Antiques are a beautiful and themed way to decorate for a particular style of home, it may be that they are placed within a modern home or the house itself is old and antique. Many antiques are used as art only and displayed as such however, the real beauty of antique furniture is that it can still be used.

Whether it is a Georgian mahogany sideboard or a 19th century chest of drawers, items of furniture that can be used especially for storage are obviously valuable in two ways.

Choosing a piece is quite a specialist task. I do believe that the most important aspect of an antique is that you really enjoy it either visually, practically or both. I have seen some homes filled with antiques that are so overwhelming that the items are lost within the clutter. Other homes I have seen have items that seem to have lost all sense of proportion. Of course, design is subjective so each to their own but as a designer I believe it is extremely important to have balance.

The art of mixing antiques with modern furniture is a no brainer as long as you find the right balance; even if you gravitate towards eclectic, mixing too many contrasting elements will create confusion rather than a cohesive look. Combine your furniture with a similar colour scheme, texture or pattern. Ideally, antique and modern pieces should be united by at least one shared attribute.

Be very careful when using anyone who claims that they are able to restore the furniture or artwork. Ensure that written testimonials are checked or that the company is well established and recommended by the dealers. There have been cases of items being devalued as a result of poor or incorrect work and others that have substituted artwork. Not that this is common when dealing with such companies but these are very valuable items and should be treated as such.