Creating Vintage Interiors – New Year, New Look
5
Creating Vintage Interiors – New Year, New Look
Creating Vintage Interiors: Sometimes we can feel a little flat after the festive season, with the phrase “Out with the old in with the new” wafting over the dinner table like a compulsory mantra. Whilst some may take this to extremes with a complete overhaul of their image; stand out from the crowd by giving some much needed love to creating vintage interiors with complimentary patterns and luxury fabrics from Duck Egg. Transform your best loved items into a showman’s piece worthy of yesteryear. Emmalena Ellis ofDuck Egg Designs demonstrates how with a little love antique can still be chic creating vintage interiors.
Whether it be for entertaining friends, snuggling up with loved ones for a DVD night or a makeshift dining room; the Sitting Room is arguably one of the most important features of our homes. A projection of the occupants within where we can proudly display our achievements, relax and socialise. However, inadvertently with age and continued use, some items can start to feel neglected as newer trends and decor creep in to suit our needs. Still, rather than hiding old tables and sofas in shame, why not breathe new life into them, to maintain their vintage charm with the added benefit of continued use for 2014 and beyond. Simply follow these tips to make your Lounge, a Living Room: perfect for that quick Spring Cleaning project to start the New Year.
Creating vintage interiors: First if you can, give the room a bit of a scrub, choosing a time most suitable for you to work either individually or without distraction. Carefully clean over surfaces with care, dust and polish items where needed. This not only gives you a realistic idea of the state of your items but also leaves your home feeling fresh again. Work at your own pace, taking care to cover up more valuable items with dust clothes or if possible assign a temporary home for these ornaments until you have done. Very often this is the only step needed for many items, particularly older furnishings and in properties where dust can easily settle unnoticed. A blank canvas also allows for the mind to reassess the space with fresh eyes, allowing for a new layout to compliment inbuilt features such as windows providing natural light and heating units. Neglected skirting boards? – No problem, with a pot of white paint you can touch up cracks and scratches. In addition when added to doors, window panes and ledges you will allow as much natural light as possible to enter the room during the day and to unify the overall shell.
Feeling like you’re boxed into four walls? When creating vintage interiors smaller spaces can appear larger with brighter and complimentary paints. Make the window your focus painting the walls parallel to it (on either side) in the same colour. At Duck Egg Designs we tend to use pastel colours as these are fairly neutral to all furnishings and flatter both wooden varnish floors and carpet/rug combos.
Creating Vintage Interiors: With darker and richer tones, you can balance these with subtle neutral lighter shades. Finally on your last side opposite the window add contrast with a single side of wallpaper or stencil art. Whilst you will want this wall to remain distinct from the others; avoid over-compensating with clustered designs especially if intending to place art, mirrors or wall features on this wall. Think functional and practical. You could even use one of our posters on the wall such as our new and exciting ‘You Are My Sunshine‘ Poster available in an array of beautiful colours, sure to set the perfect outlook for the day ahead. You could also make your own unique picture gallery using postcards and magazine cut outs in pretty frames either found in charity shops and antique stores or customisable options in most craft stores at competitive prices.
Transform seating areas by arranging them to face in a welcoming position adding throws for instant warmth and colour. You can also add vintage cushions from our online store or make them using vintage materials or old clothes. Nothing suitable? – You can find a growing number of beautiful fabrics in our shop with many patterns fully customisable to suit shabby chic and antique decor. Following the instructions on how to make a fabric heart (seen here: http://www.duckeggdesigns.com/blog/how-to-make-christmas-stocking-fillers/) you could 
use a similar method for creating vintage interiors with your cushions, filling the fabric of your choice with stuffing, cheaply found in craft and home ware shops. Alternatively a fun idea for all the family can be designing your own cushion patterns with fabric paints and appliqué designs. If you feel more adventurous you can also add sequins, buttons and toggles from coats and bits of ribbon. When creating vintage interiors and your retreat already has bespoken and loved bolsters you can place most existing pillows in a wash with mild detergent and freshen them up on a low setting in the dryer instantly reversing ageing and unwanted sagging making seating soft and fluffy. As always Duck Egg recommends checking the label first as some cushions may be dry clean only but can still be revived up with a quick spray of perfume or mild air freshener.
use a similar method for creating vintage interiors with your cushions, filling the fabric of your choice with stuffing, cheaply found in craft and home ware shops. Alternatively a fun idea for all the family can be designing your own cushion patterns with fabric paints and appliqué designs. If you feel more adventurous you can also add sequins, buttons and toggles from coats and bits of ribbon. When creating vintage interiors and your retreat already has bespoken and loved bolsters you can place most existing pillows in a wash with mild detergent and freshen them up on a low setting in the dryer instantly reversing ageing and unwanted sagging making seating soft and fluffy. As always Duck Egg recommends checking the label first as some cushions may be dry clean only but can still be revived up with a quick spray of perfume or mild air freshener.For table tops and low placed cabinets when creating vintage interiors you can add a slip of surplus fabric along the middle to create a tablecloth alternative with a modern twist. Runners are easy to replace and clean whilst protecting older fixtures from dust and food and drink spills. They are less expensive and more casual than their precursors, making them perfect for casual gatherings, whilst their central location enables you to de-clutter the surface, making them suitable for minimalistic style homes which still embrace a vintage touch and can give you the opportunity to show off any luxury wooden surfaces, all these tips should help towards creating vintage interiors.
Finally add the occasional personal touches and sentiments. What you add is up to you though commonly used items include photo frames, candles and vases but even the more adventurous items can become a talking point and ideal centrepieces. Why not try a bowl filled with rocks and shells from the seaside; or a cluster of multicolour gem stones and candles? Add in sensible but flattering lighting and plants to appropriate points of the room, making sure not to clutter the space to allow free access and movement. Try to avoid covering electrical sockets with furnishings, storing unwanted items away until needed.
Whatever you chose make the room a place for you; a place you can truly unwind and create memories in with those you love and care about. From all of us we hope you can follow your dreams and who knows what will follow. The year ahead looks to be an exciting place to be, keep following us for further product releases and tutorials on how to make your house a home.
Creating Vintage Interiors – New Year, New Look article written by Emmalena Ellis of Duck Egg Designs. For more details visit www.duckeggdesigns.com or email info@duckeggdesigns.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/duckeggdesigns
Twitter: @duck_egg
Duck Egg Designs Website: www.duckeggdesigns.com
X Team Duck Egg
