11 Great Vintage Buys to Add Instant Character to Your Home
Look to the past with these charming originals
In love with the past? You’re not alone. Vintage, salvage and retro have never been more sought-after – and for good reason. Antiques and original furnishings tend to be built from quality materials, with a hand-crafted attention to detail that’s hard to replicate. Plus they exude character and a wistful connection to the past.
With our ongoing passion for nostalgia and (obviously) limited supply, some pieces inevitably aren’t as cheap as they once were, but you probably won’t regret investing. The following may be slightly rough around the edges, but all are stylish and charming.
With our ongoing passion for nostalgia and (obviously) limited supply, some pieces inevitably aren’t as cheap as they once were, but you probably won’t regret investing. The following may be slightly rough around the edges, but all are stylish and charming.
Rock a vintage cabinet
Old wooden cabinets from apothecaries or haberdashers are a wonderful way to inject period character. They look good anywhere, so think laterally: this one is a refreshing alternative to a conventional bathroom cabinet, but could equally work in a kitchen or dining room.
Vintage cabinets can be pricy, but there are bargains to be had if you hunt around.
Old wooden cabinets from apothecaries or haberdashers are a wonderful way to inject period character. They look good anywhere, so think laterally: this one is a refreshing alternative to a conventional bathroom cabinet, but could equally work in a kitchen or dining room.
Vintage cabinets can be pricy, but there are bargains to be had if you hunt around.
Suspend a factory pendant
The industrial look has gone mainstream, with metal pendants the go-to style for dining rooms across the land. A reclaimed factory fitting can look lovely, or go for one of the many convincing and affordable reproductions. Always check lighting is wired safely.
Read expert advice on how to get your pendants right
The industrial look has gone mainstream, with metal pendants the go-to style for dining rooms across the land. A reclaimed factory fitting can look lovely, or go for one of the many convincing and affordable reproductions. Always check lighting is wired safely.
Read expert advice on how to get your pendants right
Befriend a dummy
If your bedroom style is romantic or retro, a vintage mannequin could add the finishing touch. Tailor’s dummies are an attractive place to hang hats, jewellery or scarves. If you’re handy with a needle and thread, they’re also a potential home for your own dressmaking creations.
If your bedroom style is romantic or retro, a vintage mannequin could add the finishing touch. Tailor’s dummies are an attractive place to hang hats, jewellery or scarves. If you’re handy with a needle and thread, they’re also a potential home for your own dressmaking creations.
Choose a crystal chandelier
What’s not to love about vintage crystal chandeliers? They add glamour, elegance and charm to rooms, and make everything else feel, well, just a bit more sparkly. They can be expensive, though – and always make sure they’ve been rewired to conform to safe British electrical standards.
What’s not to love about vintage crystal chandeliers? They add glamour, elegance and charm to rooms, and make everything else feel, well, just a bit more sparkly. They can be expensive, though – and always make sure they’ve been rewired to conform to safe British electrical standards.
Hang an old map
There’s something inherently pleasing about a vintage map: the colours, the faded paper, the doorway into a different geography and way of viewing the world. They’re a great way to add a sense of history and a hint of mystery to any room.
Frame them, hunt down hanging wall charts (you can also buy classic wooden hangers easily online) or simply tack or even paste them to walls for a more relaxed look. And try to choose a map location that reflects your passion.
There’s something inherently pleasing about a vintage map: the colours, the faded paper, the doorway into a different geography and way of viewing the world. They’re a great way to add a sense of history and a hint of mystery to any room.
Frame them, hunt down hanging wall charts (you can also buy classic wooden hangers easily online) or simply tack or even paste them to walls for a more relaxed look. And try to choose a map location that reflects your passion.
Create a display of mirrors
Foxed antique mirrors possess that unique, lived-in appeal vintage fans lust after. Hanging several in a group is a pretty way to bounce light and add a retro feel. They look great set against a dark wall, like this one painted in an indigo hue.
Discover more ways to use indigo at home
Foxed antique mirrors possess that unique, lived-in appeal vintage fans lust after. Hanging several in a group is a pretty way to bounce light and add a retro feel. They look great set against a dark wall, like this one painted in an indigo hue.
Discover more ways to use indigo at home
Source a sideboard
A midcentury sideboard is the ultimate retro piece. Big enough to make a real statement, these practical items of furniture add warmth and instant quirky chic. They vary in price, but affordable G Plan and Ercol numbers are reasonably easy to hunt down, while original Danish teak designs can cost more.
A midcentury sideboard is the ultimate retro piece. Big enough to make a real statement, these practical items of furniture add warmth and instant quirky chic. They vary in price, but affordable G Plan and Ercol numbers are reasonably easy to hunt down, while original Danish teak designs can cost more.
Tackle a trunk
Old-fashioned trunks can be used in lots of different ways – as characterful side tables, bedside cabinets or even a quirky sideboard. With a nostalgic, romantic quality, they conjure up a Brief Encounter-ish world of steam train journeys and weekends in the country.
Look for leather, canvas or metal; seek them out on eBay or in antiques stores, or choose a modern lookalike.
Old-fashioned trunks can be used in lots of different ways – as characterful side tables, bedside cabinets or even a quirky sideboard. With a nostalgic, romantic quality, they conjure up a Brief Encounter-ish world of steam train journeys and weekends in the country.
Look for leather, canvas or metal; seek them out on eBay or in antiques stores, or choose a modern lookalike.
Try some radio love
With their pleasing, solid looks and warm, crackly sound, vintage radios are cosiness incarnate – put on Radio 3 and make a cuppa for Sunday afternoon bliss. If you can’t find, or don’t want, an original, there are plenty of vintage-style modern digital radios that mimic the old-school look.
With their pleasing, solid looks and warm, crackly sound, vintage radios are cosiness incarnate – put on Radio 3 and make a cuppa for Sunday afternoon bliss. If you can’t find, or don’t want, an original, there are plenty of vintage-style modern digital radios that mimic the old-school look.
Put up your plates
A stack of vintage plates can easily be recycled into a quirky wall display, and they’re often as cheap as chips in charity shops. Here, a collection of blue and white china adds character to a plain white and otherwise contemporary kitchen.
TELL US…
Which vintage buys have you gone for in your home? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
A stack of vintage plates can easily be recycled into a quirky wall display, and they’re often as cheap as chips in charity shops. Here, a collection of blue and white china adds character to a plain white and otherwise contemporary kitchen.
TELL US…
Which vintage buys have you gone for in your home? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
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You don’t have to relive double maths lessons to love the character of old classroom chairs. With their ramshackle industrial vibe, they look great mismatched. Classic designs include plywood stacking chairs, sculpted plastic Robin Days or metal and wood, as here.
If you can, check you’ll feel comfy sitting on them before buying (and, since they were designed for schoolchildren, that they’re big enough for your bottom!).