Mixing Old and New Classic Furniture: Beautiful, Chic and Fun
Mixing vintage pieces with new furniture is one of the most effective ways to make a home feel both stylish and personal. It’s like curating your own story—a thoughtful layering of old and new that invites depth, contrast, and visual interest. Just as we discussed in our blog on art installation, where combining mediums adds energy to a space, blending furniture styles can often work that same magic. The result? A space that feels curated rather than calculated.
Design legends such as Tommi Parzinger, Emil Stejnar, Eero Saarinen, and Milo Baughman all contributed iconic works that continue to hold their own in contemporary interiors. Their pieces transcend time, offering forms and finishes that remain striking no matter the decade. A Saarinen Tulip Table or a Baughman chrome-framed chair doesn’t just sit in a room—it makes a statement and anchors the aesthetic.
But let’s be clear: incorporating vintage into your space doesn’t mean your home will suddenly feel like a dusty time capsule. On the contrary, vintage pieces can become fresh focal points—especially when reimagined with today’s fabrics, finishes, and styling. A well-worn mid-century armchair can be given new life with bold textiles or a custom upholstery job.
Don’t be afraid to reinterpret a piece unless it’s in mint, collector-grade condition and altering it would significantly reduce its value. For most furnishings, thoughtful restoration enhances both their appearance and usability. (I’m calling this: new classic furniture. As a New York interior designer, I feel this works supremely well here, but truthfully this is an excellent design strategy just about anywhere.)
Sourcing Treasures: New Classic Furniture
Personally, I find the sourcing process to be half the fun. Hunting down just the right vintage piece can be a joy—but I won’t lie, it takes time, patience, and a keen eye. That’s why I often take sourcing trips to out-of-state vendors who’ve built up impressive inventories over decades. These trips open up access to a wider selection of styles, eras, and price points. For my clients, it’s a win-win: a broader range of choices and often better value than buying retail in a big city.
Once the piece is selected, I handle the logistics—from coordinating shipping to arranging any needed refinishing—so that what finally arrives in the client’s home feels effortless and beautiful. There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing a carefully chosen vintage item take its place in a modern room. It brings warmth, history, and uniqueness that no new showroom purchase can replicate.
The key to successful integration? Balance. Mix, match, and accessorize to your heart’s content, but be sure each element contributes to a cohesive visual narrative. A lucite coffee table can sit comfortably next to a velvet-covered Victorian settee—if the colors, textures, and proportions are speaking the same language. (Check out that link just above on 1stDIBS. They have many lucite coffee and cocktail tables to choose from.) Let your space’s palette be your guide, and don’t shy away from contrast. When done right, the old and the new don’t compete—they complement.
New Classic Furniture: Storytelling, Not Just Decorating
Ultimately, decorating with vintage is about more than nostalgia. It’s about telling a layered story, capturing different eras and aesthetics in a way that feels authentic to you. Whether you’re bringing in a Saarinen table or discovering an unlabeled gem at a roadside antique shop, those pieces become part of your home’s evolving identity. And that, to me, is the essence of great design: spaces that feel collected, not decorated.
(We’d love to hear your thoughts on this or on our other design blogs. Have thoughts or qustions on mixing old & new? Please let us know.)