Do you love sleek lines and polished surfaces, or do faded paint and claw-footed bath tubs make your heart skip a beat? Maybe you like a combination of both, or you're on the fence about which direction you want to go with your home decor. Here is a guide to help you choose, or successfully combine the modern and vintage styles of home hardware.
Basics of a Modern Bathroom or Kitchen:
Modern styles are more sleek and polished, with more geometric shapes, straight or smoothly curved lines and clear-cut angles. They are much simpler, with solid colors that are often neutral. The neutral shades are often referred to as earth tones, and are not featured on the color wheel (black, white, gray, beige, tan, etc.).
1. Amerock 2. Siro Designs 3. Top Knobs 4. Atlas
Basics of a Vintage Bathroom or Kitchen:
Maybe you have a specific era in mind. Mid-20th Century retro, or Victorian, or just a general shabby chic/rustic vibe are just a few examples. If you want to do vintage, then you probably have a pretty specific genre in mind.
Vintage home hardware often comes in colors that are warm or cool (they can be found on the color wheel). Be sure to balance brighter colors with plenty of surrounding neutrals, to keep the colors from being too overwhelming.
1. Amerock 2. Hickory Hardware 3. Siro Designs 4. Richelieu
Tips for Combining the Two:
When the modern world and the vintage or rustic combine, it's usually because the existing home decor was already one or the other. If you moved into an older home and you want to give it an update without losing the old world charm, adding modern-styled home hardware or accessories would be a great idea.
When installing home hardware of the opposite side of the spectrum, try to find a matching finish that goes with existing hardware in the house, or choose a color/finish that goes well with the other colors in your bathroom or kitchen.
1. Brass Accents 2. Sugatsune
Since the colors of the modern style are often neutral, you shouldn't have a hard time finding vintage home hardware that goes well with the existing modern decor. Things that are harder to change, like wall treatments, carpets and indoor architecture can stay the same, while you add interest with inverse-styled light fixtures, cabinet hardware and bathroom accessories (things that are much easier to change).
