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How to turn a “grandmother’s” interior into a vintage one on a budget
There are apartments in which it seems that the renovation still remembers imperial Russia. Yellowed wallpaper, massive wardrobes, walls all over the wall. What if you have to live in such a space, but don’t really want to?
Kitchen
An easy way to change the atmosphere in an apartment is to remove the old wallpaper and paint the walls white in a warm shade. The space will immediately become more spacious, lighter, neater and acquire a single style.
The stripped doors of the upper cupboards in the kitchen can be sealed with PVC finishing foil. Replace old fittings with original handles. Also, instead of closed cabinets, you can hang light open metal shelves or wooden niches. Glass jars with spices, containers for cereals in the same style and earthenware will look great on such shelves. The backsplash tile can be painted over or hidden under the wall panel.
The perception of the interior is strongly influenced by textiles – replace the master’s curtains with ruffles for a light, translucent, monochromatic organza tulle. A shabby table can be hidden not under an oilcloth tablecloth, but a linen one. Chairs can be covered with soft cushions, the color of which will overlap with other textiles. Indoor plants in stylish pots on the windowsill will help give the room more color and life.
Bedroom
Most of the year, nature does not pamper us with a bright sun. In order not to count the endless shades of gray in your everyday life, try to compensate for the lack of light with artificial sources – floor lamps, sconces, spotlights, garlands on the windows. You can replace heavy draped curtains with light pale yellow tulle. Passing through it, the sun will fill the room with a pleasant soft glow and charge with positive.
Soviet cabinets can be replaced with an open storage system. The landlord won’t let you get rid of the “wall”? Try moving it to a wall with a door or moving it to the narrower side of the room. In the first case, the cabinets will not be conspicuous when entering the room, and in the second, the room will not seem too narrow.
Textiles made from natural fabrics will add coziness to the bedroom. Choose plain bedding. On top, you can throw a knitted blanket with a faux fur coat and decorative pillows that echo in color with tulle. Is there a carpet in the middle of the room? Move it under the bed so that it is pleasant to get up on something warm in the morning. The composition will be completed with cute accessories like wicker baskets, candles or macrame at the head of the bed.
Bathroom
Try to keep your bathroom clean and uncluttered. To do this, you can freshen up the paint on the ceiling and walls. Remove shower gels and shampoos from your eyes in wicker baskets and boxes. Use matching accessories for toothbrushes, soap, and cotton pads to help keep the room tidier. The rolls of toilet paper can be kept in a nice wicker basket or metal container instead of opened plastic wrap.
The bathtub does not look its best, but does it cost a lot of money to change it? You can close it with an acrylic insert, and hide the side walls behind wooden screens with decorative shelves.
Living room
We also paint the walls in the living room in white or pastel colors. If the owner is against changing the wallpaper, we close the walls with motivating quotes, live family photos and works of famous photographers of the twentieth century. Take a closer look at the extraordinary works of artists such as Elliott Erwitt, Alexander Rodchenko, and Mark Riboux. You can hide the old master’s sofa with covers or a plain bedspread.
Try to make a coffee table yourself. To do this, you can take four wooden boxes and fasten them in a circle so that they form side shelves. You can put glass on top, and put the resulting table on wheels.
You can try to restore an old chest of drawers, paint it dusty pink, sky blue or white. Green houseplants in unusual pots, old books or original figurines from a vintage store will perfectly match it.
Vintage floor lamps and lanterns will add magic to the living room. Place them in the places that you would like to highlight: on the coffee table, windowsill, chest of drawers. So you can zone the room, direct the guests’ attention to interesting interior solutions and distract from the shortcomings.