Decorating With Vintage Art
Decorating with vintage art is a great way to bring class and warmth to any room. Whether it’s advertising art or whimsical greeting cards from the '40s, vintage art is appreciated by nearly everyone and can create a pleasant theme for your home. The key to decorating with vintage art is consistency and limitations. You don’t want to overload a room with antique artwork or sculptures or it will look staged and uncomfortable. One great piece, however, can inspire the colors and overall feel of a room.
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Instructions
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Go big. Find vintage advertising signs at local flea markets or antique malls and use them to decorate a family room or kitchen area. A great sign, with rust and wear and tear, can be a focal point and conversation starter.
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Go small. Frame up vintage post cards in 8- by 10-inch frames and use as a grouping in a powder room or guest room. Inexpensive to purchase, you can change the grouping to fit seasonal themes or color schemes. Find postcards or greeting cards at antique shows and online auction sites.
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Use as a foundation. Base all your colors for your room upon your vintage art piece. Find one good art piece to give you a focal point and use coordinating colors to complete the décor. For example, use the Bull Terrier Tea poster by Ken Baily (shown above) as a focal point, and then complete the room with black bookshelves and side tables and red accent pillows.
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Display sculptures as your vintage art. Whether it’s a great art nouveau piece or something funky from the 1960s, a well placed vintage sculpture, statue or lamp brings life to a dark corner, dull bookshelf or home office.
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Use less to give you more impact. Vintage art is fun to collect, but too much in one room makes your guest feel like they are in a museum. One great piece or small grouping is plenty to let people know your tastes and truly highlight your artwork.
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Find reproductions. It may be difficult to find and afford true vintage artwork, but reproductions can be just as nice and give you the same feeling in the room. Find reproductions at any home décor store, including Michael’s or Bed, Bath and Beyond. Or, find them online at All Posters (see Resources).
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Invest in the real thing. If you can afford it, invest in an authentic piece of vintage art for your home. You don’t need to get something by a well-known name, just something you enjoy the look and style of.
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Tips & Warnings
Look at a lot of different vintage art styles before you begin buying to decorate your home. You want to stay basically in one era throughout your home, so be sure it’s your favorite before making purchases.
Be wary of online sales of vintage artwork. Be very sure that the piece is authentic before laying down your money.
Resources
- Photo Credit Artwork by Ken Baily image from allposters.com
