Put your antique finds to good use with these vintage bedroom ideas. You can show off everything from antique beds to vintage records in your decor to give your bedroom a gorgeous vintage feel.
1. Vitage Bedroom Ideas: Embrace Dark Finishes
Many antique pieces are dark-colored and feature deep wood tones or paint. If you're working with a small bedroom, the contrast between these dark pieces and lighter walls can actually make the room feel cluttered or small. You can let your antique furniture pieces add a sense of history to your bedroom by choosing dark wall colors to add drama. This allows the darker antiques to become a cohesive part of the room. Jewel-toned paint or dark and dramatic wallpaper help set off antique beds, dressers, and armoires.
2. Decorate With Antique Books
Antique books can be gorgeous and valuable, and they're also a wonderful way to add some vintage style to your bedroom. Break some rules by putting the bed right up against a wall of bookcases. Then fill the bookcases with your favorite antique or rare books. It's a style statement and a practical choice at the same time, since your bedtime reading material will always be within reach.
3. Show Off Your Art Collection
Another vintage bedroom decorating idea is to create a feature wall of antique art. You can use anything from original art pieces to paint-by-number flea market finds or modern reproductions in vintage frames. The key is to have something in common between all the pieces of art and make sure the colors in the art match the bedroom decor. For instance, you could have a collection of sailing paintings with tones that match your bedspread.
4. Hang Antique Wall Mirrors for Vintage Bedroom Decor
You can find antique wall mirrors at flea markets, antique stores, and even garage sales. These mirrors offer an instant window into a vintage world while also magnifying the light in your bedroom. Hang a vintage or antique mirror on the wall opposite to or adjacent a window so it can reflect the most light. Great places include over the bed or dresser or near the door.
5. Use Floor Mirrors as Accents
Another take on the antique mirror is the floor mirror. You can put this vintage bedroom idea into practice by picking up a freestanding mirror at a flea market and placing it in a corner of your room. It will magnify the space and also act as an accent piece that adds instant vintage style.
6. Bring In Antique Accessories
Vintage accessories like dressers sets with antique brushes and mirrors can be an affordable and subtle way to add vintage style to your bedroom. Place the pieces on a dresser or vanity, along with perfume bottles, handmade lace, and anything else you love. This vintage bedroom decorating idea is one of the most affordable, since you can get these small accessories for only a few dollars at most antique stores.
7. Decorate With Records
If you collect records, one way to store your vinyl collection is on your bedroom wall. Simply frame your favorites in square frames and hang them behind the bed or anywhere else you like. You can also display album covers with them if you have some you like.
8. Show Off Vintage Posters in Your Bedroom
Another great vintage bedroom decor idea is to cover the walls in posters from your favorite era. This works especially well for the 1970s. You can find band posters on eBay or at flea markets. Pair them with vintage textiles and lighting, and you have a gorgeous room that offers a clear nod at another time.
9. Use an Antique Trunk at the Foot of the Bed
Trunks were once the primary type of luggage people used when moving from one place to another, and many survive on the antiques market. They are often quite beautiful, but it can be challenging to figure out how to use them in a modern home. Fortunately, they fit right in with a vintage bedroom. You can place an original or restored trunk at the foot of your bed and use it to store extra blankets. It's a practical piece that adds instant vintage style.
10. Decorate Your Bed With Vintage Embroidered Items
In times gone by, embroidery was a huge part of artistic expression - especially for women. You can find affordable antique and vintage embroidered items at any antique store, and they make a wonderful addition to your vintage bedroom decor. Choose pieces that are in good condition and show off colors you enjoy. If they are already made into pillows, you're all set. If not, you can make a simple pillow cover yourself.
11. Celebrate Vintage Textiles and Fabrics
You don't need lots of expensive antique furniture to give your bedroom a vintage feel. In fact, one of the easiest and most affordable vintage bedroom decorating ideas involves celebrating antique textiles. You can find vintage fabric and antique pieces at any thrift shop or on eBay. Choose a common color, such as pink, and begin collecting textiles that have that color. You can mix prints as long as you keep a cohesive color scheme. Use textiles on bedding, pillows, chairs, and more.
12. Put Antique Quilts to Good Use
Antique and vintage quilts offer another beautiful glimpse at textile history. You can find them in good condition at many antique stores, and they look just as gorgeous displayed on a bed as they did a century ago. If the quilt is not in good shape but is still very beautiful, you can also hang it over a chair or on a wall to add color and history to your vintage bedroom.
13. Use Just the Headboard
Most antique beds are too small for today's adult rooms. Even if you embrace vintage bedroom decor, you don't want to be crammed into a tiny bed each night. One solution to this issue is to use only the headboard of an antique bed. Place your queen or king size box spring and mattress on a simple metal frame and then center the smaller antique headboard behind the bed. It will add vintage style that doesn't interfere with your ability to get a good night's rest.
14. Push Two Small Beds Together
Another solution to the problem of antique beds being too small is to push two beds together. You can then top the two beds with a larger mattress. To make this vintage bedroom idea work, you need to choose two beds that match each other. Then you need to measure carefully to determine which size of modern mattress will work on the two beds. Top the mattress with an antique bedspread or quilt, and you're all set.
15. Bring Plates Out of the Dining Room
If you love antique china, there's no reason to limit its use to the dining room. You can decorate a vintage bedroom by hanging antique plates on the wall over the bed. Choose plates that match each other or are have a common theme or color. Make sure the colors in the plates match those you use in decorating the bedroom.
16. Add Some Ladder Back Chairs
Antique ladder back chairs add instant vintage charm to any room, and they can be very useful in a bedroom. The simple style of these chairs means they fit with any type of furniture or textiles, and they are affordable to find at flea markets and online. You can hang a quilt over the back of the chair or simply place it next to the bed or in a corner.
17. Create Vintage Style With Small Furniture Pieces
You don't need to choose an antique bed, dress, armoire, or other large piece to give your bedroom a vintage look. You can also achieve this style with smaller pieces. Look for antique chairs, night stands, and small chests of drawers. These items contribute to the mood of the room, especially if you allow them to shine by keeping everything else neutral.
18. Choose an Antique Bench
It's nice to have a place to sit in a bedroom, and an antique bench is a good choice if you want to embrace the vintage look. You can place the bench at the foot of the bed or under a window. You can choose a Victorian upholstered bench or something simpler like a Shaker style. Either way, it creates instant vintage appeal.
19. Include an Antique Rocker in Your Vintage Bedroom Decor
Another vintage bedroom idea is to include an antique rocker. Like using a bench or a ladder back chair, it offers a place to sit while also giving your room some vintage style. There are many types of antique rockers to choose from, and many of them are affordable. You can find them at antique stores and online.
20. Remember to Include Vintage Lighting
Antique light fixtures are a gorgeous way to add vintage charm to any room, including a bedroom. Chandeliers are not just for the dining room. Hang one from a bedroom ceiling for opulent sparkle. You can also use vintage lamps on bedside tables, desks, and dressers to bring light and beauty to the room.
21. Use Mid-Century Modern Pieces
If you love mid-century modern style, you can add this vintage look with accessories or furniture from the era. A starburst mirror is a great choice for over your bed, or you can use vintage nightstands, mirrors, and other items to bring in that retro vibe. Pair these with soft pastel colors that offer a nod to the 1950s and 1960s.
Let Antiques Inspire Your Vintage Bedroom Ideas
Some of the best vintage bedroom decorating ideas come from special antique pieces. If you base your bedroom decoration around a few vintage pieces you really love, you'll end up with a bedroom you truly find beautiful. The key to decorating with antiques is always to follow your heart.
