Decorating
Decorating: Stylish Ways to Embrace Granny Chic
How to bring the nostalgia of a vintage house into the modern home
There are certain home items that instantly make us feel a sense of nostalgia and transport us right back to Grandma’s house. It could be a crocheted blanket, an old tasselled standard lamp or perhaps a G-Plan sideboard from where her best china was brought out for Sunday lunch. But while nobody wants to live in a museum, you can cherry-pick the best of your grandmother’s house by mixing hand-me-downs, inherited pieces and charity shop finds with modern designs and stylish retro accessories.
Go mad for Ercol
The simple, clean lines of Ercol furniture – particularly the famous Windsor easy chair pictured here – became hugely popular in the 1950s. The company, founded in 1920, is still going strong, so these chairs are still being made today if you can’t find an original model. Give it a fresh look by reupholstering the cushions in a charcoal fabric and a modern twist with a geometric or zigzag cushion.
Discover how to rock the retro look
The simple, clean lines of Ercol furniture – particularly the famous Windsor easy chair pictured here – became hugely popular in the 1950s. The company, founded in 1920, is still going strong, so these chairs are still being made today if you can’t find an original model. Give it a fresh look by reupholstering the cushions in a charcoal fabric and a modern twist with a geometric or zigzag cushion.
Discover how to rock the retro look
Repurpose that wardrobe
Fitted ’robes were unheard of and Granny’s bedroom always featured a big, heavy freestanding wardrobe. Why not repurpose one of these imposing beauties as a living room or kitchen cupboard, painting it to suit your scheme and adding new handles? You’ll be amazed how much clutter it will hold.
Fitted ’robes were unheard of and Granny’s bedroom always featured a big, heavy freestanding wardrobe. Why not repurpose one of these imposing beauties as a living room or kitchen cupboard, painting it to suit your scheme and adding new handles? You’ll be amazed how much clutter it will hold.
Rediscover the rocking chair
Although the rocking chair seems to have gone out of favour, except for in the nursery, isn’t it time for a revival? You don’t have to have a country cottage with a roaring log fire, either. Any chair can be pimped up into a rocking chair – just add rockers! If you prefer the more traditional wooden rocking chair, favoured by grandmothers’ favourite Val Doonican, bring it up to date with an animal hide or Aztec throw.
Although the rocking chair seems to have gone out of favour, except for in the nursery, isn’t it time for a revival? You don’t have to have a country cottage with a roaring log fire, either. Any chair can be pimped up into a rocking chair – just add rockers! If you prefer the more traditional wooden rocking chair, favoured by grandmothers’ favourite Val Doonican, bring it up to date with an animal hide or Aztec throw.
Bring back the circular wooden table
When space is at a premium, you can’t go far wrong with a retro circular teak table – drop-leaf ones are even more versatile. Veneer-topped tables can be picked up second hand for a song, too. If your table’s for the kitchen, white contemporary units work well as a counterpoint, and you can tie together the look with either a wooden worktop in a similar shade or, as here, a rich copper one.
When space is at a premium, you can’t go far wrong with a retro circular teak table – drop-leaf ones are even more versatile. Veneer-topped tables can be picked up second hand for a song, too. If your table’s for the kitchen, white contemporary units work well as a counterpoint, and you can tie together the look with either a wooden worktop in a similar shade or, as here, a rich copper one.
Invest in a G-Plan sideboard
The second-hand market for G-Plan sideboards covers a longish time span, so keep an eye out for the brand’s midcentury-era pieces, marked with a gold G-Plan stamp or red and white G-Plan label.
The teak Danish range introduced in the 1960s was more expensive, and designers such as VB Wilkins and Kofod-Larsen are hugely collectable now. Make it a standout piece by leading the eye with a painted floor or bold geometric wallpaper behind.
Be inspired by some creative ways to style your sideboard
The second-hand market for G-Plan sideboards covers a longish time span, so keep an eye out for the brand’s midcentury-era pieces, marked with a gold G-Plan stamp or red and white G-Plan label.
The teak Danish range introduced in the 1960s was more expensive, and designers such as VB Wilkins and Kofod-Larsen are hugely collectable now. Make it a standout piece by leading the eye with a painted floor or bold geometric wallpaper behind.
Be inspired by some creative ways to style your sideboard
Work in a grandfather clock
The grandfather clock was a staple of Granny’s hallway, and there’s no reason why one of these can’t take pride of place in the living room. Forget the fusty, traditional connotations and opt to mix it with cheerful splashes of bright colour instead.
The grandfather clock was a staple of Granny’s hallway, and there’s no reason why one of these can’t take pride of place in the living room. Forget the fusty, traditional connotations and opt to mix it with cheerful splashes of bright colour instead.
Wake up to wicker
Bring a bit of wicker into your home. Wicker chairs opposite a sleek, modern sofa contrast well, or try a wicker hanging basket for that spider plant – or even a wicker hanging chair.
Combine with kitsch artwork, such as a Tretchikoff print (the famous Miss Wong springs to mind – if you can’t picture it already, you’d definitely recognise it), or JH Lynch’s mysterious girl Tina (ditto) for a colourful counterpoint.
Bring a bit of wicker into your home. Wicker chairs opposite a sleek, modern sofa contrast well, or try a wicker hanging basket for that spider plant – or even a wicker hanging chair.
Combine with kitsch artwork, such as a Tretchikoff print (the famous Miss Wong springs to mind – if you can’t picture it already, you’d definitely recognise it), or JH Lynch’s mysterious girl Tina (ditto) for a colourful counterpoint.
Upcycle a Welsh dresser
A sturdy Welsh dresser was a staple in many households in our grandmothers’ day. These days, dark wood antique dressers are finding a new lease of life as the trend for upcycling takes hold and they are repainted in an array of colours.
Look out for vintage Blue Willow, Wedgwood and Royal Crown Derby china, plus various Royal Jubilee plates to complete the look.
See 10 ways to create a stylish dresser display
A sturdy Welsh dresser was a staple in many households in our grandmothers’ day. These days, dark wood antique dressers are finding a new lease of life as the trend for upcycling takes hold and they are repainted in an array of colours.
Look out for vintage Blue Willow, Wedgwood and Royal Crown Derby china, plus various Royal Jubilee plates to complete the look.
See 10 ways to create a stylish dresser display
Copy Hilda Ogden!
Remember Hilda Ogden from Coronation Street and her mural (or ‘murial’ as she called it)? It wouldn’t have been complete without those three flying ducks that epitomised the typical British two-up-two-down of the 1960s. Ramp up the kitsch factor with some funky, colourful modern versions of this granny classic in neon shades instead.
TELL US…
What are your ideas for getting granny chic right? Please share them, and any photos, in the Comments below.
Remember Hilda Ogden from Coronation Street and her mural (or ‘murial’ as she called it)? It wouldn’t have been complete without those three flying ducks that epitomised the typical British two-up-two-down of the 1960s. Ramp up the kitsch factor with some funky, colourful modern versions of this granny classic in neon shades instead.
TELL US…
What are your ideas for getting granny chic right? Please share them, and any photos, in the Comments below.
It seems the crocheted granny blanket never dates – it just has many incarnations as different colours come in and out of fashion. Crochet followed knitting and has also become somewhat of a crafting craze, so there are plenty of classes springing up if you want to make your own blanket. Or why not cut your teeth with a crocheted cushion instead? Mix it up with film posters or pop art to give it a contemporary edge.