Living With Vintage 8

So often I hear people say “Young people don’t appreciate antiques”. And if what they mean is “my kids don’t want my grandmother’s Victorian furniture”, well, they might be right, there.

From where I sit, the picture looks a little different. Young people have an appreciation for vintage as a lifestyle, but in a way that lets them enjoy their collections on a daily basis and use things and sit on the furniture. It’s no longer about “china cabinet fine antiques”; it’s about art pottery vases that hold your garden bouquet, architectural elements that become room dividers, mid century barware and silver champagne buckets for your parties.

My point? Vintage is meant to be used and loved, as much and as often as possible. It may require a little attention or special care every once in a white but, hey, even your high energy washing machine needs the cleaning cycle run every so often. So beyond the obvious – art on the walls, decorative objects on the bookshelves, repurposed furnishings – where to begin?

In my kitchen, the day starts with coffee stirred with a monogrammed coin silver spoon. I enjoy a morning with “Bessie” or “Harry” or even “Aurelia”. I might have toast or fruit on one of my French bistro café plates, or olives in the evening on a mid century Italian appetizer dish. Did I mention my coffee is drunk from Cornishware blue and white striped cups? Perhaps the best thing in the kitchen is my collection of monogrammed napkin rings that we break out for dinner parties. Madame and Monsieur for me and my husband, and our guests can decide if they want to be Elmer or Willie, Hattie or Margaret.

That basket from a decorative retailer that you use to store things by the front door? Replace it with a vintage metal locker basket. Coat rack? My husband’s favorite possession is the rack made from the grips of old baseball bats on an old barnwood board. Okay, maybe his very favorite is the big apothecary jar full of baseballs but it’s a close call.

Guest bathroom? How about miniature trophies to hold things like Q-tips, vintage coasters for soaps and rings. An old mercury glass (or other, I’m just showing my style) old curtain tieback turned into a hook for robes?

One of the things I ask myself when I’m out “hunting” and see something that’s no longer being used for its original purpose is – what could that be now? You’d be surprised with the things you can do with old architectural elements, iron gates and chicken coops. A painted boat oar becomes a curtain rod. A big champagne demijohn basket becomes storage for blankets in the family room for cuddling up on movie night. I could go on all day – or maybe you could. Do a vintage home check. Take a good look at the things in your house and ask if something vintage could do the job as well or better.

Don’t be afraid to like what you like and mix things. When your home reflects you, what you put together in it works. My office is filled with a French provincial desk, mid century sofa, oriental rug, linen covered wing back chair, Florentine leather faux book side table, art ranging from abstract oils to 19th century French sketches, outsider art and mid century drawings. It’s the room everyone wants to be in, and people always say “I never would have put these things together. You have a great decorator”. Well, thanks, but you can’t pay someone to be you. You have to find you yourself. Dress your home like you dress yourself. You know what makes it to your closet and what gets left in the store. Collect vintage the same way. Your home will look fabulous, and “green”.

Marilyn at SophisticatedFlorida

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