Charming Vintage Decor Ideas for Your Bedroom
Decorating in vintage style means that your home is full of stories waiting to be told or written. Vintage bedroom ideas are among the most personal, as we select treasures to surround us in our most intimate setting.
A vintage feel is comfortable, as it’s easy to wrap yourself in things that someone else has already softened and adapted. Vintage finds can be affordable or extraordinarily expensive. But, it does depend on your tastes and the journey involved in finding the best vintage bedroom pieces. Dive into our collection of top vintage bedroom ideas and learn how to merge your love of all things antique with your signature style.
1. Timeless Antique Vintage Bedroom Ideas
Antiques bring a certain historical atmosphere into your bedroom. Their curves, lines, and textures are often those we’ve never felt before. Unlike furniture bought from a major retailer, antique pieces add an exclusive vintage look to the room. There’s a certain pleasure in breathing new life into vintage furniture or accessories.
Vintage bedroom ideas can include antiques from around the world, and they’re all about options. An antique dresser from Japan has an entirely different look than a similarly sized antique from Germany. Note that it’s perfectly acceptable to mix and match design periods when embracing vintage bedroom design. If you can’t afford genuine antiques, look for recently-manufactured pieces created with vintage style.
2. Vintage Boho Bedroom Ideas
Often, a vintage soul embraces a bohemian vibe. Boho vintage style is the ultimate in mismatched fabulousness, where stripes and botanical prints rest atop a linen duvet, and strings of fairy lights dangle above an oversized antique headboard. Boho decorating ideas draw inspiration from around the globe, so don’t be afraid to include international vintage decoration touches.
You can also feel free to use colors uncommon to traditional vintage bedroom decor. Paint your antique wicker headboard hot pink, and add bright purple drawer pulls to your vintage nightstand. Stick a pink flamingo in a potted plant and toss a metallic silver star pillow atop your pile of white lace pillows.
3. A Palette of Vintage
Generally speaking, vintage bedroom ideas embrace a light color palette. Light or pastel shades of blue, pink, green, and yellow work equally well—especially set against a basic white backdrop. Patterns that were popular in years gone by work well in a vintage bedroom, such as pinstripes, plaids, gingham checks, and floral prints.
Dark colors are permissible in vintage bedrooms, especially if you want to create a masculine vintage style. Deep wood tones, paneling, navy blue, and dark green are great next to vintage furniture pieces. As for wall decor, gilded, highly detailed frames add a bit of sparkle to dark vintage bedroom ideas.
4. Country Style Vintage Vibes
The country lifestyle is particularly welcoming to vintage bedroom decorating ideas. A distressed, painted iron headboard and footboard make for classic country vintage decor. A traditional canopy bed is another sought-after vintage item for those seeking to capture true country vintage style.
Country life makes use of what’s available, and this value translates into unique interior design ideas. For example, use a stack of antique suitcases or hatboxes for a bedside table. Keep window treatments light and airy, and make sure to anchor the room with a well-worn area rug beneath your vintage bed.
5. Subdued Sophistication
Dark furniture, wallpaper, and decor ideas work together to create a dramatic master bedroom. Darker colors are an easy way to masculinize your vintage style and can be applied anywhere in the room. Paint your headboard black and hang a dramatic dark wallpaper with a vintage paisley or stripe pattern.
Neutral linens in a variety of textures can bring lightness to dark decor bedroom ideas. Pair dark colors with white, or use shades of beige and tan. Matte metal finishes add to the dark vintage vibe. Choose brushed silver or gunmetal for frames, lampstands, and other decorative touches.
6. Curating Vintage Aesthetics
Vintage decorating ideas can focus on one time period, or possibly several. You can also build your vintage bedroom ideas around a certain theme, such as timeless musicians or retro Hollywood. Birds and flowers also make interesting vintage bedroom focal points. Hang a lovely French country wallpaper printed with birds on branches, or cover an accent wall with oversized Victorian roses.
Crystals are like beautiful costume jewelry, and a feminine vintage bedroom can never have too much bling. Repurposed wrought iron fence panels, scrolls, and sconces make stunning wall decor over a bed frame or door. Hang antique advertising signs, or distress-finish new candlesticks to add that vintage vibe.
7. Eclectic Fusion
Someone once said that vintage means pre-loved. If that is the primary definition, then anything goes. Eclectic style brings together the old, the new, the colorful, and the basic. As with bohemian vintage bedroom style, an eclectic vintage room uses bright colors and mixed patterns.
