Known as one of the world’s most affluent communities, Palm Beach includes stunning mansions, three blocks of glamorous shops on Worth Avenue that draw diplomats, celebrities, foreign royals and the world’s wealthiest people, and a fabulous beach aside the Atlantic Ocean. Spanish Revival buildings house most of the 250 businesses on Worth Avenue, with stucco walls, hewn coral facades, pecky cypress in the ceilings, red barrel-tile roofs and cerise bougainvillea vines dripping over arcaded walkways. In the 1920’s, architect Addison Mizner set the trend which continues today with distinctive Moorish-Mediterranean style architecture.

How to Decorate Your Home With Grandma's Antiques

 

Whether it is an ornate armoire or a set of antique tea cups, you may have quite a few possessions that once belonged to beloved members of your family — items that you want to incorporate into your home. However, as styles and tastes change with time, it might be difficult to find the right places for these items. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Use furniture as a focal point. That china hutch from the 1940s may not match your cozy living room, but you can still use it in your house. The best way to mix furniture styles is to create a focal point featuring the antique piece on display.

• Create a grouping. If you have a number of smaller items that you’ve inherited and want to use, don’t place them randomly around the house. Instead, group them all together in one place to draw people to them as a feature. Decorative plates, photographs and paintings can be hung together on one wall.
• Determine what is useful. There was a time when all this furniture wasn’t just on display. Before they were antiques, they were functional. Did you inherit a roll-top desk from your grandfather? If so, why not use it as a writing desk in your house? Give new life to old pieces by making them useful again.
• Know when to let go. Of course, even with all your best efforts, you can’t use everything that you’ve received over the years. If generations of antiques are languishing in your attic or basement, it may be time to find them new homes. Sell what you can; donate other pieces to people who can use them. If you love them but can’t keep them, give them to other family members who can use them.

If you like the traditional antique look, and want to add to what you have, try local auctions.  You can find some wonderful buys, and if you add a coat of paint or new fabric, you can create a wonderful gem.

This article is from Marilyn Jacobs’ Home Actions Newsletter, and if you wish to subscribe, email marilynfjacobs@gmail.com.  It is delivered on email twice a month.  You can always easily opt out.