Something Old, Something New.
Let me ask you this, have you ever seen a space in person, online, on tv, etc. that was filled with all brand new furnishings? I mean ALL brand new! As if the person went straight to Target, Home Goods, or Pottery Barn to get everything and then filled their space with it. I have definitely seen spaces like this, and what I often think is that it looks very similar to other homes I’ve seen before. What these homes are usually missing are those few items that make it feel more like their individual personality.
For example, a lot of people can identify a Target Studio McGee Threshold pillow when they see it, even if you’re not someone in the design space. These pillows feel familiar because you often see them when you walk through Target. Now think about if you and all your friends bought these pillows and put them in your home that is already filled with like items. Your homes would begin to look and feel the same. That doesn’t mean you can’t have similar items in your homes, it just means you have to think about what else you’re filling your space with to make it feel uniquely like you.
My personal design aesthetic is the more vintage the better. However, this isn’t the motto for a lot of people, and that’s okay! I gravitate towards second-hand because it allows me to find unique items at an affordable price point. I appreciate that the thrifted items I find have had a life before me. I classify my design style as Transitional, meaning I like to combine Traditional with Contemporary design styles. I feel that the juxtaposition between new clean-lined furnishings with older ornate detailed pieces feels right. I find a balance between the two so that our home doesn’t feel dated, but feels fresh with an appreciative nod to the past. My design style may be similar to other people and I may use the same textures or patterns as someone else, but my home will always feel unique because I am filling it with my own custom mix of vintage and new.
I think at some point in most people’s lives they’ve heard the wedding phrase ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue’ before. Well, I would love to create a new version of that phrase for your home sounding like this: ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Patterned, and Something Anew’. Let’s break this new phrase down!
Something Old could be an item you find that’s an antique, vintage, or a family heirloom. This piece(s) will bring some originality to a room and serve as a talking point. If you’re someone who feels they have a modern style and antiques won’t work, I challenge you to try. Antique doesn’t have to mean beat-up wooden hutch or rusty metal cart. For you, it could be a clean-lined wrought iron lamp, an art deco funky-shaped accent chair, or a vintage art canvas. You could also give that old vintage piece a facelift with new paint or hardware.
In this photo my two vintage pieces are the secretary hutch and the wooden chair. The chair I kept in it’s original finish, but the hutch I modified and refinished with a more current green color and rattan handles. This shows how you can have something old, but bring it into current times by giving it a facelift. This now is a unique hutch that no other person has but feels sleek.
Something New is pretty self-explanatory and something most people are fantastic at incorporating, go ahead and buy the brand new couch, or the new rug, accent chairs, or curtains. It’s important to have *some* new items in the space so it feels current and acknowledges a few trends.
The two accent chairs and the pillows in this picture are brand new from Target. The rug is a vintage style, but was brand new and fits current trends. I mixed these items into a space that is overwhelming and filled with thrifted pieces. Aside from those three items I listed, everything else in this living room picture was thrifted. Some items look older and others mimic what you’d find brand new in stores today.
Something Patterned, pattern is something that a lot of people shy away from or are unsure how to incorporate it. Pattern mixing can get tricky at times and there are no set rules on what goes and what doesn’t which makes it even trickier. So let’s visualize a living room so I can explain what I mean, all the furniture is a solid texture, the blankets are a solid color, the walls are solid, the pillows are solid, the lampshades are solid, and the carpet/flooring is one color. YIKES, that sounds pretty boring, right? The problem with a space like that is that your eye doesn’t know the focal point. It’s all blurring together and feels lackluster. Instead, a nice way to add some differences would be to have most furniture solid with maybe an accent chair(s) with a pattern. Incorporate a mix of materials with blankets and pillows, a few solids, and a couple of subtle patterns mixed in. You could keep your walls solid but add in art with a pattern, family photos, or wall treatments if you want more sass. Have your lamps be different shapes, sizes, textures, and colors to add interest. You could then unify them by using similarly shaped shades for them. Then you could add in a subtle patterned rug that breaks up the solid color of the floor. Pattern really helps to define a space and make it feel unique!
Pattern mixing is one of my favorite things to do in a space. I love how each one plays off the other and creates a dynamic silhouette. There are a few key points to keep in mind when mixing, you don’t want to have too many bold patterns next to one another, or two similar patterns right by one another. For example in this picture, I have two plaid pillows, three ornate or floral pillows, two striped, and one solid. These are all in like color palettes and no like patterns are right next to one another. Then for furniture, I have the two accent chairs in a light color that matches the other furniture but they have a subtle stripe pattern to them. Our rug is a vintage pattern that is playing nicely with the ornate pillows. Lastly, our blankets are all solids, but they have different textures or materials.
Lastly, Something Anew (aka thrifted), which may seem repetitive considering Something Old but there’s a difference. Something thrifted could be finding those items you would never have thought about incorporating. It’s your moment to add in that funky decor item you wouldn’t have ever found brand new in a store today. Or on the flip side, it’s your time to hunt for items that feel similar to what you’d find in a store today, but at a fraction of the cost. Thrifting is more time-consuming and you have to be patient, but the end results are worth it, and your wallet thanks you! By having an open mind while thrifting you can achieve a fully furnished space in your home on a budget. And remember the life of furniture and decor can feel anew with the simple use of paint, fabric, or change of scenery.
The pillows, rug, and frames on the wall are the only brand new items in this picture. This couch was a Facebook Marketplace find that was a brand new Pottery Barn Sofa for $700. The couch color and shape may not have been my exact first choice for our space, but it fits most qualities I needed and was in our price range. This end table brings me more joy than I would have ever imagined. I never knew I needed a table like this until I was thrifting one day and saw it for $12. It fits our space perfectly and the ornate details on it pair beautifully with the more streamlined modern shape of our sofa. Expect the unexpected with thrifting, I wouldn’t have originally pictured a brass lamp like this here, but once you find something unique you make room for it in your space.
So the next time you’re thinking about shopping for a space of yours remember my home phrase ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Patterned, and Something Anew’, I would love to know if you felt like your space had more personality and fit you better after considering these points? Look around your rooms, do you have all brand new items you bought over time? Or do you have that special family heirloom hutch in the same room as your new couch and cute Target pillows that sit next to your unique thrifted table and lamp? Every time I mix new and old together it brings me a satisfaction that can’t be explained. A satisfaction that I hope everyone can find.