7 ingredients to get a real vintage bedroom

Lily Cichanowicz Lily Cichanowicz
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Vintage style is coming back in a very big way. There is something dramatic and charming about surrounding oneself with the things of the past. It can give our lives a cinematic air or allow us to feel like we’re living the stories of our favourite novels. Not to mention that vintage décor has something comforting about it. It calls us to remember a past where things were simpler and more stable than the present sometimes feels.

Whatever your reason for wanting to go vintage, we suggest you start with the bedroom. Adding a bit of lavishness and elegance to the bedroom will help you to feel pampered every day while also cultivating undeniable style. Plus, there are definitely many shades of vintage décor. You can go full on and live out the fantasy of a Victorian Vixen or 50s Don Draper. Alternatively, a few small touches of vintage style will elevate your look in a glamorous way. Truly, vintage décor has something to offer everyone.

Choose a bed

Bedroom by WN Interiors homify Chambre industrielle Lits & têtes de lit

Allow yourself to get carried off to dreamland in a charming vintage bed. Depending on the era you’d like to emulate, each bed will have different features. A more imposing upholstered headboard is reminiscent of the turn of the century, while this vintage iron headboard offers a touch of the mid-20th century. 

Here, the mod bedside tables add a bit of retro detail – the room overall is not too heavy handed on the vintage décor. The reading lamps, subtle wallpaper, and grey flooring add industrial flair while the textiles are kept simple. This is a sound look to emulate if you’re only looking to go moderately vintage.

Focus on the fireplace

One architectural element that’s distinct of times past is the fireplace. Of course, many of people have these structures in their living rooms, but they typically play an ornamental function or only get occasional use. It used to be that fireplaces played a much more significant function to the lives and comforts of those living in previous generations. Fireplaces were common fixtures not only in the living room, but in kitchens and even bedrooms. This was especially the case of the wealthy. 

If you’d like to bring a bit of vintage luxury to your look, try situating your bedroom in a room with a fireplace. It’ll add the classic charm of former eras. A fireplace with a wooden mantelpiece is most closely in line with vintage style. Stone and brick fireplaces may come across as rustic or country in style. Simply paint them to match the existing walls to maintain the vintage appeal.

Work on wallpaper

Vintage Bedroom, Hege in France Hege in France Chambre

While earlier we mentioned that subtle wallpaper schemes would fit more closely in line with industrial style than vintage, this is certainly not to say that this is the case for all wallpaper. In fact, the right pattern will certainly turn back the clock on your interior. Bright and geometric patterns will work well with retro looks while floral patterns, fleur de lys, or other crests will give the space the sophisticated style of even earlier times. 

Be sure that the wallpaper doesn’t come on too strong, however. You don’t want to feel claustrophobic or over stimulated in your bedroom. Instead, opt for wallpaper in neutral tones like this lovely grey paper. Alternatively, you might even like to stick to a feature wall in terms of wallpaper so as not to overwhelm a smaller space.

Avoid fitted carpets

Something else that we simply didn’t see in older interiors was the fitted carpet. Instead, our forebears favoured area rugs that exposed the floors beneath. What’s more is that these rugs typically played a more ornamental role that the wall-to-wall carpeting we often see today. 

Choosing to stick with an ornamental area rug is actually coming back into style, as this look is quite popular within the increasingly pervasive Scandinavian design. To keep the rug looking vintage, simply look for oriental patterns like the rug situated in this bedroom by ЕЛЕНА ОВСЯННИКОВА, or other similarly traditional patterns.

Bring in a dressing table

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Another old school element that totally deserves to be brought back is the dressing table. The vanity used to be the primary place where a woman pampered and prepped herself for the day. It is undeniably elegant and sophisticated to bring this item back into the bedroom. You can arrange your makeup, hairbrush and other accessories here and enjoy the pleasures of primping yourself just like your mothers and grandmothers likely did before a date or other formal events. 

Nowadays, you can also convert an old vanity into a desk for working. Either way, the mere presence of the vanity in the bedroom will add a sense of elevated formality to this private space.

Work in a wardrobe

Triple Door French Art Deco Armoire With Fitted Interior homify Chambre rustique Penderies et commodes

Today, large armoires and wardrobes are often replaced with closets, clothes racks, and dressers. While these developments make sense as minimalist style is all the rage and because of the fact that most of us are pressed for space, there is something so pleasing about the vintage wardrobe. We suggest working this piece of furniture in only if you have room to spare because otherwise it will be a bit imposing. 

Still, if your bedroom can accommodate one, there are plenty of different possibilities to choose from. For example, this vintage wardrobe is reminiscent of 1920s style with its curved top. We also love this beautiful colour. You could also opt for an older, more classic model. Wood works best, and keeping the wardrobe in pastel or neutral tones will help enhance its antique quality.

Embrace one-of furniture

Lastly, its certainly worth mentioning that purchasing furniture from antique shops, vintage collections, and flea markets will give your bedroom a bit of vintage authenticity. Before furniture was mass-produced, it was quite common for the furniture in our homes to be few of a kind. If we go back far enough, furniture was sometimes actually one of a kind! It’s hard to imagine this today, but you can find some truly unique and special pieces by looking in less conventional places. 

For example, this lovely hand painted bedside table brings just the right touch of decoration to this simple vintage bedroom setup. We wager that you don’t find an item quite like this every day. Embracing one-off furniture will not only give your bedroom a strong vintage character, but it will also help you to express your own personal sense of style.

For more tips on old school interior décor, check out this guide to bringing baroque style to your home

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