The internet is full of video tutorials on how to make IKEA furniture look like it’s anything but IKEA furniture. In fact, whole sites are dedicated to these IKEA hacks. But what if the goal wasn't to change the IKEA furniture, but to pair it with antique pieces and elevate both?
It’s possible, and here’s how.
1. Start with a statement piece
An easy entry point into room design is to start with a statement piece and build everything else around it, keeping in mind that the clean lines of IKEA furniture work better as a backdrop than a focal point.
Barb Hudson, in a recent issue of House Digest, described this as having IKEA furniture in a supporting role while the antiques take centre stage.
This supporting role is nevertheless an important part of the room’s design – it’s necessary, functional, and quite frankly hard to live without. Your focal point may be an ornate antique coffee table, but without the IKEA sofa to accompany it, you wouldn’t have anywhere to sit!
2. Soften hard lines with texture
Antiques have a natural warmth and tactility that makes running your hand over them a joy. This wonderful warmth can offset the hard lines of contemporary materials, including those used to make IKEA furniture.
Together, they create depth that will add interest to your room’s decor.
3. Use colour to unify the space
Successfully mixing old and new is about finding the right balance, but if it’s slightly off-key, it can look haphazardly assembled. To avoid this ‘thrown together’ look, use a consistent colour palette to unify the space.
Repeated colours that run through the room’s decor bring together your mix of styles and textures, creating an inviting, harmonious space.
4. Create a thoughtful balance
There’s no winning formula to creating the correct balance between old and new. A 70-30 new-to-old balance is often quoted, but everyone’s ideal looks different. Your collection of antique and vintage pieces may be small to begin, but over time, the balance may tip the other way.
5. Be intentional with your choices
If you love something enough to want to showcase it in your home, let that connection guide your design choices. Family heirlooms, antiques, and flea-market finds can all co-exist in the same space as long as they have room to breathe and a place to live.
One thing is guaranteed: IKEA has plenty of affordable, functional furniture to support this, and its unassuming nature makes the perfect backdrop.
Our favourite old-meets-new combination is IKEA's glass-door cabinet from the Hemnes range. It offers an affordable way to showcase collected curios and antique accessories without stealing the limelight. IKEA’s mantra is the wonderful everyday, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the wonderful in such an everyday way as using new furniture to showcase the old.
