While your wardrobes may already be lined with the best vintage clothing, there’s no reason for you to confine your love of vintage to your clothing and style alone. In fact, you can curate a vintage aesthetic throughout your whole home, from your living room to your bedroom.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to design the vintage bedroom of your dreams!
- Start by decluttering. Decluttering your bedroom is the first step towards pulling off a successful renovation. This is because it means you are able to work with a blank canvas when drawing up designs for your ‘new’ room and aren’t distracted by what is already taking up space. Additionally, this also gives you the chance to get rid of any items you no longer need or use (a priority if you think you’re addicted to shopping).
- Put together a budget. In an ideal world, you’d be able to spend as much money as you wanted on your home renovation projects. However, it’s likely that you’ll need to put together some kind of budget ahead of time so that you are able to reign in your spending and stay away from a difficult financial situation further down the line.
- Put together a renovation time frame. Decorating your bedroom can be a lot of fun – which means you might be keen to get started right away, especially if you’ve grown tired of your current design choices. However, it’s also important that you do not rush the process. For example, you might need to save up money ahead of time so that you are able to act on all of your wishes. As a result, you should put together a timeframe for your renovations. This will also help if you’re thinking about hiring a painter or decorator to help you, as you’ll have plenty of time to get in touch with local contractors. In many cases, it’s often cheaper to hire these services ahead of time as opposed to searching for someone on a last-minute basis.
- Choose a specific theme. The first step towards designing the perfect vintage bedroom is deciding what kind of vintage you are going for – due to the fact that there are so many different definitions of the word. For example, you could create a 1920s art-deco-inspired room or transport yourself back to the 1990s (we can hardly believe that the 90s is now considered vintage, either).
- Choose a color scheme. Once you’ve decided upon a theme, the next step is deciding upon a specific vintage color palette to feature within your room. This will make it much easier to select furniture or decorative pieces, as you’ll have something to base your decisions around. For example, you might want to decorate your room with a range of purple or pink hues – or go for something a little bolder.
- Get thrifting. The easiest way to turn your room into a vintage paradise is to go thrifting. This is due to the fact that you’ll then be able to buy furniture that was actually made during the period you are trying to recreate. If you don’t live near any furniture thrift stores, do a little googling to see if you can buy any vintage furniture online.
- Hang some shutters. Replacing modern blinds with vintage-inspired shutters for your windows is another great way to transform your room into a vintage paradise. Even better, they are available in a range of styles and shades, meaning it’s easier than ever to match them to the rest of your furniture for a sleek yet stylish finish.
- Choose a focal point for your room. No matter which room in your house you are renovating, it’s essential that you’re able to choose a ‘focal point’ for the space. This is the first thing your eyes will be drawn to when you enter the room. You can then place the rest of your furniture around this item to avoid the space looking overly cluttered. Usually, in vintage-inspired bedrooms, the focal point will be the bed.
- Brush up on your DIY skills. Despite common misbelief, bedroom renovations do not need to be expensive – you simply need to be willing to get your hands dirty. For example, you’ll find it much easier to stick to a budget if you’re willing to DIY your decorating, such as painting, instead of hiring someone to do it for you.
- Be creative. Decorating your bedroom gives you the chance to put your creativity to the test, especially if you’re struggling to find the right vintage materials for your project. Remember to think outside the box during every step of the process. For example, there are plenty of ways in which you can make the most of vintage wallpaper instead of simply hanging it on your walls. For example, it can also be used to line your dresser or wardrobe.
- Create a photo wall. As mentioned previously, your room should show off your personality – not just a vintage aesthetic. One way in which you can achieve this goal is by creating a photo wall to display your favorite photos. You can ensure that your photos match the rest of your décor by taking polaroids or applying vintage-inspired filters to your favorite pic.
- Reupholster furniture. If you don’t want to replace all of your furniture, don’t worry – you don’t have to. Instead, you could look into reupholstering your favorite pieces so that they better match your new design choices. For example, if you get your hands on some stunning vintage fabric, you could use this to reupholster your armchair or new cushion covers.
- Think about lighting. The lighting featured in your room contributes significantly to the kind of atmosphere you are trying to create. For example, if you want to create a space that feels romantic and alluring, you could hang fairy lights throughout the space. Alternatively, you could purchase vintage lampshades or lights. For example, a statement chandelier is a great way to elevate your bedroom.