Consistent period authenticity is a difficult ideal to achieve in your home when the temptation of installing a 55 inch plasma TV is all too real and all too devastating to antiquated accuracy. Fortunately, marriages of traditional and contemporary styles are being pioneered to give aged homes a new identity and new leases of life.
Modern, minimalistic fittings can perfectly complement the period home and let their natural contours and charms remain the aesthetic focus.
Retaining and Restoring Structural Features
Before the advent of identikit homes and standardised building materials which replaced personality with watertight budgets; erected buildings were allowed to flourish as extensions of the surrounding area, built into the shape of the land and using materials locally sourced and felled. These features afforded every home a unique personality borne from the architect’s creative eye and the materials available.
Restoring these natural features can help the home retain its natural charm and personality and avoid slipping into the homogenous mass.
Traditional wooden ceiling beams are perhaps the greatest proponent of this ethic. Originally intended to offer structural support and a shell for the home, wooden beams were often implemented without pretence. Whilst this may not have been pleasing for the bourgeois of the time, the antiquated charm is hugely popular now and has come to represent a timeless elegance.
Avoid the temptation to pair these beams with exclusively wooden furnishings. A charming cottage could soon take on the appearance of a cutesy child’s treehouse. Implementing starkly contrasting furnishings such as metal bedframes can add even more resonance and significance to the traditional beams. The understated simplicity of the beams allows the homeowner a little wiggle room to invest in contemporary furnishings with an added flourish and flair.
At FADS, we stock a range of metal bedframes, perfectly suited for adding a little flair to a traditional period bedroom.
Implement Minimalistic Design
One of the graces of modern furnishings is the often minimalistic design they are afforded by advanced production methods. Allow the traditional fittings of the home be the focal point by adding only minimal furnishing. The existing structural contours of the home will benefit from smaller additions.
Elegant, minimalistic fittings in vibrant colours can add simplistic function without compromising the effect of the room’s natural charm.
Dining rooms could benefit from our range of table and chair sets, here, to provide minimalistic elegance complementing the traditional period style.
Don’t be Afraid to Add a Little Colour
One of the most common mistakes made by those decorating a period home is designing a room best suited to black and white photography. With every colour imaginable at our disposal, it can be a little churlish to completely ignore the whole world of hues in favour of ‘natural’ tones.
Painting a featured furnishing in a bright tone can help it really stand out in contrast of the rest of the room. Radiators are ideal features to be the vestibule of colour in the home due to their unconventional and sometimes unattractive appearance. Often the problem child of a room, it is hard to find a colour scheme for the radiator that will help it fit into the aesthetic. Camouflaged in natural tones, the ‘hidden’ radiator often sticks out like a sore thumb even more so. Painting it unapologetically bright and vibrant gives it a sense of purpose and complements the more traditional fittings.
Antiquated does not Mean Neglected
Traditionalist homeowners can be somewhat apprehensive to disturb the equilibrium of their period home, scared of making any changes which will compromise the home’s antiquity. However, tradition and disrepair are not mutually inclusive – caring for traditional fixtures can help retain personality rather than diminish it.
Considered care for wooden flooring in particular can help it retain its natural charm and prolong its life. As a natural material, wood can be susceptible to the effects of the conditions. Learning how to efficiently and effectively care for wooden flooring and ensuring that correct upkeep is taken can prevent heartbreak and hard work later down the line.
For more inspiration, see what others are achieving on Pinterest, or visit the FADS Store.
