How do you add new pieces alongside vintage furniture? We’re sharing our thought process, along with a summer sale highlighting many of the new pieces we chose!
In This Post
Gathering Inspiration for the Red House
Well over a year ago, I began collecting images on Pinterest and Instagram that illustrated how I wanted The Red House to feel. I find this to be the best way to get my thoughts in order, especially when curating a flow through an entire house – and The Red House has been the most beautiful blank slate for us to play with! Once I gather at least a few dozen inspirational images, I take some time to look for common threads. What’s the same in all of them? Is it a color? A texture? The way a space uses lighting?
In this case, what I noticed more than anything was a lot of wood paneling (we got that one locked down!), clean lines, round corners and deep, earthy colors. I was drawn to colors such as burgundy, steely blue and toffee, and when paired together, they somehow felt nostalgic and fresh all at once. And so began the journey of making purchases for the Red House!
Shopping for Vintage Furniture
Scott and I wanted to stick to mostly large vintage pieces for the main room, which consists of the living room, entry area, dining area and kitchen. We lucked out when we spotted this green marble dining table, and then again when we spotted this coffee-colored ‘Chiclet’ sofa to go with a pair of U-Turn chairs!
It took us a full year to land on these main items of furniture, and while we will always be on the look out for additional vintage pieces to fill the home (these items tell the most wonderful stories, after all!), we were striking out on things we really needed to make the home usable. This is where shopping new comes into play!
Pairing Old with New
We had a tough time finding a large enough coffee table in the vintage world, so this was easy decision to keep an eye out for something new. We also opted to go new for the rug and most lighting (like that chandelier of our dreams!), along with a side table and few accessories to help flush out the rest of the living room design!
Lulu and Georgia offered to team up with us to fill in the gaps, and the options were not only plentiful, but they were all SO. GOOD. The toughest part was narrowing items down, which is when our original Pins and Instagram bookmarks came in handy! When in doubt, we took a closer look at those inspiring rooms and zoomed in on the details. What did the light fixtures look like? What kind of rugs were used? How were the bookshelves filled?
We ultimately landed on this plush, structured rug and this rectangular coffee table, two simple ways to balance all the secondhand rounded furniture we had. A hunky (IYKYK) side table and swirly candelabra, quite literally, rounded things out. The coffee table should be arriving next month, and we’ve also commissioned a credenza / record stage from our friends at Department Home. We are so close to getting cozy in this room!
A Couple Things to Keep In Mind When Choosing Vintage
Rug Shopping | While we love and own many vintage rugs, this was an instance where we desired something more modern. When shopping for rugs, there is typically an added cost for a thorough cleaning through a rug dealer, and you’ll want to inspect it for any holes or tears. We have gotten lucky many times with vintage rug prices, but they are more times where they are out of our budget.
Light Shopping | We always beeline to the lighting section of our favorite vintage shops, but it’s important to know what you’re doing when it comes to the guts of the lighting. Most often, electrical can be re-wired to function as good as new, but this does depend on the style of the light – and then, of course, there is the added expense to set it up for success, too.
Summer Sale!
I’d be remiss to not let you know that Lulu and Georgia is hosting their big summer sale, with almost everything 20% off site-wide! No promo code needed, and I’m sharing my picks along with a handful of items we’ll be using and loving at the Red House.
1. rope tapered candles | 2. coffee table | 3. linen pillow | 4. nodes sconce | 5. redefining comfort book | 6. wool rug | 7. renata mirror | 8. picture light | 9. side table | 10. orb candelabra | 11. ollis knot | 12. howell tray | 13. dempsy planter
Searching for more vintage inspiration? These are our thoughts on when to buy a new rug vs. a vintage rug, our favorite secondhand stores in Chicago, how we restored a vintage black + yellow bathroom and a black + pink bathroom.
