Mixing Old With New: Using Contemporary Furniture in a Classic Setting

Old and New Sitting Together

One of the best examples of how well contemporary and traditional designs sit together is in the dining space of a house. A hefty, dark-wood antique dining table with matching chairs can look fusty, but surround that same table with either a range of pick and mix chairs in various styles and colours, or a matching set of sleek and simple acrylic chairs and the whole look comes alive — drawing attention to both the beauty of the once seemingly out-of-date table as well as the modern chairs, that in an all-modern interior scheme could have appeared cold and stark.

Injecting Colour

Many owners of traditional style homes often feel a kind of restriction on the colours that they can use, either sticking to an all-white scheme in order to highlight the original features, such as ceiling roses and intricate architrave, or aiming to mimic the colours of the period, such as darker greens and browns. There is often a distinct avoidance of bright, zingy colours for fear that they are not authentic.

But, used well, a splash of colour could be just what the house needs — a citrus yellow gloss can look stunning sitting alongside a ditzy, floral wallpaper with undertones of grey or blue, whilst a hot pink piece will off-set a varnished original wooden floor beautifully. Don’t rule out colours that might not have originally been used — test them out by creating a mood board that combines the two looks, or paint swatches of the colours you are considering around your existing interiors and see how you feel.

One note though, keeping the backdrop fairly neutral — whites, grey and taupes on the walls and floors, for example – is a good idea if you want your antiques and your stand-out contemporary pieces to really shine.

Contrasts That Work

Within a mix and match interiors setting, aim to choose colours, shapes and textures that stand in complete contrast to one another to get the eclectic look that makes this type of scheme successful.

Mix hard, straight lines with soft, curvy pieces, sturdy, heavy items with elegant and leggy and smooth, glossy surfaces with patterned, touchable textures.

It is far more effective to use objects that are complete opposites to those that are just a little bit different — for example combining classically designed and proportioned sofas with the crisp, angular lines of a modern side table, such as the Hexy hexagonal side table from Zespoke, will result in a juxtaposition that allows both to be fully appreciated and gives the look of a room that has nicely evolved — rather than just an accidental, chaotic look.