Visiting a museum can be an inspiring experience to say the least, especially when it comes to interior design. Seeing all those eras filled with stunning artwork and grand statues might make you desire a bygone look for your home that pays homage to history, and rightfully so. Our ancestors knew what they were doing in the aesthetics department.
But there’s a fine line between emulating a museum and showcasing antique finds in a way that honors them while still feeling fresh and modern. Although a museum brims with beautifully displayed antiquities, it shouldn’t be an exact look you strive for in your own home.
“When I think of a museum, I think of the royal residences and palaces I have visited through the years on my buying trips to Europe,” says Robin Rains of Robin Rains Interior Design + Antiques, LLC. “While these places are rich in history and hold some magnificent antiques, I would not choose to live in a home that reminded me of a museum. The way these ornate pieces are displayed does not speak ‘comfortable’ or ‘livable’ as we want our homes to be today.”
Ahead, discover why the museum look isn’t exactly ideal for a modern-day home, and find out the most original ways to weave antiques into your decor.
Why It’s Important to Avoid the “Museum” Look
Interior decorator Caroline Gidiere believes that mirroring a museum suggests a lack of comfort, when that should really be the ultimate goal in your home. She says, “You should be comfortable, and so should your guests,” she observes. “Museums are not geared for comfort—only captivating display.”
Antiques expert and entrepreneur Tara Shaw says that while she loves the Louvre in Paris, your home should tell your own story, and should also spotlight a balance of collected antiques mixed with current, comfortable upholstery, something that can create a look that’s undeniably unique and different from everyone else’s abodes.
How to Use Antiques Without Your Home Looking Like a Museum
Mix Old and New
The easiest way to create an anti-museum look in your home? By blending together antique treasures with modern touches. As Gidiere says, “If you have a lot of antiques in a room, why not balance it with modern art?”
Additionally, Rains believes that an ornate antique can harmonize quite nicely with clean-lined midcentury lighting, something that creates the “perfect juxtaposition,” as she says.
Windswept (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Add Contemporary Furniture
Rains says that if you’ve amassed a lot of similar family heirlooms over the years, or you’re continually drawn to antiques that all look alike (i.e. in the same hue or from the same time period), adding contemporary, clean-lined furniture is a way to bring your space into the modern era. “This ‘friction’ will tease the eye and present a more collected feel,” Rains says.
Combine Light and Dark Hues
Let’s say that many of your antiques carry a dark hue. In this case, Gidiere recommends going with light and bright shades for all the other wood pieces in the room. And if several of your antiques are light in color, why not bring in dark colors to create some balance?
Borrow from Various Time Periods
You know how museums are divided up into time periods and places, such as Ancient Greece and Victorian England? With this in mind, it’s important to stay away from “sameness” with your antiques and show off a sampling from various ages and locales.
For instance, Shaw likes to pair antique dining tables with midcentury chairs. Rains points out that a stained chest can mix well with a chrome and glass cocktail table.
Bring in Natural Materials
“Use natural materials in your home such as marble, travertine, wooden beams, and limestone,” Rains advises. “These materials pair beautifully with a mix of curated antiques and clean-lined upholstery to tell your story of a warm, inviting home.”
Let Go of Perfection
At the end of the day, in order to sidestep museum-like spaces, Gidiere says that it’s key to let go of perfectionism.
“The beauty of an antique is the story it tells, of the lives it has lived,” she says. “Let go of wishing the top was level or unmarred or that there were no chips in the finish. ‘Museum quality’ is for museums—all the rest is imperfect, and perfect for your home.”
Shelby Deering
Contributing Writer
Shelby Deering is a freelance lifestyle writer who frequently covers home design and decor for national publications. She has worked as a full-time freelance writer for over a decade, and has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years, writing home tours, interviewing top designers, and beautifying her own home. She holds a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and when she's not writing, you can find her at thrift stores and flea markets, running, or exploring local trails in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and corgi, Dolly.
