Despite what some magazines and blogs would have you believe, decorating a house successfully isn’t all about making it look modern and current. In fact, if you tried to modernize an older home, you could wind up suffocating the inherent rustic charm of it. If you have a home that’s earned a lot of potent character over the years, then it’s important to approach decorating it the right way. Here’s some helpful advice to bear in mind.

Use One Color on the Walls, Ceilings and Trims

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Often, the most attractive features of an older home are the beautiful detailed molding, trims and doorway details that you simply don’t get with more modern homes. At one time, these little frills were considered essential to the polish and personality of a home. We all know how important paint can be in interior décor, and it’s probably the best tool for highlighting and preserving these rustic details. Try painting the walls, ceiling and trims all one color, but choose a tone with a slightly higher gloss on the trims, which will subtly draw people’s gaze towards them. With this kind of backdrop, any bolder décor pieces will look much more striking.

Keep Trim Exposed with In-Window Shades

Forget about hanging drapes, and go looking for in-window treatments like this classic pleat drapery from American Blinds. When you have in-window shades, rather than long, billowing curtains, you’ll avoid hiding away your vintage window trims. Furthermore, they contribute a slightly modern highlight. This will allow you to keep your indoor spaces feeling up to date, without smothering the rustic integrity of the space. If you’ve got a particularly neutral color scheme going on, then getting black or dark blue drapery can be a great way to form some interesting contrast.

Update, But Don’t Revolutionise, your Curb Appeal

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Sprucing up the exterior of an older house can be tricky. You don’t want your home to look haunted, but at the same time, you don’t want to modernize it too much, and ruin the inherent, classic charm. If you’re replacing your door numbers, find something in a brass, roman font, rather than anything too minimalist. If your fence gate is looking a bit old and rickety, go with a wooden fence gate from Long Fence, rather than a modern, chain link one. When picking out pot plants, find more classic designs. Most older homes could do with some updates to their curb appeal area, but you need to avoid completely revolutionizing it!

Mix the Classic with the Modern

Obviously, you’re going to have a lot of modern décor pieces in your home already. However, like many people who live in older residences, you may be a little worried about these smothering the potent, classical tone of your home. Try to counteract these modern pieces with some vintage items that fit the period of your home (don’t worry about getting it spot-on). These will help to make your TV, computer, and minimalist sofa more at-home and fitting.