Antique furniture makes for a beautiful, unique touch to any home, and is a worthwhile investment to make. However, the process of shopping for antiques, whether it’s at markets, online or in stores, can be intimidating and overwhelming. How are you supposed to know if you’re being ripped off, and how do you begin to choose furniture? Read through this handy guide to make shopping for antiques a little less daunting, and a lot more rewarding in terms of creating your dream home.

1. ) Do your Research: Explore what shops are in your area, from specialized antique furniture stores to vintage markets or even second-hand stores that might house some hidden gems. Auctions, estate sales and online listing websites like eBay and Gumtree can also have some truly one-of-a-kind pieces available.

Visit the physical locations several times to get the inside scoop from the sellers, or even discounts when they want to clear out a particular item in a hurry.

2.) Check the Condition: The furniture you choose needs to have good bones, meaning it should have a sturdy frame and that drawers and doors should open easily. Bear in mind that upholstered furniture like sofas are likely to be in a greater state of disrepair than a chest of drawers or cabinet.

3.) Go Beyond the Brands: Certain furniture makers may be particularly known for their craft during a particular era, but this often comes with a great price tag. Keep an open mind and be willing to go for an unknown brand which might be less expensive but of the same style, quality and era.

4.) Don’t Assume Quality: Just because a piece of furniture is old does not mean it was crafted well. Inferior brands have always existed, meaning they can still be circulating around the market as antique pieces. Look out for low quality materials and workmanship and research some brands so you have an idea of what to look for on the market.

5.) Don’t Expect Perfection: Used furniture will always have some flaws and imperfections. Scratches, dents and discoloration are all things you need to be willing to accept when choosing the antique furniture. Remember, you can always get an item professionally refinished if you would like to restore it to its original condition.

6.) Use Your Bargaining Power: Bargaining is always an option when it comes to antique furniture. Get comfortable with haggling, and look out for anything that allows you to bring down the price further. Minor flaws, like those mentioned earlier, can be used to bargain for a lower price. However, when haggling over slightly damaged pieces, make sure that the cost of repairs don’t exceed the amount you save.

7.) Measure Up: Your antique furniture pieces should serve a purpose. Sure, they can be ornamental, but they need to work well within your space, otherwise they’ll just be relegated to the back of your store room. Take measurements with you so you know exactly where you’ll put the furniture in your home. Don’t go based off eyeballing the furniture, as items will always look bigger or smaller than they actually are when crowded together with other items in a store.

8.) Consider Repurposing: Always keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to repurpose an item. For example, if you’re looking for a nightstand, don’t just focus singularly on nightstands. You could easily turn a small table or chair into a nightstand, or us an old suitcase as a side table or coffee table. Repurposing furniture in an unexpected way gives your home a quirky and distinctive touch, and can also save you money if you’re clever with how you substitute items.

9.) Antique Furniture: When it comes to retail stores, you can buy all your furniture pieces from the same range, ensuring they all complement each other. This, of course, isn’t possible with antique furniture, as pieces are often not in a collection together, or sets are far too expensive to buy together. Your space might also become overwhelming if it comprises entirely of antique furniture.

The way to get around this is to go for individual pieces that work well together and fit into your existing space. This takes creativity and thought, but will result in a truly one-of-a-kind home.

10.) Alternative Replicas: Of course, you may struggle to find antique pieces that are of a suitable quality and look, at reasonable prices, in your area. If you are sick of scouring through online listings and spending your Sunday mornings at markets, consider quality replica furniture instead.

These are made to precisely replicate the look of antique furniture, but without any of the wear and tear that antiques actually suffer.

For some interior designers, it’s easy to choose a design style. They’re staunchly French country, bohemian or beachy. For them, it’s easy to put together a cohesive room because their style is, well, cohesive.

And then, there’s you: you don’t quite know what your design style is because you like a little bit of modern and a little bit of old school. With such a diverse range of tastes, you have a hard time pinning down what you want a room to look like because there are so many different looks you like and want to incorporate.

Rather than throw your hands in the air and give up or, worse yet, settle on a single style just to make your life easier, keep reading: you might just have a transitional design sense, and you’re not alone in your love of a mix of styles.

What is Transitional Design?

Transitional design meets in the middle of contemporary and traditional tastes, creating a look that still feels timeless. In fact, it ends up looking like a fresh take on the traditional design schemes you might find in, say, your parents’ house.

You might see traditionally curved furniture made from a modern, shiny material — think: a traditional chest of drawers covered in pieces of mirror. But transitional design doesn’t start and end with the furniture you place in your room. Often, transitional design spaces incorporate traditional furniture choices and some accents, like crown molding, with more neutral, modern color palettes. Another key design feature are the accessories in the room — or lack thereof. Transitional design aficionados appreciate clean, clutter-free spaces with just the perfect amount of ornamentation.

