I’ve been truly inspired this week by Elegant Musings and her recent post displaying her new home. Though she mainly displays fabulous posts on sewing, knitting and the occasional cookery snippet, our favourite blogger Casey also gives us the rare insight into (what is I’m certain) her gorgeous vintage inspired home. A slave to vintage fashion, I love how Casey takes select pieces from the past, be it sewing pattern, fabric print or general accessories, and makes them truly fit her style. She’s chic, she’s vintage and she’s one creative gal. Oh, did I mention she has AMAZING taste as well? Enough gushing – let’s get onto the real topic. As I was saying, Casey this week has shown us a beautiful poster by Charles Ammos, and those following my Facebook page will know it got me internet hunting a vintage print for my own abode.
Ever seen the Pixar film “Up”? Well, the film has loads of artwork featured in it done in cool 1920-1930 style. Clear geometric images of landscapes, bold type and gorgeous vibrant colour palettes. In fact, the great poster designer, Eric Tan, created a series of Posters for the films which completely embodies the Art Deco poster style displayed in the film and true to many Travel and Recreational posters of the era. What I really love are the landscapes. Austria, Japan and Cairo have never looked so appealing to me than when shown in a Vintage Poster. This was back in the day when photography didn’t do a place justice and bold, colourful artwork showed us the world beyond our doorstep, got our imaginations going and encouraged us to literally broaden our horizons. I think this type of Poster – the Deco Travel poster – is one of the most beautiful forms of modern art… though I doubt many Galleries would pay homage to it, mores the pity.
So it got me thinking. Can you create a vintage inspired interior without going too “Antwacky” (that’s Bad Taste Antique-y to all you non-scousers out there). I think you can, but it’s about being selective. Pick your vintage pieces carefully and incorporate modern flavours too. Don’t pick a vintage William Morris wallpaper to go with your vintage bureau and antique drinks cabinet and Louis VI chair- it’s too much. Less is more when it comes to vintage. Vintage interiors didn’t have to fight against the mod-coms of the modern home: 42” Plasma TVs, Wiis, ipods or microwave ovens. Vintage stood alone and defined the room. I like the interior colour palettes of the early 20th century – the mauves of raw plasterwork, the heritage reds and blues; the vibrant arsenic greens and acidic yellows which were plucked directly from nature. A contemporary bedstead could be heightened by a vintage floral feature wallpaper, and a simple uncluttered space would benefit from more elaborate statement furniture.
The fact of the matter is this: with the world economy in recession, with rate of unemployment growing steadily each day, the reality is the majority of us no longer have the luxury of buying new. Vintage is the fashion – through necessity. We recycle, we rebuild, we regenerate. We inject new life into what was once thought to be old and worn. It’s all just a matter of imagination really.
