Mixing Vintage and Modern in Maura's Big Girl Room and One Kings Lane Home Resource Guide

Hey!! How is everybody? Don't you guys just love the online home decor retailer One Kings Lane?
I pretty much get sucked in everyday checking out their daily sales, especially when its so easy to browse on my phone while waiting to pick Maura up from pre-school or during that very rare second to myself at the playground. When OKL asked me to share how I mix old and new in my home to help introduce their new Home Resource Guide, I immediately thought it was time to share some pics of Maura's still-in-progress "Big Girl Room". It's still not "done" and on a day-to-day basis its pretty much a mess, but here's some select peaks highlighting how I've started to mix vintage finds and family heirlooms in with modern pieces. 

As soon as we began thinking about moving Maura out of her crib and into a bed, I called my Mom and asked her if I could have the old headboard and foot board that used to be mine when I was growing up. When I was little my walls were peach and I had a peachy small floral comforter, all with the matching end tables and high and low dresser that came as a set. I knew that if I combined just the walnut poster bed with new light and bright bedding and functional and stylish white storage from Ikea, I would have the fresh yet warm look I was after. Plus, how sweet is it that my daughter is sleeping in the bed that I slept in when I was her age? So cool!


{quilt is Pottery Barn's Scalloped Organic Patchwork and the polka dot Ikat pillow is from Home Goods}
I'm still figuring out exactly what my decorating style is (and let's face it, even though this room is Maura's, I gotta love it too!!!), but I now know I love hitting up antique shows and flea markets to find one of a kind pieces with history to incorporate throughout our home. I've made a trip to the infamous Brimfield Antique Show every year since 2009 when I first discovered it. I bought this HUGE wire metal basket from an old slipper factory in NY on my first shopping spree there and it is perfect here in Maura's room to coral all her stuffed animals!


{pink patterned drapes are from Land of Nod and were in her nursery, wall color is Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue}
If you didn't already know, I have a thing for vintage and antique ephemera, especially botanical prints. I bought these four 19th century hand-colored lithographs of German flowers at Brimfield when I was pregnant with Maura to hang in her nursery. When she moved down the hall to her big girl room (so Ian could have the baby room), the botanicals came with, we just rehung them in a new configuration above her new dresser.

{Ikea Hemnes 3 drawer chest in white with new knobs from Home Goods, lamp from Home Goods, West Elm's Modernist Bowl in yellow to hold hair bows}

Mixing vintage things with new things gives a space that collected feel. And you don't have to spend a lot of money to do so. Maura is so obsessed with all things horses, My Little Pony, etc. that when I spotted this brass unicorn statue at a local flea market for $5, I didn't hesitate to bring it home with me for the top of her dresser. (I'll be honest, a lot of the times she grabs it off there and we use it as another figure to play with!) It sits on two of my old Cherry Ames books from when I was a kid - more vintage! - and next to the "fairy" house that Maura decorated at her 3rd birthday party.


I'm really proud of the direction this room is going in and Maura loves it too! Bringing in vintage pieces to kid friendly spaces not only looks good, but it makes practical sense too. After all, this stuff has already proved itself in the wear and tear department and its about to get even more of a workout in the years to come. Timeless, classic, sentimental...you can't go wrong:)

So, by the way, technically, I don't really know anything about antiques, or what is real and what is fake, or how much stuff should cost/what's a good bargain. That's why in the past when I've gone to shows like Brimfield I just tend to buy smaller, accessory type items that catch my eye. But maybe I can start to read up on things over on the Home Resource Guide, where you can learn about the history of furniture through the centuries, and next time I head out shopping I'll have a little more confidence:)

Their new site also has tons of helpful articles. If you're looking to mix more old in with your new, here's 8 Ways to Give Your Home a Vintage Feel and even though my old bed was in great shape, I could have used Vintage Furniture: When to Refurbish and When to Replace. And, if I had been really smart, and not in a rush to jump in like I always am, I probably should have read How to Decorate Your Bedroom to Showcase Your Personality before we started on this room!!

Have you guys been adding vintage or antique pieces to any kid spaces lately?

PS. Sorry for the recent blog silence, Ian turned 1 over the weekend (sniff, sniff) and I was cramming for his party! Will share pics of that soon:)

Comments

  1. I love it all- especially the bed you had as a kid! That's so great that she held onto it. I also really love a mix of old and new- though I admit it can be difficult to pick out old treasures amongst a sea of other old things, you know? Definitely takes a trained eye for design to see it in a different space, so well done! And I cannot believe your baby turned one! I hope you all are doing well!

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  2. Our bedrooms growing up probably looked very similar. Mine was white with peach and mint green accents. oh, the '80s :) Anyway, Maura's bedroom looks so fresh and modern. I would have loved it as a little girl.
    P.S. How did the baby become a year old already??? how quickly time flies!

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