How to mix and match oriental vintage and modern decor
Hi everyone!
I’m Alix, the founder of Old HK Lights. For those who follow me on social media you know I’m big on thrifting, and my home is very much aligned with my collections. I’m French, and the essence of my interior styling is definitely European, but after living for 6 years now in Asia I’ve happily incorporated a lot of oriental touches to my home decor.
Through my exposure on social media I often get questions on how to incorporate more oriental touches to one’s modern interiors. I’m a self made interior designer, and I’ll try to stay humble, but I’ll happily share a few of my personal tricks here.
Few tips to begin with:
To become familiar with more oriental vintage pieces, take time to explore, go to renowned antique stores and flea markets to understand better the different options, shapes and colours. There is no “one fits all” style, and through my work I’ve understood that orientable vibe could be reached through multiple type of objects. Ex: blue and white isn’t the only solution. Oriental style has also muted greens, deep brown reds, plain cracked vases, minimalistic trinkets and jars.
Train your eye with real vintage and antique, and don’t source all from drop shipping decoration websites which mainly focus on very glossy, blue and white options. Oriental style is not only about pagodas and ginger jars!
Look for terracotta statues, light celadon or ivory trinkets and vases, hand painted pastel shades ceramic to achieve an oriental yet minimalistic vibe if you already have a more muted type of decor.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match! I have paired a very modern Maison Sarah Lavoine striped vase with a century old hand painted canton rose vase, and it looks surprising and stunning. The stripes bring a lot of contrasts with the traditional floral pattern. I’ve set a tray with antique ceramic oil lamps on my super modern coffee table. The balance between the two centuries works really well! Works also with antique furniture topped with more modern art and decor pieces.
Create “zones” in your interior. I like to thing of my home as a colour palette. I create capsule corners with their own identity, usually stronger atmospheres, and I blend them with more “transition” spaces consisting is more neutral furniture, less saturated tops with books and fewer objects. All together they create a pace and harmony.
Dispatch your “crush” pieces as accents, and take time to complement them, it doesn’t have to be all set immediately. All the spaces I love most at my home are the ones I’ve continuously improved with travel souvenirs, great thrifting finds and other unique pieces.
Inspiration is great, but especially when it comes to vintage and antiques keep it a more personal style. You should have an emotional connection with the pieces you include in your decor, and avoid copy paste. Copy paste often also means mass production, which is really not my vibe!
Invest in HK heritage books and iconic design books, they’re an endless source of inspiration for me. Plus they’re pretty in the decor itself.
Light on a candle, scent is also part of the decor alchemy 😉
