From foyers to living rooms, read our guide and expert tips on how to decorate your home with antiques.
Whether it be daring or contemplative, grand or an accent piece, antique furniture and objet d’art can transform a living space and overall interior design with a powerful presence. Decorating with antiques can help your space reflect your own unique history and character, but finding the perfect combination of accent and statement pieces can sometimes feel overwhelming. Join us as we walk through the home and introduce some of our favorite antique decorating ideas, drawing design inspiration from some of our favorite antique pieces here at M.S. Rau.
How to Decorate Your Living Room
How to Decorate Your Dining Room
Dinner parties are certainly having a resurgence, and perhaps for the first time in awhile, people are putting their dining rooms on display for more than just a few holiday gatherings a year. This is certainly not a new concept; there was a time when luxurious dining was a heartfelt event shared amongst family and friends. Whether you’re looking to elevate your own family’s dining experience, or looking to branch out into the delightful world of dinner party entertainment, a few staple antique pieces, like antique chairs, can elevate the modern decor of any dining space.
Gather your guests around a dining table fit for royalty. Crafted of fine golden oak, the complete dining suite features eight dining chairs, a versatile dining table, a vitrine, a sideboard, a buffet and a chest that holds the leaves of the dining table. With a myriad of lavishly hand-carved figures, including winged lions, fanciful masks, dragons and maidens, this suite is a shining example of Victorian wooden furniture that is sure to elevate your interior design and astonish any modern visitor.
If your home decor tends toward modern minimalism, you could always use a simpler table, such as these splendid Art Deco table and chairs. Don’t be afraid to complement simplicity with a beautiful piece of modern art as well. When done correctly, mixing antiques from different time periods can really elevate any space.
Service Sets
What better way to present a delicious feast than with stunning silver tableware? Unique silver flatware has always been more than a beautiful way to serve food; it is a statement of generous hospitality and refinement. Complete silverware sets, stunning serving dishes, antique vases and antique candlesticks can all elevate the dining area with accents your guests will surely remember.
How to Decorate Your Bedroom
A good night’s sleep is truly the epitome of luxury, and most will agree that the bedroom should be a place of relaxation and refuge. In order to help make your bed one that you want to climb into at the end of every day, it is important to create an aesthetic you love.
Bedroom furniture
If you’ve always dreamt of sleeping like royalty, this grand bed might just be the one for you. Running low on closet space? Consider decorating with a staple wood furniture piece like this antique armoire that is grand, mysterious and beautiful. And if you’re dedicating a corner of your bedroom space for work, consider different antique desk styles to find one that speaks to you.
Ambiance
Once you settle on furniture, it is time to determine the mood of your space with other types of interior decor pieces. An antique piece of fine art can surely infuse your space with personality and calm. A great piece of advice from design specialist Lynne Lincoln offers to those who want to live with fine art: “Do not invest in art to match your room; decorate a room to match your fine art investment.” If you love the calming artworks of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, consider a painting by Pierre Bonnard, whose bright colors and soft brushstrokes would create a calming mesmerizing statement in any room.
As any professional interior designer knows, the secret to creating the perfect space is the lighting. Using lamps, particularly as decor in the bedroom, can help you unwind with style. Now that the mood is almost right, you just need one final touch.
In the second half of the 19th century, the cave à liqueur, or liqueur caddy, was a very popular accessory to have in the home. They were typically handsome wooden containers that held cordial glasses and decanters that you could fill with your favorite spirits. Their small size in comparison to a liquor cabinet meant that they were perfect for spaces other than the parlor or dining room, such as the bedroom, meaning a nightcap was within arm's reach.
How Antiques Add Character
If you would like further assistance developing your home’s distinctive interior design or displaying artwork from your fine art collection, you can reach out to our qualified experts for design services tailored to the needs of your modern space.
