KEEPING YOUR VINTAGE FINDS MODERN

I love going to flea markets, secondhand stores and vintage shops to find a great piece that can immediately transform the look of a room. It's true, vintage or antique pieces stand out as works of art when paired with the right decor style. Traditional decor can feel old, and modern decor can "get" old, but regardless of the style of house, you can always incorporate a few vintage or antique finds to keep it interesting. The challenge is keeping your vintage finds modern. Keep in mind that interiors aren't meant to "match", but rather "coordinate".

The best way to incorporate vintage/antique pieces into your decor is to intersperse them throughout. This will act as a more eclectic and international feel. Designers do this best by making sure they have one vintage piece in every room. If you're lucky enough to travel abroad, you can probably bring home some amazing finds....for all of us others, we will continue to scour the endless sea of vintage items at our local flea markets!

The only rule here is to make sure you balance cultures, styles and time periods. You can't go wrong....and these pieces make your style really stand out!

This vintage yellow tufted wingback chair adds color and character to the corner of this elegant dining room.

Believe it or not, this is a "mud room"! The room includes vintage items such as the white hall tree against the wall, the settee from an antique mall and a vintage table found on ebay.

In this sophisticated, turned rugged living space, these red vintage number signs (once used at an old gas station) add color to this space.

This room's designer created an illusion of height by placing wallpaper on the ceiling and to inspire the rest of the furnishings, she added a vintage couch (still in it's original upholstery).

While updating this home, the designer opted to keep the original 1947 molding over the doorway. It brings charm to the room, don't you agree?

All photos courtesy of Lonny Mag

The painting in this sitting area was purchased by the homeowner at a market in Thailand. Always bring back pieces when traveling.

Bottom line is to mix vintage finds with modern pieces, don't over think it, go with your gut, and if you buy what you love and put it where you'll enjoy it, it will always work!

 

ROSE BOWL FLEA MARKET

GOT FLEAS? WE DO!
The second Sunday of each month, most designers in LA throw on their most comfy shoes, slap on some sunscreen, grab some cash and head over to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena for some SERIOUS shopping! Said to be the World's most unusual Flea Market and the shopping place of the stars, it features over 2,500 vendors and 15,000 to 20,000 buyers every month!
Personally, I was most interested in browsing through the vintage and antique section. So, we headed that way and could not believe how many vendors were there! The flea market is GIGANTIC, and it's just this endless sea of vendors. The day we attended it was about 85 degrees....warning...there is NO shade! I was sunburned in the end, but it was worth it. We only made it to a fraction of the vendors, so hope to go back October 10th! I'm hoping for cool, overcast weather that day! Here's some of what you might see there:

This means...you're at the right place!

The flea market is open from 9:00am-4:30pm

It's $8.00 for admission, and they give you $2 bills for change!

This was strange to see there, but it was unique and entertaining. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Retro chrome chandelier

For the mid-century modern designers.... this is was a pristine Le Corbusier lounge chair!

For the seamstress in you, here's a great vintage dress form

Vintage stage lights...amazing, but expensive!

Faux bamboo chairs! If these had cushions, I would have bought them in a second!

   Oh...Andy Warhol was even there!



QUEST FOR CHAIRS-MY VINTAGE FIND!

I had searched for some dining chairs and a table for what seemed to be FOREVER...until I saw some vintage chrome chairs on ebay! The only problem was, they were being sold by someone in New York and the auction was for pick up only. Determined to have them, I emailed the seller and begged her to ship them to me. She finally said okay, but I would have to do all the research, and pay her to pack and take them to the nearest Greyhound station, etc. The final day of the auction came....and yep, I was indeed the only bidder....so, for $100, I won what I thought were six dining chairs....a call comes in from the seller as she discovered there were in fact EIGHT chairs...do I want them....yes please! Here's what they looked like when they arrived....

Ahhhh, yes....fake beige suede upholstery and rusting old chrome frame. But...I had a vision girls!

After spending a couple weekends restoring the old chrome, and having them reupholstered, here's what a good ebay buy gets you!

Have a custom table made to fit eight chairs....and call it a dining room! Now- I need some art, accessories and to remove the blue tape (which we all learn to live with, right?)!