How to mix antique with modern

Antiques can harmonise and lift a contemporary setting if you know how to incorporate them. MARIE-HÉLÈNE VAN HOUTEN, owner of antique colonial furniture specialists The Past Perfect Collection, gives us her tips on how to get it right.

Antique furniture

Good antique pieces can be beautifully combined with modern pieces and design. It can still give a more contemporary look to a space, while retaining a sophisticated traditional elegance along with it. Assuming that choosing, mixing and placing the pieces is carefully thought out, then the old and new, combined with the right accessories, can learn to live together very well. Here are two top tips to make antiques work in a contemporary interior.

#1 Use the 80/20 rule:

As long as 80 percent of your interior is unified by the same style, same period or same philosophy, you can deviate with the other 20 percent. In other words, a fine antique can absolutely work in an ultramodern space; just give it a try.

#2 Create a focal point:

By sticking to one or two neutral tones in a scheme, the background becomes a perfect canvas for highlighting a particular piece. With the right lighting or a pop of accent colour or trim, an antique piece can immediately stand out.

Business background

Top-quality British colonial antiques made during the 19th century in India are the stars of Past Perfect’s showroom, with the collection handpicked by Dutch couple and owners Pieter and Marie-Hélène on their travels to India. Each unique piece is restored to its former glory with exquisite polishing and fresh upholstery, before hitting the store in the Tan Boon Liat Building.

Past Perfect
#11-05 Tan Boon Liat Building 315 Outram Road
6737 3078 | pastperfect.sg

Want some home inspiration? See our home decor section!

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This article first appeared in the Expat Living Home & Property Guide . You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!