the charm of vintage

(photos all from Anthropologie)

I love coffee table books - especially design books - and can spend hours paging through them absorbing every detail of the lovely interiors. I am so excited for my latest Amazon order to arrive because I am adding two more books to my collection.

I've had my eye on Flea Market Style by Emily Chalmers for months, and when it didn't turn up under my Christmas tree this year (my mistake - I forgot to put it on my wish list!), I just had to order it. That, and because I'm sure that the staff at Barnes+Noble is sick of me paging through their copy! Flea Market Style illustrates how to incorporate antique furnishings into contemporary spaces in fresh and unexpected ways. It emphasizes the importance of taking time to adorn your home with thoughtfully selected pieces. The interiors are swoon-worthy and full of handy ideas for decorating in the Vintage Modern style.

The second book, which looks to be just as inspiring, is Creating Vintage Style by Lucinda Ganderton. This book not only provides delightful photos of Vintage Modern interiors, it also highlights the key elements that create the look and suggests ways to incorporate those elements to suit your own style. It shows that Vintage Modern is an easy to style to live with that can also be easy on your wallet.

I love Vintage Modern. There is something so warm and inviting about an interior that merges the old with the new. Well-worn furnishings and fabrics seem to have a story to tell, and it's exciting to see how objects that were functional in their past lives can be used in completely new ways, sometimes to be just appreciated for their own beauty. I think it's lovely to blend objects full of character with those still waiting to develop their own patina and story.

Holly, over at at decor8, blogged about the style yesterday, and I love the term she has come up with to describe it: Boho Modern. Holly writes, "Boho Modern is: Mixing old with new. Building your space over time. ...feminine with an edge. It's deeply personal... Traditional design "rules" are thrown out the window, replaced by a casual beauty that comes from the heart. It's all about textures and details. It's about living a more creative life and decorating from the heart. Eclectic living."

Now if that doesn't sum up this charming style, I don't know what does.