Advice: How to Make Old Furniture Fit in a New Build?

A friend of mine is moving into her first home, a new build, but she’s really concerned that they don’t have enough money to refurbish. She’s also worried about the vintage furniture that she currently has. She says…

We’ve got our furniture from our current flat but we live in an old 18^th century manor house so we have vintage chesterfields and a barn-style kitchen table etc. So the only concern we have is if they will look good in a sleek new build? Any advice?

So the question is, how can she blend the old with the new?

Ideas for a Chesterfield Sofa in a Modern Living Room

As they’re moving into a new build, it’s going to be all white and cream – at least at the beginning. Not only is that useful because they can put their own creative stamp on the interior style of the house but it also means that from day one the furniture will look great in their new home. Even though they have arustic chesterfield sofa, I can still envisage it working very well in a modern white living room. The blank walls will emphasise the beauty of the chesterfield, so I’ll encourage them to use it as a centrepiece in that room!

My friend told me that she also needs to squeeze a cowhide rug so the image above shows both at work perfectly. The rug will add that warmth to the white room and combine modernity with rusticity with ease. I personally love it already, and to think, they were worried about old furniture fitting into a new house!

Ideas for a Barn Style Dining Table in a Modern Kitchen / Dining Room

Right, so here’s how to fit a light barn style, rustic dining table into a modern kitchen. Make it fit. What I mean by that is when you put it into your kitchen, even if it’s a modern space you can add decorative touches that add a rustic appeal to match the table. Think about the textures around your kitchen, such as the table runner that you use and towels too. Then there’s hooks and wooden cooking utensils that you can decorate your space with too. Sometimes, all it takes is a small item to bring the old and the new together in one space.

If it’s a dark barn style table it might even work in the couple’s favour. It’ll look very appealing with the contrasting dark wood against the white walls. I recommend creating a country style dining room in that case by adding tactile textures, such as throws and furry cushions. They should finish the space off with rustic additions and voila!

They have nothing to worry about, don’t you agree?