VINTAGE VS NEW FURNITURE.

VINTAGE VS NEW FURNITURE.

When I was planning furniture for my flat, it was the vintage pieces that I was most excited about. It takes a while to find a good piece but it’s worth the scouring of never ending antique shops in East London, I thought – but I’ve actually ended up buying most of my antique and vintage online. There are some great pieces in shops but often really overpriced and they often make me feel a little intimidated when I’m in the shop because I don’t have ten thousand pounds to spend on a coffee table…

Vintage vs new: it’s much like my wardrobe – I like a good mix of the two. I like to have an old classic I’ve had for years, some new investment pieces peppered with vintage pieces that feel more unique.

These are the bigger pieces of furniture so I wanted to get them after living in the space for a while and one by one to figure what I needed and where rather than cluttering it up.

VINTAGE

DINING TABLE
This was something I definitely wanted vintage – to me they are just more character-full –  plus you don’t have to worry about keeping a surface pristine. If it’s already worn in a little it immediately looks more at home within the other pieces of furniture. I found this beautiful Ercol drop lead design on eBay (there’s lots of great options on there!) I hadn’t planned to get drop leaf but due to my tiny hallway I had to to be able to get it upstairs – and actually I love that I can have extra space and then extend it when  I have guests for dinner or need more room.

CHEST OF DRAWERS
I didn’t want my bedroom to be too busy and full of stuff so I’m trying to keep it very minimal and just have my bed, bedside table and a chest of drawers in (for underwear, pyjamas and workout gear). I didn’t know what I was looking for really but then came across Stowaway, a local vintage dealer, and I just knew I had to have this chest. They’re quite reasonably priced, too.

SIDEBOARD
I wanted to originally have the sideboard in the living area, but then decided it might crowd the room a bit and in fact it doubled as a great beauty cupboard in the office. I had searched for a couple months with no joy, or would find ones that I loved but were too long for the room, and then I discovered Vinterior and came across this beautiful Midcentury Danish Teak sideboard and fell in love. It’s such a beautiful, rich wood and a classic shape that I know I’ll have it forever.
If you use this link or enter my name (Emma Hoareau) at checkout, you’ll receive £50 off at Vinterior! There’s so many gems – from mirrors to rugs – on there I highly recommend having a look.

NEW
With new pieces, I didn’t want them to look too fresh out the box – I still love that more worn in and unique look, so these  are the pieces I found that fit that vibe.

MIRROR
I have a vintage mirror on my dresser already, but wanted a full length one that was a little more minimal. I feel like I’ve grown out of the white or black Ikea style frames and wanted wooden without it being the centre of attention in the room. I came across this one from Next, which I love as it’s the perfect height  and width – plus isn’t crazy heavy when moving around! this item was  a gift.

COFFEE TABLE
In my last post I still didn’t have a coffee table – and this is because I wanted to get a feel from the room before filling it up. I’m glad I waited as the one I had had my eye on was this one  – which I think might have been to big and space consuming for the room (although I do still love it) which is why I opted for the  smaller, simpler slab of wood one. I found  mine from Zara Home but it’s sadly no longer available – you can find good alternatives of it here and here)

CHAIRS
I had toyed with the idea of getting some wooden Ercol chairs to match the dining table, but came across these in the sale before I had even found the table and just knew they’d be perfect. I don’t have any armchairs in the living room and for me these are the perfect dining table come comfy chair to have. I like having these as new as I know they’ll last me a long time. I only have two chairs because normally it’s just me and didn’t want to clutter the space. If I did eventually move into a larger house I might get some wooden chair just for the table, too.

You can my previous home blogpost here.

the below are affiliate links and I will make a small percentage of any sales.