Clean, modern furniture doesn’t appeal to everyone. If you feel most comfortable surrounded by items dating back to last century, follow these tips to decorate with antique pieces in style.

Focus on Condition

An antique sofa might look great in your living room, but not if you find mold stains underneath the cushions or a big chip missing from one of the legs. Evaluate every potential purchase for defects or health hazards. Many vintage connoisseurs don’t mind the occasional fabric tear or dented surface. Decide what you find charming and what turns you off, then stick to those standards.

Create Subtle Vignettes

A group of like objects carries more weight than a single find. If you love scouring antique malls and flea markets for vintage finds, think like a collector. Maybe you’ll create a vignette of antique rolling pins, film cameras, board game pieces, or architectural hardware salvage. If you amass a large collection, look for a curio cabinet in which to display every element in an organized fashion.

Turn One Thing Into Something Else

Stack a set of vintage suitcases to form a makeshift bedside table or wrap an old wine crate in chicken wire to create a floating shelf. Think about ways to repurpose antiques if you can’t use them in their current condition.

Choose an Era You Love

A house filled with antique furniture often looks best when each element comes from the same period. You might prefer Queen Anne furnishings or Edwardian pieces. If you can’t pick a single era, mix and match at random. A collection of antiques from all different periods might work with your eclectic style and seems more purposeful than a single out-of-place element.

Find One Similar Feature

Decorating with antiques means you can’t possibly match every piece of furniture in your home. To create a cohesive style, look for a single similar feature that weaves a thread of commonality among all your finds. Look for similar wood finishes, complementary color palettes, and other ways to tie it all together. If necessary, you can always add new stain, paint, or other embellishments to items that don’t match.

Shop Online

One of the best ways to find great antique furnishing and accents to match these is to look online. There are some great finds on the web—you just have to do some digging to find the perfect ones for your design sense. Online shopping can lead you to one-of-a-kind vintage pieces and, with Soft Surroundings coupons from Discountrue, you can find beautiful vintage furniture for a great price.

Protect Valuable Finds

When you buy an antique or vintage couch, you should sit on and use it. However, some antiques—particularly decorative pieces—require protection. Place them behind glass doors or on tall surfaces to prevent kids, pets, and wayward elbows from damaging them.

Decorating with antiques can prove both rewarding and exciting. When you learn how to incorporate them into your home effectively, they become even more priceless.