How to get a vintage look in your home, using ornate picture frames

There’s a great deal of comfort to be gained from surrounding yourself with timeless home furnishings; including ornate picture frames.

“Old” never goes out of fashion! Though in terms of interior design, that does not mean tatty or well past its best.

A vintage home interior would be one that is classy and sophisticated. Not something old fashioned, that reminds visitors of an elderly person’s neglected living room!

In fact, the term vintage leaves a lot of room for creativity. It connects us with the past, but that can mean different things to different homeowners. You can even take all the elements you love from bygone times and weave them together.

There is something reassuring and comforting about being surrounded by “the best from the past”, in even the most modern home.

So, this style of home interior is about romance and nostalgia, but also a welcoming warmth.

Getting a handle on Vintage interiors

One thing is for sure, vintage theming relies heavily on carefully selected ornate photo frames to decorate your walls. But what else do you need?

Vintage interior design can include a wide range of historical influences. Though it is generally focused on the glamour and glitz of certain eras. So, you can take what you want from the 1940s, 50s and 60s, to create your perfect room.

Mixing and matching is part of the joy of this interior design trend. You can use deluxe fabrics and traditional furniture in whatever layout you want. The nod to history is the key element.

Vintage is the opposite end of the spectrum from simplistic, stripped down decors, such as industrial or mono. It also involves a higher spec and more decorative style that country or shabby chic.

Vintage can simply mean including opulent and luxurious furniture and furnishing, including ornate picture frames and other stylish accessories. Think gilded and elaborate mirrors, plush armchairs and decorative candelabras.

Lighting for a vintage interior would need to be equally focused on traditional rather than contemporary. For example, modern halogen spotlights would look out of place. Instead, you could use statement features such as chandeliers, or strategically placed table and standard lamps.

Walls would tend to be rich and vibrant colours. Though you could also use a neutral colour scheme to set off your vintage furniture and furnishings.

Vintage style on a shoestring

The finishing touches can be left to your imagination. However, to stay within the theme, think luxury and antique. This doesn’t need to involve a big budget though! Second hand stores, car boot sales and “hand me downs” can provide authentic accessories and furnishings.

For example, you could re-varnish an occasional table with a decorated stand. This could then be covered in a lace cloth or used to display an old tea set or retro table lamp.

An old chest of drawers could be sanded, stained and re-varnished. Add some ornate gold or silver handles and the piece can look far more authentically “vintage”. Without the need to invest in expensive antiques.

Alternatively, you could choose one authentic antique item to make a statement in your room. Such as a sturdy dining set with elaborate table legs and sumptuously upholstered chair seats.

Then, the rest of the room can be decorated and accessorised using modern purchases that fit the vintage theme, such as ornate picture frames.

If walls could speak

Antiques do help set a vintage scene. However, it’s not realistic for everyone to afford them or even to replicate them.

Fortunately, it is not essential.

One of the easiest and most cost effective ways to reflect a vintage theme in your room, is to add beautiful and ornate picture frames to your walls.

When you walk into a room, often your attention goes first to what’s on the walls. Especially if there is a dramatic picture – or cluster of striking images – hung appropriately on the space immediately opposite the doorway.

If you see an elaborate retro picture frame, or an arrangement of frames, you will get the immediate impression of vintage charm.

To achieve the desired effect you can even mix traditional and contemporary frames and images. This could create a charming, interesting display. Though your choices would need to include some timeless classics and decorative additions.

Selecting the right ornate picture frames can transform a relatively plain room, providing a great retro, luxury feel.

These carefully selected vintage photo frames can be used to display black and white photography for example. Or, it could contain imagery showing magnificent scenery. You could use advertising photography from your favourite era or prints of paintings by Victorian artists too.

The accent is on lavish and highly decorative.

Memory Box offers ornate picture frames in black and wood effects, but also gold and silver. The wide range also includes some superb frames with more than a hint of luxury, such as the stunning American Dinner Cushion Gloss Photo Frames or the Bucharest Spoon Retro Photo Frames.

Using rich, darker woods in your wall art can add a vintage feel to a room. This too is something you can reflect when selecting retro picture frames.

Colour it in

Clearly, creating a vintage interior design is about the little details, including wall art and ornate picture frames.

The right impression can even come from the colour scheme you use in the room, and the way that’s reflected in the finishing touches.

So, for example, homes of a bygone era would often feature warm reds and oranges, and touches of gold. Or, you can draw inspiration from traditional gingham and polka dots for soft furnishings in your kitchen or bedroom.

Simply choose a time period that you find attractive. Or mix and match from different eras. Then refresh your room with matching items and those wonderfully rich and attractive ornate picture frames!

After that, you can sit back and enjoy the best of the past, and interior design themes that last and last.