sofas then invaded clubs and cabarets. They allowed the partygoers of the last century to recuperate or to flirt between two wild dances. The result of the know-how of French craftsmen, the club chair will bring an inimitable vintage touch to your living room. You can compose a set with a sofa and a club chair completed by a matching leather footrest.

To create a more mixed atmosphere, you can also combine a modern velvet armchair with a traditional basane leather club sofa. The Chesterfield club chair is also an excellent choice for those who want to create a vintage atmosphere in their living room. Chic and prestigious, this English-made furniture is generally more expensive, but just as durable. Whatever your preference, we recommend that you choose a leather chair with a patina rather than a smooth or fabric one. Indeed, the patina, which gives this beautiful aged effect to the leather of yesteryear, contributes enormously to the warm and cocooning aspect of these period chairs. You can try your hand at the art of patina with the help of our article: “How to successfully patina a leather club chair”.

Decorating a vintage living room with noble, durable and warm materials

Solid wood, especially oak and beech, should be given pride of place. Raw or varnished, they give off a timeless atmosphere and are designed to last. Exotic woods also add a nice retro feel to the decor. Teak, mahogany, tamarind and lemon were very popular for furniture during the Art Deco and Art Nouveau periods. Do not hesitate to mix it with other materials such as metal to modernise the whole and give it an industrial touch.

Gold tones and materials are also welcome. A candlestick, a lamp or a frame in gold colour will look great. The gramophone is a perfect example of the visual harmony created by the combination of dark wood and gold. It’s chic, elegant and warm, just what you want in a living room with vintage decor. Be careful, however, gold should be used in small touches so as not to become too much. It can be found on mirrors, fabrics, table legs and light fittings, but always sparingly.

Dare to mix colours for a vintage living room

In a vintage living room, you can afford many combinations of shapes and colours. For a romantic style, you can opt for pastel colours such as ice blue, powder pink, pale yellow or water green. They have the gift of bringing a lot of softness. To bring some pep and modernity, you can harmonise more intense colours like mustard yellow, bright red, mint green or duck blue.

One of the joys of a vintage living room is precisely the mix of colours and patterns. For example, you can use graphic wallpapers with geometric shapes in various shades. But be sure to keep the same colour palette. Patterns can also be found on accessories such as carpets, cushions or curtains in the living room. If you are afraid of going overboard, we advise you to paint or wallpaper only one of your walls to avoid darkening a room or making it look too busy. Moreover, this is the trend of the moment.

Colour harmony is essential for successful vintage decoration

Good to know

In order to avoid overloading the decor, only combine a maximum of three different colours.

For beautiful colour harmonies, choose shades in the same tones. Warm colours such as yellow, orange and red work well together, while cool colours such as grey, blue and green work well.

If you want to create contrast, use complementary colours. These are the colours on the opposite side of the colour wheel, which we suggest you use as inspiration. Blue and brown, for example, make a great combination.

Integrating an antique fireplace into your living room

Fireplaces have been used for centuries to warm up interiors. They have a way of creating a cosy and intimate environment. Who hasn’t been mesmerised by the sight of flames dancing in the crackling blaze of a fireplace? Of course, there are more modern alternatives to the open fireplace, but they are just as warm. This is the case with the wood-burning stove, the insert, the pellet stove or even the electric fireplaces. The latter imitate the movement of natural flames, while producing a cocooning atmosphere.

Whatever your choice, in stone, wood, metal or plaster, your future fireplace will bring a lot of softness. It will remind you of the old-fashioned living rooms, where people used to gather by the fire to read, listen to music or chat with family and friends. It was the nerve centre of the home, which you can find in your living room for an atmosphere full of charm and warmth.

What exactly is vintage?

Originally, the word “vintage” comes from the language of viticulture and refers to a vintage, i.e. the year in which a wine was harvested and made. In France, the term has been reused to describe old objects. Some purists define vintage as objects from the 1930s to the 1970s. Others (a majority), have a broader interpretation in which vintage refers to objects from the past and not to objects that imitate the past, as retro style does. To be clear, vintage decorating uses authentic period items and materials. Ultimately, these are pieces that have been around for a while, but are brought up to date for their elegance and character.

Antique mirrors bring an old-fashioned charm to your home, use them for a vintage decor in your living room

Add vintage accessories in small touches

To avoid a museum-like, old-fashioned atmosphere, we suggest that you add a few period objects, but not too many. The idea is to give your living room a vintage feel, while remaining in tune with the times. If you multiply the accessories of the past, you quickly risk falling into an old-fashioned and dusty decor, which is not the desired goal.

So, go for small touches: a vintage cinema poster here, a crystal candlestick there, a wooden chest to store your bottles for the aperitif and that’s it! Here, it’s all about moderation. It is important to balance vintage and contemporary elements to obtain a harmonious and pleasant look for your daily life.

Buying vintage objects and decorations for your living room

If you are looking for authentic vintage decoration, i.e. that is truly period, there are several solutions available to you. First of all, don’t underestimate what’s in your attic! Indeed, we often inherit furniture, fabrics and accessories from our parents and grandparents and store them without realising what a treasure they sometimes are. The first lead is those forgotten objects that you already own and that are waiting to come out of their box. We are sure that you will rediscover a postcard from your ancestors, a Bakelite telephone, a wooden sewing machine, or a mirror with a charming patina that will look great in your living room.

Our attics are full of old objects that are perfect for creating a vintage decoration in a living room

To find other nuggets, get up early and scour your local garage sales and flea markets. Much more accessible than professional goods, these open-air markets are often full of treasures that owners want to get rid of for less. A godsend for those of you looking to decorate your living room with pure vintage pieces. Antique and second-hand dealers specialise in the resale of such items. You are bound to find vintage products in their shops that will embellish your living room. The price varies according to the rarity of the item. It all depends on your budget and the items you want. Finally, a last solution is to use new to make old. This is more of a retro trend, but it will give you much more choice.

Our final tips for vintage living room decor

Remember, your living room is the room where you will spend the most time, it must be pleasant to live in and not visually aggressive. Finally, think about maintenance too, a room full of objects will quickly become a pain in the ass to clean. For more decorating tips, explore our blog posts!