Homes: Vintage

Different styles of chair look elegant arranged around a large dining table – just make sure none of them match. Paint any really battered ones. Prettify a vintage wooden bench with cushions. Photograph: Debi Treloar

Here, a set of misshapen drawers in warm wood has become a textured surface – and even used as a backdrop for miniature landscapes. Keep nearby walls simple. Photograph: Debi Treloar

Put colourful antique suitcases to good use by stacking them on bespoke or freestanding shelves. Here, the trunks are used as clothes storage. Extremely weathered, bleached wood, like this bed headboard, looks good against a dark wall, and the scuffed metal chair makes the perfect beside table. Photograph: Debi Treloar

Don’t reject ugly, tatty pieces, like this kitchen units, above: they’re useful pieces of kit. A few pots and pans (Le Creuset comes in many shades now, from johnlewis.com), and neatly folded tea-towels (Marimekko’s are miniature works of art, from skandium.com) can transform them. A wooden dish drainer forms a makeshift lower shelf. Photograph: Debi Treloar

Create a display of mismatched objects in an out-of-the-way corner – here, Tretchikoff’s Chinese Girl print (try eBay or play.com), a mosaic lamp with a floral shade, and a painted wooden chair (find similar at Retrouvius) – and what might seem random looks intentional. A plain backdrop works best (Fired Earth’s Kevin McCloud collection has the best selection of putty shades like this). Photograph: Debi Treloar

Start a collection of similar objects – keep a lookout at every market or thrift store you visit. Here, ceramic and painted swans enliven an otherwise plain white bathroom.
Modern Vintage Style, by Emily Chalmers, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, at £19.99. To order a copy for £15.99 go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop. Photograph: Debi Treloar