If you're looking for a touch of timeless appeal and love the cozy vibe of vintage charm, then Old Money is the perfect look for you. Despite its name, there's no need to drain your bank account to achieve success in this trend as Old Money takes a nod from the past with an emphasis on traditional interior design layouts and vintage touches.
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With recent trends like grandmillenial and cottagecore, it's no surprise that nostalgia is sweeping the design world. The opposite of minimalism, this trend erases all that white space and layers nooks and crannies with tasteful furniture and meaningful decor.
What Is the Old Money Style?
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When it comes to the old money aesthetic, most people might initially think of the unattainable designer fashion of a stiff upper class, like wearing expensive clothes —but don't worry! You don't have to be a part of high society to incorporate this trend into your home design. The old money aesthetic is actually much more attainable than you think.
Picture this: Gossip Girl meets Gilded Age —a home chock full of gorgeous, high-quality pieces. While new money leans toward the flashy, fast-fashion, trend-chasing crowd, old money is fastened to a culture of craftsmanship, quality, and originality. This is the place where your family heirlooms, vintage collections and personally acquired custom pieces take center stage. Also referred to as stealth wealth or quiet luxury, the old money trend focuses on a lifestyle of classic design rooted in staying power.
So, how do you begin to adapt this style to your home? Let's take a look at the top three ways you can do this.
1. Incorporate Understated Elegance
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One of the easiest ways to incorporate this trend into your home design is by emphasizing understated elegance through muted color palettes, natural materials, and simple designs. Muted color palettes infuse your space with a sense of calm tranquility while natural materials add a timeless, organic look to your design. Wood, stone, and leather furnishings, for example, provide that understated elegance through their subtly natural texture and simple sophistication.
2. Capitalize on Quiet Luxury
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Quiet luxury, which is often associated with the old money aesthetic, embraces a sense of timeless style, understated sophistication, and a preference for high-end goods and experiences. It's "quiet" because it doesn't focus on flashy name brands and consumption, but rather cultivates tasteful objects and subtle pleasures through intentional design. Capitalize on quiet luxury by curating a thoughtful art collection, cozy retreat-style spaces/materials, and layered statement lighting.
The best part of quiet luxury is that you can customize it to your taste! Maybe for you, this means adding a piece of art with nods to British aristocracy to your living room gallery, or perhaps it's installing a statement chandelier in your foyer.
3. Pay Attention to the Details
This might seem like a given, but attention to detail is key when it comes to the old money aesthetic! Use a rich color palette with traditional blue, burgundy, blush, deep green, and creamy white tones to create a cozy appeal. These colorways are perfect for layering with warm neutrals and can be beautifully accented with crisp white, matte black, and gold finishes.
Fill your house with layers of you: objects of interest, travel souvenirs, curious patterns, and designs that catch the eye. Examples of these include:
- porcelain plates
- vintage art
- statement wallpaper
- antique books
- marble countertops
- dark woods
- crystal chandeliers
What's your favorite aspect of the Old Money aesthetic? How are you planning to incorporate this trend into your home decor?