Decorating
Decorating: The Timeless Appeal of Vintage Florals
Blooming beautifully on upholstery, curtains, tablecloths and wallpaper, vintage florals still look lush and lovely today
Floral patterns hold a special place in our collective memory. Who didn’t have a granny with a comfy armchair in rose-covered fabric? But beyond nostalgia, there’s still much to love and enjoy in a vintage floral. These patterns typically feature big, blowsy blooms and trailing branches and are often mellow in colour – think faded pink, soft beige, sage and grey. Unlike contemporary florals, which can look quite abstract, vintage floral designs bloom with lifelike roses, lilacs, peonies, ferns and sprigs. And while we may associate them with interior schemes gone by, these versatile patterns can look at home in the funkiest contemporary spaces, feeling gorgeously up to date while remaining timeless.
Channel country style
A leafy arbour, a vase overflowing with fresh flowers and a sunny garden… All that remains to complete this idyllic scene is a tablecloth in a soft pink and red vintage floral. It’s English country style at its most soothing.
A leafy arbour, a vase overflowing with fresh flowers and a sunny garden… All that remains to complete this idyllic scene is a tablecloth in a soft pink and red vintage floral. It’s English country style at its most soothing.
Fade to grey
One way to give a vintage floral design a more contemporary feel is to source it in an unusual colourway. Here, a classic rose pattern is reinvented in blacks and greys, so it looks familiar but also exciting.
One way to give a vintage floral design a more contemporary feel is to source it in an unusual colourway. Here, a classic rose pattern is reinvented in blacks and greys, so it looks familiar but also exciting.
Max the vintage vibe
Teaming vintage florals with a vintage-inspired scheme works beautifully, creating a homely, comforting atmosphere. This cushion made from vintage floral fabric looks the perfect fit for a battered old leather armchair, adding colour and pattern without causing a clash of feel or period.
Teaming vintage florals with a vintage-inspired scheme works beautifully, creating a homely, comforting atmosphere. This cushion made from vintage floral fabric looks the perfect fit for a battered old leather armchair, adding colour and pattern without causing a clash of feel or period.
Go a little retro
Choose a vintage floral that’s more 1970s repeat than classic chintz for a fun, retro feel. This sofa is upholstered in floral fabric and then teamed with cushions in a riot of retro patterns for a layered, confidently clashing look.
Choose a vintage floral that’s more 1970s repeat than classic chintz for a fun, retro feel. This sofa is upholstered in floral fabric and then teamed with cushions in a riot of retro patterns for a layered, confidently clashing look.
Cover the walls
Floral wallpapers are worth choosing with care. A large, noisy repeat will make a strong impact, but it can also tax the eye and make a room feel smaller. A more subtle floral pattern, on the other hand, which incorporates softer colours and plenty of breathing space between the blooms, will look like a beautiful backdrop, adding detail without shouting for attention.
Floral wallpapers are worth choosing with care. A large, noisy repeat will make a strong impact, but it can also tax the eye and make a room feel smaller. A more subtle floral pattern, on the other hand, which incorporates softer colours and plenty of breathing space between the blooms, will look like a beautiful backdrop, adding detail without shouting for attention.
Use generously
Matching wallpaper and curtains give this room a sense of order. It feels beautifully coordinated and calm, thanks to the soft tones of the fabric and paper and the neutral rug, proving that vintage florals can be elegant and even restrained.
Explore 10 creative ways to dress tall windows
Matching wallpaper and curtains give this room a sense of order. It feels beautifully coordinated and calm, thanks to the soft tones of the fabric and paper and the neutral rug, proving that vintage florals can be elegant and even restrained.
Explore 10 creative ways to dress tall windows
Soften up a space
Just a pinch of vintage floral can transform a simple monochrome scheme. This bathroom might look rather masculine and austere were it not for the floral armchair and Roman blind.
Just a pinch of vintage floral can transform a simple monochrome scheme. This bathroom might look rather masculine and austere were it not for the floral armchair and Roman blind.
Cover a cloakroom
In the smallest room, have fun throwing out the rule book and decorating with pattern. In this cloakroom, a muted floral in brown and beige brings welcome depth and detail, but you could go much brighter or bolder without causing offence.
Browse 10 ways to give your cloakroom character
In the smallest room, have fun throwing out the rule book and decorating with pattern. In this cloakroom, a muted floral in brown and beige brings welcome depth and detail, but you could go much brighter or bolder without causing offence.
Browse 10 ways to give your cloakroom character
Glam it up
This gorgeously glam bedroom illustrates how flexible vintage florals can be. The pink rose wallpaper could look rather traditional, but instead, combining it with black bed linen and furniture and a black painted ceiling takes it in a much edgier direction. The pink from the roses is picked up as an accent around the room, too, to soften the blacks and greys. Without the wallpaper, this space might feel rather monotone; with it, it looks exciting and feminine.
TELL US…
Are you a fan of vintage florals? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
This gorgeously glam bedroom illustrates how flexible vintage florals can be. The pink rose wallpaper could look rather traditional, but instead, combining it with black bed linen and furniture and a black painted ceiling takes it in a much edgier direction. The pink from the roses is picked up as an accent around the room, too, to soften the blacks and greys. Without the wallpaper, this space might feel rather monotone; with it, it looks exciting and feminine.
TELL US…
Are you a fan of vintage florals? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
This chaise longue is upholstered in a striking floral fabric. The pattern may be classic, but its black background lends it lots of glamour. Team it with a cheetah-print rug, a fern on a plinth and bold, chequerboard flooring and you have a highly eclectic and glam vintage look. I’m sure Joan Collins would approve!