Mixing old and new

When I bought my first house in my early 20s I decorated it in a migraine-inducing range of bright colours. I'm not sure what possessed me at the time! Gradually they got toned down (which probably helped the house to sell!) and then we moved. The new house got painted immediately the same neutral shade throughout (natural calico by Dulux) and the look was a modern but minimalist one.

That was 6 years ago and now the decorating begins again in earnest. And some growing up has happened in between. I have learnt to love the way antique and vintage items can blend with modern accessories to create a comfortable interior space that is harmonious but at the same time tells a story. I still like brand new things if they are beautiful but they have very little story to tell. Older objects have a known or imagined past that gives them character and interest. I will share some of the before and after images as the next few months progress but in the meantime here are a few of my favourite new old items that sit very comfortably in a relatively new, contemporary property.

Above a collection of new Italian glass and English cut crystal decanters sit alongside an art-deco one (front left) on a vintage silver plated tray. The Plymouth Gin glug-glug fish jug (Dartmouth pottery about 1950) is great for tonic or as a vase. The candle holders are from India Jane.

A Staffordshire figure of a gardener from the early 1800s sits under a modern glass dome, reminiscent of how the Victorians would have displayed their ornaments. Just to the right is the bass of a Kartell bourgie lamp - a modern take on a very classic design.

To the left, a Langley ware blue and cream plant pot from the 1890s picks up the colours of a modern William Yeoward studio art glass crystal vase.

I love old vases. This one can be dated precisely to 1853 due to the date lozenge and looks quite contemporary in a modern setting.