Maybe fur pillows and mandala prints weren’t popular for use side-by-side in Victorian times, but the decor combination works in a current eclectic vintage space. The use of bright colors and mixed textiles can help expand the impact of a small bedroom.
8. Rustic Farmhouse Simplicity
A decidedly vintage vibe is one of the appeals of farmhouse decor. It marries the best of past and present, incorporating elements that are both rustic and refined. If your interior design style leans “farmhouse,” you don’t have to worry about having perfect vintage or antique pieces. Leaving cracks, chipped paint, or worn patina in place adds to the vintage feeling.
Include lots of natural textures in your vintage farmhouse bedroom. Chunky knit blankets, embroidered sheets, wicker baskets, exposed wood beams, and lots of metal accents are a must in farmhouse style. Add a green plant or two to liven up the space, set in glass or pottery containers.
9. Balancing Past and Present
While “modern vintage” sounds like conflicting ideas, elements of both design styles can coalesce surprisingly well. Many would say that old and new belong together in every room. Every modern bedroom can benefit from even a subtle touch of vintage style.
Buying and repurposing vintage pieces is one of the most modern decisions one can make because it’s good for the environment. Making old things new might include painting a vintage bed fire-engine red or another bold, modern color. Get creative with mixing eras by placing a mid-century nightstand next to an antique canopy bed.
10. Understated Elegance
Neutral colors tend to be soothing to the senses. Grey, beige, tan, ivory, and cream are quiet, even tones to use in your vintage bedroom. When the color palette is largely neutral, it allows furniture form and fabric textures to stand out.
A large, neutral-toned area rug brings warmth to wood floors and provides an anchor for your vintage bed, dresser, and chair. Using neutral colors is great in a guest bedroom, where you want guests of all ages, backgrounds, and preferences to feel comfortable.
11. Nostalgic Reimagining
Retro vintage style hearkens back to the 40s, 50s, and 60s, incorporating mid-century design elements with older design styles. You might frame a series of retro travel posters or focus your room on a particular old Hollywood film star.
Retro color options include pink, teal, and metallic tones. Mod prints such as boomerangs and stars accentuate mid-century furniture and accessories. Black and white can also convey a retro vibe.
12. Elegantly Weathered
Shabby chic decor embraces what others would perceive as flaws. It welcomes chipped paint, faded fabrics, comfortably worn surfaces, and hints of rusty patina. With shabby chic room decor, imperfections are beautiful.
Shabby chic elements include lace, pale colors, soft fabrics, and botanical prints. You can combine them in a way that is both worn and refined, formal yet comfortable. Accessorize with antique china cups and pitchers painted with roses and violets. A crystal-embellished chandelier is another fixture in classic shabby chic decor.
13. Time-Honored Charm
If your entire home is traditional, you probably already have antiques and vintage pieces in every room. Fans of traditional decor are usually also fans of history, relishing in the historic tales that accompany each vintage piece. Even if you don’t know the stories behind antiques found at flea markets, you can imagine them, creating a fun tale that accompanies each piece.
In an older, traditional home, you often have interesting architectural features, such as fireplaces in the bedrooms. Incorporate any unique architectural structures into your vintage bedroom plan. For instance, place your bed in front of a beautiful mantle instead of purchasing a headboard.
FAQs
How can I make my bedroom look vintage?
Start by visiting your local antique store or flea market. Look for vintage-style furniture, a vintage rug or two, and other kinds of vintage bedroom decor. Replace the home decor items you currently use with your new-to-you finds. Soften the room’s color scheme and add bedding or pillows in a floral pattern.
How can I make my room look vintage without buying anything?
First, ask your grandparents or aunts if they have any antiques they’d like to pass your way. Offer to look through their attic or basement to make it easier for them. If that’s not feasible, you can achieve a vintage look by painting your current furniture with a distressed finish. If you’re crafty, distress your current artwork as shown in the following video for a faux vintage vibe.
What colors are in a shabby chic vintage bedroom?
Shabby chic vintage decor relies on soft colors to create its comfortable appeal. Pale pink, mint green, light yellow, and barely blue are all excellent colors for walls, bedding, rugs, and lighting fixtures. Set these pastel shades against white bedroom furniture for a classic shabby chic bedroom.
