PhotoGal Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 We recently bought a house and while it is a perfectly nice house and works for our family practically, it is not my style at all. It is very traditional. I don't think my mix of modern/antique (that is my favorite "style") is going to work there. But I don't want to buy furniture or decorate in a way I don't like either - I think that would make it even less like home. Any advice? Here is an example - the fireplace has marble and brass with a very traditional mantle. The whole house has a lot of brass, actually. And the master bath has tile with shiny brass colored lines. All the bedrooms have big ceiling fans with glass light covers that are scalloped. My style is more of a Pier 1 meets Ikea (my budget as well... LOL). Most Ikea stuff will not look right in most of this house. Even the laundry room has sparkly counters and BRASS! LOL We are taking out the carpet and putting in hardwood, so I don't want to spend too much on furniture, etc. - though we are planning on replacing our old couch. Anyway, I am rambling! Any advice on adding rustic/modern to a traditional house without it looking weird? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Spray paint some of the brass and replace globes in the ceiling fans.it would be a start. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 You can spray paint brass fixtures to change the look. We did that with our brass fireplace before listing our house to sell. The light fixtures would be an easy change. Replace the scalloped covers with a plain one. Once you get your furniture in there, I'm sure you'll start finding some simple changes that can be made to make the house more "you". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 We just bought a home also with silver fixtures. I'm more of the black/dark bronze variety of people. There are a lot of people who have spray painted brass fixtures. I am considering doing this with a couple of my light fixtures. http://www.mandalayimages.com/2013/03/diy-oil-rubbed-bronze-spray-painted-faucets/ http://entirelysmitten.typepad.com/entirelysmitten/2011/11/rustoleums-oil-rubbed-bronze-spray-paint-obsessed-1.html Try it out on a cheaper fixture and see what happens. I figure a $6 can of spray paint beats a $100 light fixture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Antique chic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Spray paint the brass. You usually can switch out the globe on the ceiling fan. If it's still ugly, you can replace the ceiling fan. Retile the fireplace and spray paint the brass. Switch out the mantle for a reclaimed wood beam or something. I can't picture brass tile... If only the accent tile is ugly, a good tile guy can pop that out and pop in new accent tile. If you like the antiqued brass look better, there are brass ager products. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 We recently bought a house and while it is a perfectly nice house and works for our family practically, it is not my style at all. It is very traditional. I don't think my mix of modern/antique (that is my favorite "style") is going to work there. But I don't want to buy furniture or decorate in a way I don't like either - I think that would make it even less like home. Any advice? Here is an example - the fireplace has marble and brass with a very traditional mantle. The whole house has a lot of brass, actually. And the master bath has tile with shiny brass colored lines. All the bedrooms have big ceiling fans with glass light covers that are scalloped. My style is more of a Pier 1 meets Ikea (my budget as well... LOL). Most Ikea stuff will not look right in most of this house. Even the laundry room has sparkly counters and BRASS! LOL We are taking out the carpet and putting in hardwood, so I don't want to spend too much on furniture, etc. - though we are planning on replacing our old couch. Anyway, I am rambling! Any advice on adding rustic/modern to a traditional house without it looking weird? We replaced all the brass in our house with brushed silver or black--all the light fixtures, all the doorknobs, all the faucets, everything. Replaced two ceiling fans downstairs (the upstairs fans don't bother me). The only brass left is the shower door in the master bath, and we'd like to replace that whole thing. We felt so much better when that was done. :-) I cannot visualize the tile in the master bath, but is there any way you could paint the brass-colored lines? We used granite tile for a new bathroom vanity. It was less than $30. Can you do that in any bathroom? laundry room? kitchen? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Yes yes yes to all the "change the brass" advice. You can definitely add your own style in little touches. I think of traditional or modern or whatever as describing the architecture more than the decorations. You can change up the fixtures and totally change the feel of the place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 We replaced all the brass in our house to an oil rubbed bronze look and it really looks great! I think when your house style and decor style clash you need to find an example of something similar to your house style that you actually like and aim for that. Our house is builder-beige but we realized it had some similarities to craftsman style houses on the outside and scandinavian houses on the inside so we changed what we could (flooring, fixtures, paint) and embraced the rest. I normally hate bare wood trim but once I realized the cream walls + wood trim was quite scandinavian I stopped trying to fight it, left the main living area painted as it was, and slowly changed my decor to match. It doesn't all have to be done at once and in fact I'll bet once you put all your stuff in there more of it will look good than you realize, especially with the wood floors you're putting in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Have you already moved in? If not, it is likely that the furnishings will help tone down the brass. You can paint over marble, tile, brass, and even countertops, although I don’t know how durable paint would be on a laundry room countertop. Then as funds allow, you could replace the most offensive pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawky Acres Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 We bought a beautiful post and beam home a few years ago that had the misfortune of being built in the early 90's, with scalloped light fixtures, brass everywhere, and BLUE and PINK sinks and toilets. While we did end up re-doing the kitchen and most of the bathrooms (can't do much for a blue toilet), we also did quite a bit of oil-rubbed-bronze painting on brass fixtures and replacing of offensive glass parts on lighting fixtures, some with vintage glass globes we found at antique stores. We still have some small replacements to make, but the home feels so much more comfortable now. Replacing as much brass as possible will do a lot to make you feel more at home, and increase the re-sale value of your home. I do wonder, though, what am I doing a LOT of right now that will horrify the next family in twenty years (oil-rubbed bronze?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Nothing you've described couldn't be fixed by paint. It sounds like the problem is more that the house looks slightly dated rather than it being "traditional." Buy the furniture you like. Pier 1 has lots of furniture and accent pieces that could update the look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Focus on the mantle first, as that's usually a focal point in the room. While you'll probably want to paint or stain the wood, I'd start by trying art and accessories that you like. Displaying items takes a certain skill. Search for mantle displays you like and borrow ideas from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 You need to read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Nesting-Place-Doesnt-Perfect-Beautiful/dp/0310337909/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431434849&sr=8-1&keywords=the+nesting+place I found it very, very helpful. We moved last fall into a house that isn't exactly to my taste, but we are here for other very good reasons. This book inspired me with some ways to arrange and work with it. We will move again in a few years, so I have to keep my décor adaptable! I got the e-book very cheaply on amazon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I think that with a problem like this it is a really good idea to wait a bit if at all possible. It might look a bit mismatched in the meantime, but IME if you wait, the character of the house will become a little more clear, and the things that are worth keeping, or not, will become more obvious too. I find making a decision too soon can result in annoying mistakes. In the meantime, I would spend some time looking at books with photos that might suggest a way forward. For example, if you like Ikea, what about looking at some books on Scandinavian design? We tend to think of it as modern and minimalist, but of course it also has a history, and more traditional elements. Often Ikea type furniture looks quite nice with more traditional Scandinavian homes. I might think about using some traditional elements - like moldings and such, but painting them all white. And maybe a fairly traditional sort of curtains and textiles, say, pinch pleat curtains, and using fabrics that are sort of modern or mid-century. Maybe a traditional sideboard in a wood but a mid-century design. Very modern furniture could combine quite well with a set of elements like that I think. I kind of hate brass and would probably change that stuff out where possible. In something very expensive like a bathroom it might be just best to go with what is there on its own terms - it isn't like you put much furniture in there anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 We bought a beautiful post and beam home a few years ago that had the misfortune of being built in the early 90's, with scalloped light fixtures, brass everywhere, and BLUE and PINK sinks and toilets. While we did end up re-doing the kitchen and most of the bathrooms (can't do much for a blue toilet), we also did quite a bit of oil-rubbed-bronze painting on brass fixtures and replacing of offensive glass parts on lighting fixtures, some with vintage glass globes we found at antique stores. We still have some small replacements to make, but the home feels so much more comfortable now. Replacing as much brass as possible will do a lot to make you feel more at home, and increase the re-sale value of your home. I do wonder, though, what am I doing a LOT of right now that will horrify the next family in twenty years (oil-rubbed bronze?). Retro Renovation has a whole section dedicated to pink bathrooms! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawky Acres Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Retro Renovation has a whole section dedicated to pink bathrooms! I will have to show this to my husband! Some are strikingly similar to my pink bathroom's "before" pictures (only mine was pink with dusty green accents). I do love retro, but not pink retro. We re-did that bathroom in a 1920's style with white marble and chrome cross-handled fixtures. There were also two blue bathrooms, a green bathroom, and a nondescript/dingy half bath. My son is still upset that we took away his blue toilet when we remodeled the boys' bathroom. That was my point about the antique bronze replacements we have been doing, though. I'm sure the next owner will be equally horrified at the "dated" choices we made back in 2013. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Thank you for the advice! I will check out that book for sure. What a great idea to paint the brass - at least the fireplace should work. I was trying to explain to dh and I said, "Imagine if I was wearing a hippy skirt with a really modern necklace like just a circle, and vintage glasses. That's my style. And then the house is like a polo shirt. Nothing wrong with polo shirts, it just doesn't really 'go'," He said he thought that would look fine. LOL! I think Pier 1 is a good suggestion (love Pier 1) as long as I don't go too rustic. It may be time for us to move away from Ikea a bit anyway, since we have relied on it so heavily in the past. ;) We are hoping to paint next weekend, so hopefully that will help a bit, too! :) Thanks again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.