Modern and Vintage Decor │ Blending Modern and Vintage Decorating

My son got me some gorgeous carnation flowers for Valentine's Day a week ago, and I put them in a beautiful Otagiri vase. (I love Otagiri - their mugs are second to none and I'll have to do a future blog post on them.)

I set them on the side table in our family room, and every time I sit down to watch television for a bit, I'm mesmerized by this side table and its contents.

The side table is a work of art. My husband made this piece about eight years ago. He's a talented furniture maker and this piece sits proudly for all to see. It's in the vein of the "arts and crafts" era, so early 1920s, but is all new materials. I love this furniture piece. I'll never get rid of it and I plan on handing it down to one of my sons one day.

We've collected a few pieces of art over the years of travel. That's what you see on the wall and sitting on the side table. I also thrifted one of the art pieces. It's an original oil.

There is a handmade basket that I thrifted about a decade ago. I've seen many Native American Indian baskets that look like this one and a part of me wonders if indeed that's what this is. I love it so much.

So, some of the pieces on this side table are new, like the candle and table, and some of the art, and other pieces are vintage - like one of the oil paintings, the basket, and the vase.

Blending the old with the new creates a mood and feeling that you just can't get when you go to a home decor big box store and purchase all new items.

With vintage, you get patina, history, quality, and heritage. Blend those with newer pieces and you have a setting that no one will have just like yours; a setting that oozes with quality and beauty.

Try it today. Thrift a couple of items, or go to an antique store. Add them to your new things, and maybe take out some of your new things that you don't like anymore. See how it all works together.

There is a charm to vintage that is unduplicated. It's a slow-living attribute, which to me, is essential to living a life surrounded by beauty. This is slow-living decor.

Have a wonderful weekend, my vintage friends.