The Irresistible Charm Of Antiques
I love antiques. I can spend hours in antique shops and flea markets. I enjoy the touch and feel of the old furniture. I like to create a history for every piece I see. “Who was its first owner? On which occasion did he buy it? How many houses it changed before it ended up here in antique shop?”, – I get these questions always running through my head.
I believe nothing adds so much soulfulness and personality to a house than antique and vintage items. They can say so much about your character and taste – not like this boring assembled furniture of the same type we see nowadays in the shops. These weekend my husband and I went “hunting”: we wanted to get something unique and antique for our shop. Finally, we were so happy to pick up these gorgeous finds:
1) A wonderful antique CHEST OF DRAWERS. This stunning piece of furniture was made in Russia in the beginning of XX century during the reign of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II. Solid wood carcass is covered with veneer and the facade is decorated with beautiful hand-carved ornament.
2) A very unique and very old trunk made in Caucasus at the end of XIX century. The solid wood carcass is covered with painted metal panels creating a very exotic and unusual look. On the top, the panels are layered in popular oriental ornament – “Pakhlava”. This trunk is a very practical item as it can be used as a capacious storage box.
By adding antiques in interior design you can create an extraordinary and charming atmosphere at your home. However, as with anything else, you need to maintain the balance: too much vintage will make your house look like an antique shop. I absolutely love when old items are skilfully mixed with modern ones. In that case the interior looks contemporary and fresh but at the same time very individual and cozy. There used to be a rule that antiques of different styles and epochs shouldn’t be mixed together, for example, Baroque and Edwardian can not be neighbors in one room. I would say that this approach is long time outdated. Today designers successfully mix items from different countries, styles, epochs creating eclectic and one of a kind interiors. At the end of the day, it’s your house, not a stage for filming historical movies.
