Inexpensive Decor Secret #3 - Vintage Meets Modern

You know what bores me right out of my gord? A modern design magazine. Or a traditional one. They leave me feeling...how shall I say...meh? 

But there's a whole new world of possibilities when you open your mind to mixing old with new. It's like magic. Old things look fresh. New things get some personality. It's my not-very-secret design trick. Not so secret, I guess, since the folks over at One King's Lane caught wind of it. They're launching a new line of vintage items (genius!) and to celebrate, they're kicking it off by inviting bloggers who love mixing vintage and modern to post about it. 

So now begins a little tour of my favorite spots so you can see the magic for yourself. Just in time for this post, my living room successfully shifted toward glam (I've been trying for a while) and you know what made the biggest difference? This modern, luxurious rug with shimmery silver threads and these gold, vintage end tables I pushed together and topped with glass. (This is the project I was feeling so sheepish about, since I "just" made the room over six months ago.) I just never quite got to glam until now. Shazzam!!

By the way, that pink chair to the left is one of my all-time favorite vintage finds. Everything about it thrills me, from its pink shell back to it's triple, bent arms.

My dining room mixes a painted Duncan Phyfe table with chairs from Ikea, a pair of graphic print curtains and an antique doctor's filing cabinet. 

Our bedroom boasts vintage hotel lamps (with handy twisty switches at the base) and new shades, a vintage quilt at the bottom of the bed, but new toss pillows from Target. Old plates decorate the wall above our bed, with pages from an old book framed between. 

This magical moment is brought to you by an old mixing bowl acting as a utensil caddy. I really wanted school house lights in my kitchen, but lacked the funds to send off for one (much harder to come by four years ago). This milky glass with the same ridges give me my retro fix and pair nicely with my new timer from Anthropologie. 

This sweet little shelf is one of two that hang in my daughter's room. I found vintage books that where reminiscent for me or had heart-warming artwork. Since they're fragile, it was nice to have them out of reach, but easy to grab and read when I was there to "help."

My son's room has this sweet little boat that stole my heart. His whole room is lighthouses and boats and such, but this is my favorite "themed" item. The old stool gives the room character too. 

So if you're inspired to mix in some old (or some modern) you can find all kinds of information at the Home Decor Shopping Handbook.  Oh, One King's Lane! You think of everything!