Making a decision on how to style and decorate your home can be a difficult one. It can mean the difference between whether you create a house or a home. The first decision you need to make is to decide on the style of your home. And two distinct themes you can choose from are contemporary or vintage.

Vintage refers to items of furniture and styles of decor that are considered old. An item is generally considered old if it is at least 30 years old, going up to as old as 100 years. A contemporary style would refer to furniture and decor that is currently being made and would generally be referred to as being ‘in fashion’.

There are many pros and cons that you need to consider when making this decision. Although a lot of it will be based around personal taste, there are many important points to consider which we will explore now.

Availability
Contemporary furniture is far more readily available than vintage furniture. You can pick up modern sofas and coffee tables from many stores on the high street, as well as being able to order online and have it delivered to your home. Vintage furniture is not as easy to find and requires more work on behalf of the buyer. However, many would argue that this is more rewarding and can mean that you will end up with a one-off piece that no one else has in their home.

Quality

Due to the demand for modern and contemporary furniture many manufacturers look at creating products that can be quickly and easily made, although if you choose wisely this shouldn’t mean that you buy an inferior product. Vintage furniture often had a great deal of time and attention paid to creating quality and this is why a lot of vintage furniture is still available today.

Decor

Contemporary furniture is made to be able to blend into almost any environment. There is a strong emphasis on clean lines, neutral colours and symmetrical shapes. This makes it easy to pick up items such as bedroom furniture and dining furniture that will easily fit in with existing decor. Vintage items can pose more of an issue as their individuality means that they are not always easy to incorporate into your home.

However, it is also acceptable to mix contemporary and vintage styles. Many homes mix items such as vintage headboards with modern beds or vintage style dining room chairs with modern tables. So there really is a world of choice out there.