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Furnishing a period home

 

Once we have established the date or style of our home, we can now think about whether we want to furnish it with contemporary furniture and fittings. An approach that I have found very effective is to have one or two period pieces in a room as accents, with the rest of the furniture very understated, but in materials, colours or textures that relate to these "set pieces". I can also recommend this approach to fittings - find pieces that harmonise with the style of the building if you cannot find an authentic item. So where can we search for these focal pieces? At the top end, and particularly for older pieces such as Art Deco or earlier than the 1930s, we can explore antique and collectables shops or auction houses. The staff here are usually very knowledgeable about the pieces that they have, so you can draw on their experience and expertise as you are getting a feel for the period you are working with. 

While browsing through Instagram, I found a super company that specialises in mid-century furniture: Klassiek Vintage Furniture. Here is an example of one of their pieces

This sideboard is very simple and elegant, but with an interesting detail at the supports, that can be accentuated by another piece of furniture in the same room such as these dining chairs, also from Klassiek Vintage Furniture.


For this dining room, I would look for a very simple but elegant table, preferably in a matching or harmonious wood, to create a backdrop to these designer pieces. Blinds, curtains, artwork and accessories can likewise be kept as simple as possible so that the attention can focus on your period pieces. Here I have used a plain unbleached canvas Roman blind with a plain curtain hung on a simple brass rail.

Blind and curtain detail

Often the impression is carried by the detail - the accessories and other finishing touches, so take a step back once you have installed the furniture to get a sense of the overall effect. Does the room look too stark? Does it need some artwork? As with the furniture, you can find pieces that match the style you are aiming for at antique and collectable shops, or by searching online. If this is beyond your budget, maybe look beyond the conventional. Here I am using a hand-made basket which echoes the colours and textures of the natural wood furniture in the room.
Hand-made basket from a craft market

If you are working on a tight budget, you may want to explore  second-hand and thrift shops, as these can be a real treasure trove. The downside is that you really need to know what you are looking at, so it is worth spending some time in antique shops and online familiarising yourself with furniture and fittings from the style of your building so that you can recognise a treasure when you see it.

When moving into an older building, often fittings need to be replaced, either because they are damaged, or if they have been replaced with pieces that are out of character. This new light fitting is in an Art Deco apartment block which has chrome and sandblasted glass in the foyer and other public spaces, so when I needed to replace some fittings, this was a great find. 
New light fitting in an Art Deco building

This leads us on to the thorny question of "knock-offs" - replicas of period pieces often using cheaper modern materials. Good examples closely mimic the original, in the design and the manufacture, the best ones being almost indistinguishable from the original. Here is a great copy of a chair by Charles Eames, a mid-century designer.
Copy of a chair by Eames
(Creative commons licensed: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jason_coleman/353450612/)

This said, poor copies look just like that, especially if they are made of cheap materials such as melamine or veneer on chipboard. They can spoil the entire atmosphere that we are trying to create, as if we are trying too hard to fit in with the date of the building. Here it is better to go for a more simplified piece, whether new or second-hand. 

Most importantly, you need to feel comfortable with your decor - it should suit your lifestyle and not seem like a museum or stage set, no matter what the age of your home.

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