“Discovering Hidden Treasures of Vintage Design!”
If the walls could speak, they would surely reveal the fascinating history of your home’s evolution. From architectural and design transformations to functional upgrades, our living spaces have undergone significant changes over the years, decades, and even centuries. While modern advancements like high-tech appliances and Bluetooth-enabled gadgets have become indispensable in our daily lives, it’s also disheartening to witness the decline of once beloved decor elements. Some designers argue that these timeless features should never have gone out of style in the first place.
Are you ready to take a nostalgic journey through the past? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve asked a group of interior designers to share their favorite antique and vintage details that have stood the test of time. Their responses reflect a diverse range of preferences spanning different eras in home design. While some designers advocate for delineated spaces over open floor plans, others appreciate the enduring functionality of traditional amenities.
Beyond enhancing your interior design knowledge, these insights into classic home trends may inspire you to incorporate antiquated ideas into your contemporary living space. Who knows? These vintage concepts might just find a perfect spot in your home’s current aesthetic.
Breakfast Rooms
Designer: Dorothy Draper; Photographer: Kim Sargent
While open floor plans are currently in vogue, Rudy Saunders of Dorothy Draper & Co. reminisces about the charm of breakfast rooms. “There is a unique appeal to a cozy breakfast room that offers privacy and helps maintain an uncluttered ambiance,” he notes. In the pre-World War II era, homes often featured distinct rooms for entertainment and private gatherings, but the trend shifted towards more flexible layouts in the 1990s, leading to the decline of breakfast rooms. Dining rooms, in particular, are at risk of disappearing as they are repurposed into home offices or recreational spaces.
If you lack the space for a dedicated breakfast room, Saunders suggests infusing everyday meals with a touch of elegance. “Regardless of where you dine, taking the time to set the table with china and fabric napkins can make ordinary moments feel extraordinary,” he advises.
Butler’s Pantries
Designer: Gary McBournie; Photography: Annie Schlechter
While butler’s pantries still exist in larger homes, designer Gary McBournie laments their declining popularity compared to the 19th century. Traditionally located between the kitchen and dining room, these compact spaces served as staging areas for serving meals. As living spaces trended towards smaller residences, butler’s pantries were deemed dispensable.
If you are fortunate to have a butler’s pantry in your home, McBournie recommends maximizing its utility. In his projects, he often reintroduces these spaces to enhance functionality and elegance.
Designer Phillip Thomas believes that incorporating a bar with a small sink and wine fridge can create a hot spot for entertaining. He suggests bringing back garden follies, structures that were once used for joyful activities like tea houses in 18th-century English gardens. By installing a shed or converting an abandoned stable, you can recreate this pastoral element in modern backyards for gatherings with friends and family. Another design element to consider is dramatic ceilings, which have become a lost art according to interior designer Margaret Naeve Parker. She recommends exploring the possibility of taller ceilings to add visual intrigue and define spaces in a unique way. Stained glass, once popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, can still be incorporated into modern interiors for character and color. Lastly, laundry chutes and dumbwaiters are suggested by Janine Carendi MacMurray as practical additions that could make everyday tasks easier.
“The laundry chute saved countless steps—and backs—by allowing dirty clothes to be dropped straight to the laundry room,” she explains. “Meanwhile, the dumbwaiter made it effortless to move food, firewood, or even luggage without struggling up and down stairs.”
As a staple of the Gilded Age, dumbwaiters were incredibly popular in the 18th century because they offered a way for homeowners and staff to move food and other items between floors without disrupting the main living areas. Meanwhile, laundry chutes became more present during the 19th century—especially in residences with multiple floors.
However, as single-story homes and apartments became more popular, laundry chutes and dumbwaiters weren’t as necessary as they were before. Fortunately, MacMurray says it’s still possible to bring these features into your home today.
“Many closets and wall cavities offer ideal space for installation, so you could integrate a laundry chute into an existing closet or between wall studs,” she notes. “Modern dumbwaiters, now equipped with motorized systems, are a fantastic addition to multi-level homes.”
If walls could talk, yours would likely tell you all about your home’s eras. From shifts in architecture and design to upgrades in everyday function, our personal quarters have changed a lot over the years, decades, and even centuries. Sometimes, it’s a good thing. Simply put, it’s hard to even think about navigating our modern routine without high-tech appliances or Bluetooth-enabled accessories—let alone a mere interaction connection.
But other times? Watching some beautiful, beloved decor details or functions fall out of fashion can be a shame. In fact, ask some designers and they’ll tell you those now-extinct features never should’ve gone out of style in the first place.
Ready for a well-appointed walk down memory lane? You’ve come to the right place. We asked a handful of interior designers to share the vintage details that have some serious staying power. As expected, their responses are as vast and varied as a home’s many eras. Some designers are ready to trade in all-encompassing great rooms for well-defined spaces that will bring a little more formality to the day-to-day. Meanwhile, other industry insiders miss old-school amenities that haven’t lost their function.
That said, these hot home takes can offer a lot more than a boost in your interior design IQ. While decorating trends often come and go in the blink of an eye, many have a way of making a comeback. Who knows? With any luck—these antiquated ideas may just find a way to fit into our home’s current era.
