Decorating With Antiques in Your Mountain Retreat

Embrace treasures of yore and add value (both in style and $$$) to your decor with antiques that completely complement rustic design.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these links.

June 12, 2018

By: Chelsey Bowen

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Display Your Delights

You don't have to narrow your antique love to one item. Exhibit all your treasures in one wow-worthy scene. The key to making an eclectic mix of accessories look cohesive is all in the color palette and shape. Stick to a similar color scheme, like the soft tans and deep browns of these artifacts, and make sure to have a few repeating shapes, such as the spheres and globes, throughout your vignette. A small antique globe will run approximately $400 to add to your collection.

From: Leanne Ford

Reflecting Luxury

An array of antique mirrors makes a golden-gallery statement above the distressed sideboard. Gilded mirrors come in a vast range of prices depending on what style you're looking for — simple vintage mirrors can start around $500, while ornate Queen Anne or Chippendale ones are thousands of dollars.

The One and Only

The best thing about decorating with antiques is the one-of-a-kind style you get to enjoy. Plus, they'll impress guests and are great conversation starters. A wooden cash register is an intriguing accessory with vintage ones running about $1,000 or more. Framed antique sepia photographs are mounted so that the edges of the paper and every watermark is visible, adding to the vintage feel of the pictures.

From: Antonio Martins

Curated Style

Liven up your mantel with a pair of antique jugs highlighted by flowering branches. Etched business labels add a meaningful touch, especially if you find a company from your city or state. Glass containers really range in price, but you can turn up options on Etsy or eBay for under $100.

Show Off Your Ancestry

Many antiques find uses beyond their original intent. This curvy headboard gets new life as a stylish sculptural element atop a chest of drawers. A twin iron headboard, which you can run across for about $200 on eBay or a salvage yard, also makes for a clever way to feature heritage accessories, such as black-and-white photographs and vintage jewelry. Layering mirrors and other items add depth to the vignette.

Right at Home

Incorporate antiques into all rooms of your home to give them a lived-in, casual vibe. Open shelves in the kitchen are the ideal spot to show off old-fashioned kitchenware, like little pieces of pottery and glassware or a vintage kitchen scale, which you can find for around $50.

From: reThink Interiors

Give It Some Light

Always the quintessential final touch to a coffee table or mantel, candlesticks not only add soft ambient lighting, they also bring visual and tactile appeal. A set of antique candle holders are usually hefty in actual weight, since they're made out of solid wood or metal, and in price with particularly ornately carved ones averaging around $1,000.

The Bibliophile Life

Embrace your inner librarian and use stacks of vintage books as decoration. You can easily pick up a set of the Book of Knowledge encyclopedias for under $100 to make a striking Old-World presentation on your mantel or bookshelves.

Reclaimed Design

Trendy yet classic, old windows and doors are popular wall hangings since they bring a sense of history to your home. Visit your local salvage yard to pick up vintage frames or maybe even a stained-glass window for a couple hundred dollars.

Furniture as Art

Think outside the box and uncover a new purpose for old furnishings. Small wooden antique chairs are hung above the two-toned dresser as sculptural artwork. The pair, which costs around $500, adds a primitive style element to this charming mountain bedroom in Ennis. Mont.

From: Carter Kay

A Stitch in Time

Include elements in a room that cause people to take a second look, bringing instant interest to any space. A vintage sewing machine (which you can buy for around $250) adds a glance-worthy note to this exposed brick bedroom.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

In the Architectural Details

Add character inside or out with antique corbels. The rich patina and intricate details bring a note of historic homes into even the newest build. High-end antique sites will have authentic European corbels for thousands, but a more budget-friendly option is scavenging through a local salvage yard.

From: Terracotta Design Build

Timeless Porcelain

Hang an assortment of china plates for an interesting display. Entire antique sets can cost thousands of dollars, but if you're looking for a collected-over-time look, pick up one-offs at estate sales and flea markets for as little as $20 a piece. Or even better, scour through your family's china cabinets for pieces you can "inherit."

For the Collector

For those with an avid love of a particular collectable, gather them all together in one group for an eye-catching arrangement. In this classic kitchen, antique tools are hung on the wall so the homeowner and his guests can actually enjoy them. Vintage tools range from $25 for smaller gadgets to $200 for larger pieces.

From: Antonio Martins

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Photo By: Photo Courtesy: Dan Piassick

Photo By: Drew Kelly

Photo By: reThink Interiors

Photo By: Jennifer Boomer/ Getty Images

Photo By: Carter Kay

Photo By: Terracotta Design Build

Photo By: Drew Kelly

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