…adds the rough in rough luxury. Think understated opulence, stripped-bare history, gentry down on their luck, faded glamour and romance…

[pics from top left: 1 - Marie Claire Maison, 2 - Channel Four/Homes, 3&4 - Sharyn Cairns, 5 - Apartment Therapy, 6 - Sharyn Cairns]

I find the images above beautiful – who knew stripped-bare plaster could look so good! Not sure if I’d want this exact look at home though. The rooms feel a bit too cold, a bit too rough, and not quite “updated” enough for modern living (with the possible exception of the home office bottom left). I would want more of the new and luxurious in the mix, more modern and sleek surfaces and more textiles and warmth. After all, you’ll want it to look as if it was left rough intentionally and not because you ran out of money half way through the renovation! :)

A couple more rooms below, here with more modern, more luxury and more plush warming textiles…

[pics 1&2 - Roundhouse Design, pic 3 - Living Etc]

…together with something new, something old and something borrowed. An excellent interior design formula!

| images: The world of interiors, August 2010 issue |

The ‘borrowed’-part might have several translations in terms of decor, e.g borrowed from another style…borrowed from a friend…Bottom line is though, I’m crazy for blue. Hit the tag blue you’ll find a dozen posts I’ve written about this colour. It keeps coming back! And, I am completely on the mix-track. Take stuff you love, whether they are new, old, inherited, found at the dump or borrowed. Let the elements play together. Add blue :)

| image: Living Etc, September 2010 issue |

Displays of natural history objects like insects, bones, seashells or just anything quirky and peculiar, along with glass bell jars (big trend alert on these!), statues or anatomical drawings, can create really interesting focal points. I think this Victorian and gothic touch works especially well in otherwise quite modern schemes as it brings out the contrast between new and old. 

                                                                                        (mouse over pics for sources)

I really like the look created by mixing items from different eras in a completely current way. The contrast is fun and interesting and makes the old look older and the new newer! Mid-century classics (like the Saarinen tulip chairs from 1958 in the pic below for example) are great to use in an eras-mix as the 50s “space-age” style tends to look more modern than modern items!

To me, this “retro-vintage-antiques-modern” mix is all about recycling and reusing great designs from the past – disregarding as many rules about consistency and coherence as possible – and in the process creating interesting and elegant rooms fit for modern living. This eclectic style (which might be easiest to pull of in a period property), ought to have real staying power. So many combinations to try! Posssibly stay clear of the most heavily used 50s classics at the moment to avoid it all looking predictable, but overall I can’t see a room with a successful and harmonious vintage-modern blend going out of fashion any time soon!

Here’s more from the same stylist…

All of the above pics come from stylist Aaron Hom.

In an article of the Swedish magazine Sk̦na Hem, the home of a couple living in an old elementary school is portrayed. I think this mix of old and new, modern and classic Рstill with a effortless feel Рis inspirering: