If you ever feel discouraged with your home not having the level of old world charm and elegance you’d like… I’m happy to let you know that it’s easier than you might think to add it! Let’s start today!

Whether you live in an old historic home, or a standard builder grade new build – there’s always hope for adding more elegance, and it’s not as hard as you might think!

Today I’m sharing my 7 favorite ways to create a more elegant home.

*This post contains affiliate links to products I know &/or love.

7 Ways to Add Old World Elegance To Your Home

Number One | Architectural Details

Older homes are usually already graced with beautiful timeless detailing, but it can be added to any home!

In order to do it well, take some time and pay attention to the shell of your home – all of the parts that stay with the house when you eventually move away.

Some of the best ways to increase elegance in the architectural details is by adding things like:

• Board & Batten
• Vertical Shiplap
• Lighting
• Mantles
• Vintage Windows
• Corbels
• Trim (Floorboards, crown molding, picture molding)
• Bathtubs & sinks
• Hardware on doors and drawers and cabinets

If you ever need inspiration for what elements you’d like to add, you can look at places like the Mayhurst Estate in Virginia! My friends Jason & Casey own the Mayhurst and have done such a beautiful job keeping and adding to it’s historic charm.

I use the Mayhurst as the venue and backdrop for my Bespoke Design Retreat – and it’s such a beautiful place to spend four days talking about design and fellowshipping with other creative women!

Our retreat for 2024 is coming up soon and is already sold out – but you can join the waitlist if you’d like to be notified when tickets go on sale for 2025!

Related Posts & Resources:

• All About the Bespoke Design Retreat
• Video: Bespoke 2024 Bespoke Retreat Recap
• Pinterest Boards | Vintage Wall Treatments | Vintage Windows | Vintage Mantles | Vintage Doors

Number Two | Classic Materials & Finishes

When you’re observing your home and deciding what elements to upgrade and change, I highly encourage you to think about using classic and vintage materials and finishes!

Incorporate gilded gold, Carrera marble, subway tile, brick and stone wherever you are able!

Don’t be intimidated by the sound of those options, either! They’re just a DIY project away!

I gilded this thrifted bamboo coffee table with faux gold leaf and LOVE how it turned out.

My husband and I also added this faux brick veneer to the wall behind our woodstove. It added such a big visual impact and helps tell the story of the age of the house.

Related Posts & Resources:

• DIY Washable Stair Runner
• Easy DIY Tutorial for A Samsung Frame TV Frame
• DIY Pleated Lampshade Tutorial (No Sew)
• DIY Lace Window Screen
• Pinterest Boards | Vintage Hardware | Vintage Lighting | DIY Projects | Vintage Style Fabrics

Number Three | Muted Colors & Wallpaper

When you’re choosing your colors, stick with muted shades such as blues, greens, and mauve rather than anything too bright or modern. When we painted our living room recently, we chose Slate Tile from Sherwin Williams, and we “color drenched” to include all of the trim as well as the walls themselves.

I even painted the corner book shelf the same color in order to give it a built in feel.

Sherwin Williams has both their “Historic Collection” and their “Timeless Colors” that are gaining in popularity again as they’re being pulled back to the fore-front by designers that are wanting an old world elegance.

I do love and highly recommend wallpaper, though it can be quite a bit more expensive than paint to do a whole room – depending on the paper you choose and the size of the space. It can easily range from a few hundred dollars to a thousand.

We recently chose to do a bucolic (“countryside”) mural from Rebel Walls in our upstairs bathroom and I just love the affect of walking in and feeling like I’ve been transported.

If your space isn’t really a good fit for scenery, I’d suggest a subtle block print like “Alma” that I used in our Fireside Room.

Related Posts & Resources:

• Choosing Wallpaper Like a Pro
• English Cottage Wallpaper Choices Made Easy For You
• Pinterest Boards | Vintage Home Paints & Vintage Wallpapers

Number Four | Antique Furniture

There’s just something about the quality and character of vintage furniture pieces that cannot be beat! I’ll give it to some companies that are doing what they can to replicate the look of antique pieces, but finding true old work provides a level of detail and craftsmanship that is mostly unmatched!

I love looking for antique furniture pieces on Facebook Marketplace, and I was so excited when we found this antique settee – so excited in fact, that we ended up needing to replace the front door of our house in order to be able to move it inside!

You can find antique pieces in just about every room of my house! Some are handed down from family & friends, others purchased and restored. Some pieces are modern, but modified to feel more vintage – like the parson’s chair at my desk with the linen slipcover.

I found a set of two slipper chairs for $5 each and had them reupholstered in a gorgeous beige fabric.

They were missing something still, though, so I added brass upholstery tacks along the trim – the perfect detail.

Related Posts & Resources:

• Slipcover & Upholstery Series
• How to Reupholster Chair Seats
• How to Clean White Upholstered Furniture
• French Chair Makeover
• Hacks to Make Your Furniture Look Vintage, part 1
• How to Age New & Thrifted Wood Furniture
• How to Decoupage for Beginners
• Pinterest | Vintage Furniture | Vintage Dressers | Vintage Couches

Number Five | Strategic Artwork

I love incorporating vintage, and vintage look art into my home – and these are my three favorite ways to do that:

• Black & White Portraits
• Paintings and Faux Oil-Look Prints
• Pencil or Ink Sketches

These styles lend themselves so nicely to an old world style elegance.

And you can easily mix them into gallery walls – which are both on trend currently, and a long time classic.

If you’d like to receive 12 free curated vintage art prints straight to your inbox – please enter your email address below!

Related Posts & Resources:

• 12 Free Vintage Art Prints
• 10 Inexpensive Framed Art Ideas
• Styling Thrifted Wall Decorations
• Book Page Wall Tutorial
• “As for Me & My House” Sign
• How to Hang a Heavy Mirror or Picture
• Pinterest | Vintage Gallery Walls | Vintage Wall Decor

Number Six | Historical Daily Life

One of the parts of designing that I enjoy most is imagining the story behind a design. When I pick pieces for our 1906 farmhouse, I like to imagine and find elements that incorporate what the people living here at that time really would have used during their day to day activities.

Some of my favorite items to add in are:

• Vintage Books
• Old Dishes
• Natural Elements such as shells and bird’s nests
• Flowers
• Baskets
• Candles

Related Posts & Resources:

• 3 Ways to Decorate with Vintage Books
• 10 Ways to Repurpose Vintage Linens
• Thrift & Antique Store Finds
• How to Decorate with Thrift Store Finds
• Best Tips for Styling Thrifted Decor
• Pinterest Boards | Vintage Book Styling | Vintage Fabrics | Thrifting Tips & Tricks

Number Seven | Everyday Items in Vintage Containers

My last trick is to “hide” my every day items in vintage containers! My goal is always that everything within your line of sight will have a vintage feel to it. So I’ve long-since said goodbye to very bright and colorful pieces, and commercial packaging, and most plastic pieces. Instead I aim for containers made out of:

• Glass
• Ceramic
• Metal
• Wood
• Wicker

I just recently shared a whole video about how I organize creative spaces with a vintage feel. And you can read the post I shared when I organized my whole craft closet using these same tricks.

I also use a crock near our fireplace to store kindling.

And especially in kitchens and bathrooms I find there are many opportunities to change out your containers for an alternative with old world elegance.

For example, I have my cotton rounds, facial oil and toilet cleaning tablets displayed in glass jars on our bathroom counter.

In my kitchen I store my dried goods in glass mason jars with white lids.

Related Posts & Resources:

• 6 Ways to Elevate Your Bathroom
• 6 Ways to Upgrade Your Builder Grade Kitchen
• DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Remodel
• 12 Vintage Style Cleaning Supplies that Double as Decor
• Pinterest Boards | Vintage Shelf Styling | Vintage Organization |

I hope you’ve enjoyed these seven tips!

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