So you've been bequeathed this giant ornately carved super old thing. Yes, it holds good memories - after all, it was right in your sightline during family dinners at Gramma's house growing up. And it was where she always laid out the dessert. But still, it doesn't meld AT ALL with your decor.
What now? Go eclectic!
"Eclectic" is a popular adjective in interior design parlance, meaning a decor that comprises... a mixture of textures, time periods, styles, trends, and colors," said Apartment Therapy. "There is a fine line, however, between a beautifully eclectic room and a room that is merely haphazard and chaotic, with no unifying themes or motifs."
Apartment Therapy recommends marrying "old and new, antique and contemporary, serious and fanciful... to highlight - through contrast - the independent beauty of each piece."
The key to creating a great space where different pieces play nicely together is creating "harmonic discordance," said Centsational Girl. "Filling a room with antiques or vintage pieces simply because they are so is a road map straight to 'Granny's House.' Using "inherited antique pieces to create visual dissonance is a fantastic way to break up the monotony that may arise from using one style in a room but also serves to highlight the fantastic qualities of the antique piece itself."
SF Girl by Bay
If the new piece can't easily be woven you're your exiting décor, create a vignette to highlight the piece. "This is a trick that merchandise stylists have used for years and has been appropriated by interior designers to work difficult furniture pieces into a room," said Centsational Girl. "Quite simply, create a 'backdrop' for the antique or vintage piece you are trying to fit into the room. Doing so allows the vintage piece to become a purposeful focal point and less of an afterthought."
Kerrie Kelly
This can also be accomplished by doing something unexpected to the piece itself, if you are not emotionally attached to it as is or if changing it would make you feel you compromised its integrity.
Recover a chair in a most modern fabric.
Country Living
Or put a bright coat of paint on an old dresser or sideboard and you'll be right on trend.
Dayka Robinson Designs
If you haven't been gifted with an antique and are on the hunt to find one to blend into your décor, there are a number of places to look.
An estate sale will typically have a higher quality of furniture and furnishings, but don't discount the opportunity to score a great piece at the corner yard sale or second-hand store. Shopping online? Try Second Shout Out, an antique and vintage marketplace, or Hunter's Alley, an offshoot of the popular online furniture and décor store One King's Lane that describes itself as a resale marketplace "just for design lovers."
Auction sites can also unearth a literal treasure trove. EBay is still a viable spot to look, and to sell. For the really good stuff, see Christie's.
