Pedlars: Update Your Home with Vintage Decor

Get the vintage look with Pedlars

The trend for shabby chic has been around for a while, and shows no signs of getting tired any day soon. By using vintage accessories sourced from one of our favourite online emporiums, not only can you give your home a new lease of life on a budget, but sourcing furniture, fabrics and curiosities will be a lot of fun.

Accessories are the key to your vintage home décor, and Pedlars online store is a brilliant place to find vintage homeware for those finishing touches. Pedlars has been selling an eclectic selection of wonderful finds for over 20 years from their emporium in London’s trendy Notting Hill neighbourhood. In the summer of 2016, they launched Pedlars Vintage Marketplace to create an amazing flea market that you can visit from the comfort of your home any time of the year.

Fresh stock is added daily, sourced from some of the UK’s best vintage dealers. It’s a virtual treasure chest of small and large items that will feed your imagination and give your decorating project charm. Browse through thousands of Pedlars Antiques to find old cabinets and bistro chairs to upcycle, along with retro signs and vintage toys that you can swap frequently when your mood changes.

There really are no rules or limits when it comes to updating your home with vintage home décor. By using vintage homeware and accessories that catch your eye, you can express your identity and creativity with flair.

Get clever with colour

When it comes to decorating your home to showcase your Pedlars finds, neutral colours are the way to go for your overall colour scheme. Try Trench Coat from Dulux which complements the deep-toned wooden furniture sold in Pedlars Vintage store to perfection. Add a touch of romance or a rustic country feel to a cosy bedroom or dressing room by using muted hues such as Spring Rose to give your room a rosy glow. Paint smaller items in bright colours to add accents that make your project pop. But be careful not to let them distract or dominate the overall effect.

Use a variety of soft whites and neutral tones as a backdrop to make your vintage homeware the focus of attention. Neutral colours will create the illusion of space and help with your room’s natural lighting. South and west facing rooms are suited to cooler colours, while warmer shades are better for rooms that face north and east. If you want to go for a truly authentic look, research the style of the times you want to recreate.

Think about your colour scheme while you are browsing for your vintage finds. The upcycling expert Lucy Turner often has a specific colour palette in mind when she is sourcing furniture to restore. 

Distress your furniture

Upcycle furniture and your vintage home décor project will not only save you money – and help save the planet through recycling – but make decorating a lot more fun! Don’t get overwhelmed by all the different techniques you can try, but remember that furniture made from plastic, MDF or particle board is not easy to distress.

If you want to upcycle a piece of furniture, the older the paint the harder you will need to work with a robust grit of sandpaper to give it a new lease of life. For your walls, matt paints are perfect for period homes. They will absorb light to lend your room a softer glow and disguise any imperfections. Eggshell is best for bathrooms and kitchens where the surfaces can easily get wet, while gloss paint is ideal to protect your window frames and wooden doors. 

Flea market inspiration

Pedlars is ideal to find inspiration for your vintage home décor. You could easily spend hours – or even days – rummaging through the amazing objects on sale. Vintage lends itself to an eclectic imagination, so let yours run wild and don’t be intimidated. It is not about matching furniture and fabrics with the bland conformity of the high street. You should keep in mind how each item will work in your space to stamp your personality with vintage accessories that reflects your interests. Mix things up with a range of small and large objects to add visual interest.

Try other sources such as flea markets, garage sales and charity shops to complete the look, based on your personal interests. If you like to read, why not visit a second hand bookstore and buy a few classic tomes to lend your room a sense of gravitas? Globetrotters on the other hand could fill their rooms with old globes and maps.

Take inspiration from experts, such as the fashion designers Humphries & Begg, who filled their Notting Hill home on the doorstep of Pedlars Antiques with old suitcases and an impressive collection of hats displayed on their walls to create a relaxed, bohemian vibe that reflects their varied interests. And battered luggage can easily be refreshed with a coat of paint to turn it into a striking feature in your home.