No Relation - how to decorate with antiques and vintage
This is the first in a series of blog posts to help you navigate decorating with antique and vintage items.
We’re Hari and Mimi and we’re passionate about all things old, beautiful and uncommon. No Relation was founded on the principle at you can bring together a range of different styles, eras and moods to create uniquely wonderful homes. We believe that just because one item has No Relation to another, doesn’t mean it can’t become family.
So start finding the things you love and create some unexpected magic…
Part one: Finding a common thread
Unique. Chic. Intentional.
Pulling together a stylish room using antique and vintage items can sometimes feel like making a meal using ras-el-hanout and soy sauce. Kind of awkward…
Yet a room done right, layered with special pieces the heart wants, collected over a lifetime from antiques stores, flea markets and travels can tell a story like no other. Here’s our guide to decorating using special objects from different eras and artistic movements to create a unique, chic and intentional home.
Creating a storied living space
Above our Thonet bentwood children’s chair. The kind of gorgeous piece that would be at home with a restricted neutral pallete.
To achieve a coherent feeling, first establish an idea, a palette, a material or a feeling which ties together pieces which might otherwise have no relation to one another. The best designers are able to mix pieces from different styles and eras in a way which makes each piece just feel like it belongs.
Take the insanely gorgeous home of Nigel Slater. He used a restricted neutral palette and a pared-back aesthetic to create a home which is at once filled with character, history and stories from his travels whilst retaining a highly cohesive and intentional look. A palette and a minimalist feeling established, his home becomes a theatre for complementary antique pieces. In the house we see layer upon layer of unique collected furniture and art. A 1920s elm desk sourced in Japan with 17th century Flemish portraits and contemporary hand made ceramics. It all just works.
Prima facie, these items shouldn’t ‘fit’ in the same universe, but by establishing the atmosphere of his home, these finds from different eras and aesthetic styles begin to become more than a sum of their parts, weaving together to create a rich, storied living space.
See the excellent World of Interiors article about his home here.
Expect the unexpected
Above our turquoise Vallauris candlesticks. Perfect for homes where unique design is a common thread.
An interior design crush of ours is the fabulous Rachel Chudley, House & Garden Interior Designer of the Year 2025.
Rachel is a master at mixing diverse objects; making sense of the insensible.
By creating a vivid landscape of colour as the backdrop in her design projects, a theme of bonkers and brilliant furniture and art emerges. Staying true to her love for the unusual, the items she choses come together in harmony. What would otherwise seem like a mad jumble of things are elevated in juxtaposition to create a theatrical set. As this article in House and Garden states ‘expect the unexpected’.
Theme work makes the dream work
Above, an ornate gold-framed oil painting, from a previous collection, brings some country house style.
Think where you would like your interior to transport you. Want to be in Paris in the 1920s? Get inspired by art deco objects, clean lines, geometric patterns and opulent accents. Create a cocktail bar filled with 1920s style chrome finds. Not everything has to be from the one era to inspire the right feeling.
Take the unique home of Max Hurd. He asked interior designer Ben Foley to create a ‘country house’ feeling in his London terrace. They used objects such as Staffordshire dogs, ornate gold mirrors and curio antiques to create the vibe of a lived-in country manor house. Read more about that amazing project here.
Subtle or overt, a loose theme can help tie everything together to achieve your dream look.
Part two coming soon…
We always love seeing how you incorporate our pieces in your homes. Tag us on instagram @norelation.store