By: Makenna Reuter

Picture this: You just moved into your dream home or apartment. You have a collection of furniture and decor pieces you have collected over the years from your previous living spaces. You might even have gifted keepsakes from loved ones, but you also want to be ahead of the trends and not have anything come off as outdated. You know there has to be a way to combine all of these pieces; each with different memories from different times throughout your life, but how? 

We asked TC Chou, architect, interior designer and founder of NYC-based design firm, Design Determination, just how you can use vintage luxury figures or repurpose antique furniture in a more modern setting.

He shares, “This is one of my favorite areas to discuss. I am a huge fan of scouring antique stores and flea markets to find the right vintage focal piece. Putting an antique piece of furniture or even an antique hardware feature in a modern setting or context creates a sense of timelessness.” 

Hear about how TC has been able to incorporate vintage and antique pieces into recent projects.

Has there been a time you used vintage antique pieces to create something new? 

A star-burst chandelier I designed was a recomposition of antique fixtures found from Germany, France and New York mixed with a modern Jonathan Adler fixture. It was inspired by the chandeliers at Lincoln Center and hung over a Steinway grand piano in a modern Upper West Side penthouse. 

Do you ever visit antique stores or markets to find unique vintage pieces?

We designed a Taipei, Taiwan condo where we sourced the majority of the furniture and art pieces during a shopping trip with the client to antique districts and flea markets in Paris. The result was the modern interior architecture of the home gave a backdrop to the elegant and detailed furniture pieces. The “pop” is stunning. 

Have you worked with someone that wanted to utilize a keepsake item that may have been passed down from a loved one, but also wanted it to fit into a more modern space? 

Sometimes the antique comes from the client…I repurposed a club chair that was originally my client’s Grandmother’s. We refinished the legs of the chair and positioned it with a large-scale modern art piece in the living room seating group. This emotional connection to the client’s family history brought another layer of warmth to the modern Greenwich Village loft.

Can you tell us how you have been able to incorporate various vintage and modern pieces in one space? 

In a Brooklyn townhouse design, I juxtaposed multiple antique pieces with modern elements, creating an interesting dialogue within the rooms. These included an antique wood dining table paired with clear Kartell Louis ghost chairs, an upholstered living room chair set on a modern rug next to an Eileen Gray side table, and an antique sewing cabinet as a sideboard positioned under an contemporary abstract art piece.   

Thank you to TC Chou for sharing his expertise and insight on new and innovative ways to successfully incorporate antique pieces in today’s modern setting.

To view his work, please visit https://designdetermination.com/

Published by: Martin De Juan