Photo courtesy of Jane Hall Design.
Stunning vintage pieces
We recently profiled Jane Hall, the “Voice of Style” for her innovative use of the color black in her interior designs. We were so inspired with her design and noticed she leaned toward putting amazing vintage pieces and antiques with modern decor with stunning results.
Hall said, “I love the concept of homeowners using vintage furniture for a number of reasons. Its green design and quite frankly built to last. With 95% of the furniture on the market today being made in China from press board and staples, in unregulated factories, this was not built to last. I call it throw away furniture. Its also cheaper to make it in 6 shades of gray and beige, chocolate brown and black and it cheaper to make things square than it is to make them round.”
Vintage doesn’t just happen, it takes planning
We understand from Hall that vintage is not exactly cut and dry and that a great deal of thought must be put into its execution (hence why she is in such high demand, we presume).
“There are many decorating styles that lend themselves to vintage furniture. I would recommend readers to do some research about what era they are trying to achieve before going out and throwing anything into the back of their car. As in all design projects, I always start off with a plan with my clients, so you don’t buy items that don,t contribute to your overall plan, just because they are are a deal or they are on sale.These are a couple of examples.”
Vintage styles
Hall outlined two primary ways to incorporate vintage style into a home.
Shabby Chic: Country pieces from can be painted white and distressed and look great with white linens on the bed, crystal chandeliers pale grayed off pastels on the walls Iron bed frames painted white, oversize couches in a cotton canvas cloth. Sisal rugs, on light stained hardwood floors keep the look light and casual.
Mid Century Modern: This a huge trend in the vintage market, with the the last 15 year craze being about modern design. Done properly with authenticity Mid Century Modern can be a great look. What people tend to forget, is that during the 50’s and 60’s colour was used. As it was the post war years , they were doing a lot of experimenting with new materials in flooring, new fabrics, plastics and colour was a part of that experimenting. If you have seen Madman it’s fabulous early 60’s design.
Hall says that when flea market shopping, she looks out for shape first and foremost and ignores fabric, color or wood condition. “All that can be changed. Painted, reupholstered in contemporary or new fabrics or wood pieces painted, you can have pieces that are totally unique and are eco friendly.”
More Jane Hall Design designs:
If you’re enthusiastic about vintage design, check out the shots Hall sent us a variety of her pieces:
Pamela V. Mason
July 12, 2011 at 11:04 am
Guess I'll be keeping all of Grannie's furniture from the 30's now & visiting my neighborhood upholsterer! I have exactly some of these pieces shape-wise. Fabrics … no.