How To Bring Character To Your Modern Space With Vintage Art
Traditional paintings are not just for traditional interiors.
Something wonderful happens when they’re pulled out of context and placed into contemporary settings. Suddenly, that fusty face staring out of a gilded frame feels reborn, as you can see from these stellar spaces. Time to hit the flea markets and salvage stores! Click through to learn how to incorporate vintage (or vintage-style) art into your modern space.
So much personality! A feisty blend of old and new elements add up to a ton of fun in Toronto designer Quinn Cooper’s living room. The winky wallpaper, from Urban Outfitters, is a brilliant foil to the vintage paintings Quinn picked up at various antique shows. A pink, black and gold palette is youthful and modern.
House & Home April 2020
Strike a balance between old and new by adding a vintage painting that jolts viewers out of their comfort zone. The classical bust is another unexpected element here. We also like how the brass hood vent picks up the gold in the frames.
Alessia Zanchi Loffredo of reDesign home loves the inglenook in her home — that’s the recessed area above the fireplace. So, she played it up with a wood mantle, articulating sconces and an antique canvas. “By styling the space with vintage paintings, I’m honouring a connection to the old days,” says Alessia.
You probably wouldn’t give the shelves in this gorgeous kitchen a second glance, if it wasn’t for that striking portrait near the sconces. It gives the space such edge. Varying the heights of the accessories also adds interest.
A few strong elements make this indigo-blue vignette sing, from the monochromatic scheme to the Eames velvet lounger — but the mysterious gent by Canadian artist Gordon Shadrach really makes everything pop.
House & Home February 2018
Don’t just hang your paintings on the wall — have a little fun, like designer Ines Mazzotta did in this graphic kitchen. She tucked this gilded lady among the dishes, creating a totally unexpected moment: “Who doesn’t want a 17th-century Dutch girl eating a hamburger in their kitchen?” says Ines with a laugh.
House & Home December 2019
In this Montreal rowhouse, a solitary Madonna — that the owner brought back from Peru — makes a statement. We like that there’s room for the piece to breathe against the original brick walls.
House & Home November 2018
Want to make a memorable first impression in your entryway? Look to designer Scott Yetman: he painted the wall of his country home black to highlight the unique ceilings and give the grand portrait the attention it deserves.
House & Home December 2020
Despite the eye-popping panoply of stuff in the kitchen of designer Cynthia Zamaria’s heritage house in Port Dover, Ontario, the eye is immediately drawn to the serious gentlemen up top.
House & Home November 2019
A cluster of antique portraits and pastoral paintings livens up this nook. Inspired by Belgian kitchens and English sculleries, designer and homeowner Angela Wheeler wanted an unfussy look, so she removed the frames — a smart way to modernize the artwork.
House & Home November 2019
The mudroom’s deep vintage sink, moss-colored panelling and natural greenery make this classic portrait feel right at home.
House & Home November 2019
Shake up the open-shelf display with a leaning piece of vintage art. Dishware can feel predictable; layering in an older painting makes it feel unique.
House & Home June 2019
Retro portraiture works well in a clean-lined interior; its timeworn patina warms up the room and adds character and texture. Spot this handsome painting in this Bowen Island, B.C., custom home. The homeowners found it on one of their first trips to the Round Top Texas Antiques Show.
House & Home May 2020
“A home needs to have a lot of personality; it reflects who you are, after all,” says designer Patti Rosati, whose art-filled condo certainly shows off her creative side. Check out the portrait of the lady above the console. It’s a total talking point!
House & Home March 2019
Belgian architect Nicolas Schuybroek renovated an old butcher shop into his unpretentious family home, which he filled with classical elements — life-size gent and all. To the left of the painting is the living room (you can see a portion of the fireplace surround). The piece offers drama to the room.
Genevieve Makinson’s heritage home in Toronto has an eclectic sensibility that’s colorful, arresting and one-of-a-kind. A crisp white backdrop and modern elements, including the Serge Mouille floor lamp, makes the old-school painting feel exciting and current.
House & Home October 2017
Comfortable couches and an inviting collected atmosphere as a whole define the living room Amber Interiors created for a family in Santa Monica. Dual sconces frame the paintings, giving them presence. Overlapping the one painting over the other lends a relaxed vibe.
Amber Interiors
From the striped headboard to the Home Sweet Home banner pinned to the wall, nothing about this lovely bedroom is traditional. And yet there she is: a lady dressed for a garden party; an idiosyncratic flourish that keeps the room from feeling overly modern.
Studio McGee
It’s not just the splashy combination of tiles in this Hollywood Hills bathroom by designer Caitlin McCarthy that has us impressed; the unusual decision to go with a painting as a compelling counterpoint deserves high marks, too.
This hunter green kitchen by UK’s deVOL Kitchens is right on trend. The fine art displayed along the picture rail is like visiting a mini art gallery every time you make toast in the morning.
deVOL Kitchens
The internet is going gaga over Jenna Lyons’s SoHo loft, and in particular this drop-dead gorgeous bathroom. The style-maker and former president of J.Crew clearly has a thing for marble. The tub and vanity are made out of Breccia Capraia marble, elevated ever-so-perfectly by the male portrait who presides over the bathtub.
A bearded and bow-tied dandy plus white paint and pottery is a win in photographer Kara Rosenlund‘s 19th century worker’s cottage in Queensland. The portrait is unexpected in the setting, which makes the kitchen that much more interesting.
An earthy-meets-whimsical aesthetic by Los Angeles-based interior designer Katie Hodges makes for a charming vignette in this Spanish Revival home, but it’s the mysterious vintage painting that steals the spotlight.
Designer Lauren Liess, who is based just outside of Washington, D.C., hung some of her favorite antique oil paintings above the kitchen sink to enjoy them every day. They’re not too precious, so worrying about water splashing up is no big deal. We love the refined-rustic balance created by the artwork.
Lauren Liess & Co.
Designed by Raji RM & Associates, this luxury home in Washington, D.C., has a museum-like quality thanks to the large, focal-point mural. Though the piece depicts a centuries-old girl, the space feels refreshingly of the moment because of the mid-century modern furnishing.
Raji RM & Associates
We agree with Los Angeles designer Emily Henderson that it’s tacky to decorate with a print of a famous painting — say, the Mona Lisa or Van Gogh’s Starry Night. On the other hand, an unknown lady’s head under a window is oddly super cool.
Emily Henderson
Chicago-based Shelby Girard, the head designer at Havenly, is known for her chic, restrained aesthetic she calls Parisian Modern. She displays her craft in this sophisticated living room, where the impeccable contours and colors of the painting draw in the eye.
Shelby Girard