Let your home tell a story

You can add character and drama to your home with the help of antiques and heirlooms. Lakshmi Unnithan Arvind has some suggestions.

Your home should be a reflection of your personality. When you use heirlooms and antique pieces from your own collection as decor, you are in fact, doing your bit to preserve a way of life from the past.

An antique is a collectible item. It is collected or is desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal and emotional connection, and/or other unique features.
It is an object that represents a previous era in human history.

You can either buy them from antique shops, or use the ones that have been passed down through generations. Heirlooms are also special items that are handed over through generations. All heirlooms are antiques. These artistic collections are considered to have a high social value too.

An antique or a family heirloom, instead of being dumped in a forgotten cupboard, can be lovingly displayed in your house.

Think of the stories they could tell you if they talked. The fascination for antiques never ends. Furniture, old photographs, grandmom’s collection of silverware, brassware, glassware, postcards of years past, oleographs of yesteryears, stamp collections, coin collections, etc all come under this category.

These heirlooms need not be extravagant either. Treasure your memories and take pride in thinking where they come from.Even if you don’t own an antique or a heirloom, there are many antique pieces that can be found in the market these days. But remember, every one of these antiques you buy has a history of its own and were treasured in somebody else’s home. Treat them with care and love.

Rough edges add charm

Antique pieces of furniture come with a lot of imperfections and some uneven edges.
Create a home that celebrates these irregular and one-of-a-kind beauties. Genuine antiques are hard to find these days.

You do find reproductions of antiques in all varieties. If you love antiques, you need to scout them in markets like Fort Kochi, Pondicherry, Chettinad, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and parts of Gujarat.

Build a collection you love. Whenever you include a piece, they should be pieces that you feel passionate about. Be true to your taste and decided which piece you would love to keep in your house.

Antique pieces are costly and if you are unsure about where to start, choose small things like paintings, oleographs, small brass sculptures, small urlis, lamps, etc. Choose pieces that suit your interiors.

When it comes to living with these pieces, a sense of balance is essential and you don’t want to end up with a house that is bursting with wonderful things that can’t be seen properly because they are all crowded.

Don’t overwhelm your guest with too many pieces, because the beauty of an antique may be lost in a sea of other such pieces. Even if you have a lot of them at home, make sure these heirlooms are moved frequently, allowing each object to be appreciated and enjoyed, lending your home a calm and serene atmosphere.

These pieces look good when they are displayed properly. So think about how best to display and group them.Apart from all these, always take a moment to enjoy the subtle conversation that begins to take place between them. With careful consideration and attention to great detail, your home can become a work of art in its own right.

Let these treasures blend in with your interiors. Make sure they fit in with your colour scheme and your decor scheme. Also, pay attention to the lighting. A soft focus might sometimes create a wonderful effect, so could a spotlight.

Don’t hesitate to mix and match the various antiques with contemporary objects of decor. Choose a focal point for your decor piece and build an arrangement around it. While symmetry can work, sometimes, even a random arrangement could work.

So, once you have organised your pieces, sit back and enjoy the beauty of your arrangement.