For 25 years, The Corbel has sold European antiques to customers across the country while our sister business, Charlet Brother’s Construction, has designed and built custom homes for over 100 clients. Throughout this time, we’ve seen hundreds of beautiful dreams come to life. Whether you are buying all-new furniture for a recently completed home or finding just the right piece to complete a space, we’ve spent thousands of hours learning the difference between adding furniture to a room and adding the RIGHT furniture to a room. Below, we’ve listed 6 things to be aware of as you look for the next piece of antique furniture to add to your space.
Find Your Hero
When shopping for specific antique pieces, we always encourage our clients to find the room’s “hero”. Find the piece that stands out to you and stops you in your tracks. A ‘showstopper’ antique speaks for itself in any room. It sparks interest and evokes conversation among your guests. When you find something that speaks to you, there is no stopping that connection. Oftentimes, interior design professionals and enthusiasts buy an antique piece before they even have a space for it, this is your hero piece. A piece of antique furniture that is meant to have an entire room designed around it.
Design by Francie Hargrove. Photo by Emily Followill.Create Contrast
Placing your antique furniture pieces in spaces they’ll stand out is a great way to create interest in your home. Creating contrast brings attention to your pieces forcing them to emerge amongst the rest of the room. For instance, adding an antique sideboard to a bright-white dining room adds warmth and texture, creating a dynamic space that is not one note. The easiest way to add contrast to your home with antique furniture is to make sure you are finding one-of-a-kind pieces that have only one option, to stand out! A hand-carved gothic desk from the 18th century placed in a contemporary office space is sure to speak for itself.
Find Balance
Finding the balance between old and new furniture is key to designing beautiful interiors with antique elements. Everything in moderation. Having too much new or antique furniture can throw off the balance and lightness of a space. When you are designing, consider the sizes of each piece of furniture. One antique piece should not overpower or overcrowd the other. When you add an antique piece to any space, consider adding a complimentary modern piece to bring the room back to balance. For example, if you use an antique coffee table as the hero of your living room you could balance that out with modern décor on top of the piece and a more contemporary TV console adjacent to it.
Mix It Up
Mix materials. By mixing materials thoughtfully, you can create a cohesive and dynamic interior that honors the timeless elegance of French antiques while integrating seamlessly with modern elements. The best interiors we have encountered have layers and layers of materials, textures, fabrics, and colors. Our favorite materials to mix with are beautifully worn woods with upholstered furniture, as well as any natural elements. Mixing greenery into your decor alongside modern brass fixtures is another way to create a dynamic interior among your antique furniture pieces.
Mix up the piece’s purpose. Start thinking of the function of the piece in a contemporary way. What it was originally designed for does not have to be its purpose in its new life. When you realize each piece of antique furniture has multiple functions so many possibilities open up to you. For example, we often suggest using one of our antique Belgian workbenches as the perfect bar for your outdoor courtyard. You can also use any antique dresser as a coffee station in your kitchen or a nightstand in your primary bedroom suite. The possibilities are endless!
An antique dresser gets a new life as a beautifully curated bar in a stunning New York living room. Design by White Webb LLC.Make It Your Own
Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Add in elements that are personal to you that you have collected throughout your life to make the space your own. That doesn’t mean crowd the antique piece and fill it with tchotchkes but rather intentionally add pieces that make you feel comfy and cozy. You want your home to be a reflection of you, and personal mementos do just that!
This home really shows off its personality. Antique dresser accessorized to the max with antique and vintage mementos. Photo by Monica Assan.Experiment and Adapt
All great things take time. Don’t rush the process of creating your dream space. Move things around and don’t be afraid to experiment with different arrangements and combinations. Our homes are ever-evolving as we find and collect more one-of-a-kind antique furniture pieces. Being able to adapt means creating a space that grows with you and can be anything you need it to be.
By thoughtfully blending European antiques with modern elements, you can create a home that feels curated, stylish, and uniquely yours. Happy shopping!
Antique doors make an impact in this primary bedroom leading to the closet. Design by Francie Hargrove. Photo by Emily Followill.
