Interiors expert Sally Cullen shares her top tips on how to decorate your home in a vintage style. Sally has been working with soap company Palmolive, as they have created a new vintage-inspired range to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year.
Home and Garden on Female First
If you have a passion for vintage interiors the chances are you already have a burgeoning collection of items that you feel passionate about. Whether that's fifties handbags, classic thimbles or even kitsch tea cosies! Take your collection to the next level by displaying it on a wall somewhere prominent; I have a lovely taffeta prom dress that hangs on my wardrobe door and it makes me happy everything time I look at it.
- Some of the most effective ideas can be the simplest and cheapest to create: collect a few jam-jars, the more varied in shape and size the better. Soak off their labels in warm water, for stubborn patches rub with a little lighter fluid to get a clean finish. Fill the jars with water and freshly cut flowers from the garden and you'll have a stunning shabby-chic display in no time!
- I love collecting vintage lace tablecloths, the stitch work and detailing can be beautiful. To add a new lease of life to old tablecloths that have seen better days consider dying them in the washing machine in bold vibrant colours. You don't just have to use them as tablecloths either: they make great window dressings or even cushion covers.
- Making overnight guests feel welcome in your home is an important part of playing host. Ensure your friends feel special by offering them an overnight kit that you can leave in their room. Palmolive's Damask Rose & Musk soap is beautifully packaged and would make a thoughtful gesture left out for your guests. You could also include a pretty folded towel, a vintage decanter filled with fresh water, or even a milk jug with a few garden flowers for that home-made touch.
- Pretty floral tea-cups and saucers are the staple of any vintage-inspired home. You can pick them up everywhere from jumble sales to your local charity shop. If, like me, you have an excess of tea-cups why not use them less usual ways throughout your home. They make lovely planters for spring bulbs such as Narsissi and Hyacinths. Or you could even invest in a candle-making kit and use them as a vessel for home-made potted candles which is a perfect present idea too.
- If you have a passion for vintage interiors the chances are you already have a burgeoning collection of items that you feel passionate about. Whether that's fifties handbags, classic thimbles or even kitsch tea cosies! Take your collection to the next level by displaying it on a wall somewhere prominent; I have a lovely taffeta prom dress that hangs on my wardrobe door and it makes me happy everything time I look at it.
- Try giving thinking up different uses for some of your favourite
vintage homewares. For example I have some gorgeous cut-glass cake stands but they're chipped and past their best. Instead of consigning them to the back of the cupboard I use them in my bathroom to display my prettiest toiletries including Palmolive's Damask Rose & Musk hand soap. You could try the same in the bedroom for your favourite pieces of jewellery. - If some of the chinaware you've collected over the years is looking a little dated or worn try giving it a new lease of life by spraying it with a spray paint in the colour of your choice. You could go bright and bold with vivid colours, mix and match within a set colour scheme or simply create a flat-white finish for a pretty, sophisticated feel.
- To add some vintage charm to your kitchen think carefully about the products you choose to have on display. For example Palmolive's Bergamot & Verbena Liquid Hand Soap comes in a delightfully vintage-style bottle. For products whose packaging you might not want to show off (such as dishwasher tables or washing up liquid) simply decant into Kilner bottles or pretty glass lidded jars.
- Vintage biscuit tins are an instant way to add colour and pattern to any room. Don't just keep them in the kitchen- fill them with buttons and cotton reels to create a stylish sewing box or keep your nail varnishes fresh along with a pair of nail scissors and a nail file for the prettiest manicure box.
- Create a beautiful and functional to-do list in your home by framing a standard wall-mounted blackboard with a striking vintage frame. The frame could be ornate and gilded in gold or simply painted with your favourite vintage colours; either way your shopping list will never look the same again!
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