Millenials have made this design style as big of a deal as it is today. The youngest generation of homeowners still like having the traditional touches of home, but want to put their own stamp on it by blending natural materials, modern updates and all the tech you could want to make your home run smoothly.

How Can I Pull It Off?

It may sound hard to come up with your own version of a transitional space, but the great thing about this hot design style is that it’s easy to replicate and customize. There are virtually endless ways to give your home this blended style.

Start off with the color of your space. Most transitional rooms blossom from a neutral palette in order to maintain modernity. It just so happens that many simple, neutral shades create a more calming, serene vibe, too.

Once you’ve chosen your color, look the rest of the room’s existing elements and work from there. If the space has a traditional fireplace with wooden mantel and overhead crown molding, for example, you’ll need to balance the scale with some modern, clean lines. A rectangular sofa without arms would do the trick, as would a piece of contemporary art hung over the fireplace.

Where you can get a bit more experimental is with the fabrics and textures you bring into your space once you’ve painted your neutral palette. You can add pops of color with fabric, or create interest with textures: contrasting a soft, sleek suede sofa with worn leather armchairs, for example, would be a great mix of new and old.

You can even incorporate this blend of old next to new in the kitchen, where a quick weekend project can update your cabinets. One myth of cabinet hardware in design is that you can’t update a traditional built-in simply by replacing its hardware with a more contemporary knob or pull. Thanks to the rise of transitional design, this is simply not true. Try the same treatment in your bathrooms to give those spaces a modern upgrade as well.

It’s important to remember as you accessorize to always keep it simple. One stunning accessory does the trick, as opposed to a bunch of tiny accessories filling a bookshelf or covering your coffee table. Place an extra-tall orchid at the center of your wooden dining table, for example, to draw attention to the traditional piece of furniture while still keeping it looking sleek and clean with a single accessory.

So… That’s It?

It’s true: your transitional design requires only a balance of what’s old and what’s new. You can easily find that middle ground on your own, updating traditional curves and ornamentation with clean, modern finishes and fixtures. And, by choosing this design style you guarantee your house will be fresh now and classic for longer.

However, if you’re struggling to find your design footing, don’t worry: you can find plenty of inspiration on sites like Pinterest, where more and more home designers are showing off their blended design schemes. You can also enlist the help of a design professional, who will bring your vision to life. No matter what, you’ll come out with a finished product that hits all the right notes.  

Author Bio:

Kacey is a lifestyle blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts.

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Every year comes with new trends, no matter what it’s about, clothing or home décor. Home décor is one thing that is very important because it tells a lot about our personal choice and sense of style. Here we have the best home décor trends for 2017:

Technology, technology, technology

In this modern world, the lives of people revolve around their phones, and now our homes will be too. You can now use the technology to make your home appear more and more smarter. You can control so many items that you use in everyday life with the help of technology. From the televisions to the air conditioners, you can manage everything with a single remote or even with your phone. In the coming years and months, more creative ways will be introduced. It is all going to be extremely convenient for all of us and will be quite suitable for the lives we all are living.

Wood

Wood is another popular thing that is being used these days by everyone for the home décor. Wood flooring looks more than amazing and it instantly makes a space look better and expensive. Other than the floor, wood can be used for the ceilings, it will make your room look great in a matter of seconds and last but not the least, wood is great for the wall décor. This trend is here for years now and will stay forever.

Wallpapers

Wallpapers are trending way too much this year. They are kind of a material that is used to cover and decorate walls in the house; you can choose the designs (seismic, high-tech, custom wallpaper printing) and contrast them with the rest of the things in the room for a more suitable look. You don’t have to paint the wall if you are going to use the wallpaper and the best part is that wallpapers will cost you literally nothing as compared to the wall paints. Wallpapers are available in lots of colors and designs; markets are full of them. You can choose the one that goes with the theme of your house, if you have bright colored furniture, select the wallpaper in lighter shades and if the furniture is light in color, for example, white or light gray, go for the wallpaper in darker shades like navy blue or maroon.

Lighting

Lighting is important. It is that one thing which gives a final touch to the whole space. If the lighting is good, your space will automatically look great, and in the case lighting is bad; your space can never look good no matter how much you spend on it. You can get a nice chandelier for your house to hang in the living room or dining area. It will add a look of luxury to your space.

The colorful curtains and rugs

Curtains and rugs are an absolute necessity when we talk about the home décor. They accommodate the room pretty well and help complete the overall look of a house. Add colorful curtains and rugs to your space and make it look all bright and beautiful. There is a great variety of both available in the markets these days, choose the one you think is better.

Other than all these things, don’t forget to keep the best comforter in your living room, after all your living room should be comfortable for those afternoon naps. All these simple things are on trend and great for the home décor. Stay safe!

About the Author:

This post is written by Julie Austin. She loves traveling, home decorating and hanging out with her friends. She regularly blogs at http://mybedcomforter.com/