5 Ways to Cohesively Mix Modern Pottery and Antiques

Welcome to the blog! Today we’ll be talking about 5 ways to cohesively mix modern pottery with antiques. Maybe you'd like to learn how to add more of a unique style to your home. Or maybe, like me, you love antiques and want to learn how to mix them with handmade items like pottery. Antiques have long been a passion of mine since childhood and pottery has become a passion of mine since meeting Curry. Marrying (quite literally) my two passions in these home décor areas has led to another passion…sharing this with you! I hope you enjoy.

1. Color Scheme

2. Complimentary Patterns

3. Shape Design

4. Quality Craftsmanship

5. Using Other Props

1. Color Scheme

Do you have a particular color scheme for your home? Maybe you gravitate towards rich earth tones such as browns and beiges, or cooler colors like greys, or maybe even a mix of colors like greens, creams, and blues. Look around your home at the color of the walls, furniture, fabrics, and objects. Antiques come in all kinds of color schemes, but particularly a lot antique furniture can be darker wood. Soft cream colors of modern pottery compliment really any color well, but particularly dark wood furniture and varying patterns. Mix in an antique green matted picture or book with the creamy pottery and you feel the combining of natural grass, trees, and the rich clays of our Earth, creating a beautiful natural landscape in your home. Identify a color scheme that you have and like and repeat throughout your home.

2. Complimentary Patterns

Maybe you like bold geometric patterns, maybe you like simple stripes, maybe you like florals, or maybe you like a mix of all. Think about how you can mix patterns while complimenting general themes. For example, let’s say you like floral patterned antique china like the classic Flow Blue…a nice, elegant handmade pottery plate or mug in a creamy color with subtle florals really compliments this look. Combining the styles really takes it to the next level by elevating both styles and creating a custom, unique look in your home.

3. Shape Design

Antiques have a myriad of unique shapes. If we’re thinking about furniture, for example, some pieces have bold curving elegant lines like a Chippendale style and some have seamless straighter lines such as a Hepplewhite style. Regardless of which style is which, pay attention to the style of the furniture in your home. Think: which type of pottery vase, full of fresh cut flowers, for example, would compliment your furniture style. If you have an antique square coffee table, a more modern style curving pottery vase, complete with fresh flowers, might just be the perfect compliment that your home needs.

4. Quality Craftsmanship

It’s generally agreed upon that antiques embody quality craftsmanship. Many antique pieces such as furniture were handmade by skilled craftsmen with hand forged tools, in a time when people cared about what they produced and cared about what they thoughtfully purchased. Even if an antique piece wasn’t entirely made by hand and has manufactured elements, you can still generally tell that it’s quality made (ie no particle board!). Isn’t it a nice thought to combine those well-made antique pieces with well made, thoughtfully created handmade pottery!

5. Using Other Props

What I mean by this is: don’t be afraid to mix in things such as greenery or cozy objects like candles. This can add visual interest to your overall design scheme, while also giving a texture and ambiance to the particular room you’re designing. For example, think about putting an English style boxwood plant in a pottery planter on top of an antique table, layering in earthy elements by incorporating handmade with antique. Or layer in a handmade candle sitting on top of antique books or an antique coffee table. There are just so many possibilities!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you learned some tips that you can incorporate in your own home! If you have any questions, any additional tips, or want to explore this topic further, please leave me a comment below or send me an email!

All the best, Sarah