Think twice before throwing anything out
Annika the decorating enthusiast
Annika is fascinated by the 1960s, but she thinks that it’s worth getting to know the decorating styles and materials of the decade when your house was built, whenever it was built. It is much easier to plan your home and choose paints, for example, when you appreciate the ambience of the building. Hunting for ideas and atmosphere is a lot of fun as well.
Annika was determined to find a home in its original condition, and did so after a surprisingly brief search. She was attracted not only by her home but by the entire building, since it had not been “ruined by too much repairing,” as she puts it.
Old magazines on sale at flea markets and second-hand bookshops can help you discover the real character of your home. Understanding the space arrangements and surface materials typical of the period helps you appreciate their history and roots. Magazine photos also give you ideas for typical furniture and household items that you can find in attics, or pick up at auctions and flea markets.
Libraries are good sources of books on interior decoration and a lot of information is available on the Internet. “I probably only have recycled stuff in my home. Recycled furniture is so easy to deal with. If a piece does not suit your home, you can simply recycle it again at a flea market for example,” Annika describes her furnishing approach.
What Annika likes about the 1960s is that back then, both buildings and furniture were made to last. This building was well made, and the materials are of high quality. Furniture from the 1960s also represents the golden age of Finnish design, when craftsmanship was combined with uncompromising production standards. Even so, items from the sixties are easily available and affordable.
“Magazine photos also give you ideas for typical furniture and household items that you can find in attics, or pick up at auctions and flea markets.”
Older items add style to everyday surroundings. Annika points to the chairs in her kitchen, which she got from the recycling centre and repainted. Every single one of them is solid and sound, despite being 40 years old!
Repainting old industrially produced furniture is easy. Their paintwork is usually so durable that it is enough to just sand the surface before repainting. Usually there is no point in stripping off the old paint, since this might damage the underlying wood surface. Annika also points out that a home should not be a museum or a time capsule. Both old and new objects should be present to achieve a good balance, as the home should look like the people living in it.
Various chairs dating from the 1950s and 60s were made into a matching set by painting them all the same colour.
The kitchen cupboard doors were also painted with Empire furniture paint.
As the doors were also old, Otex Adhesion Primer was used to ensure that the new coat of paint stuck properly. The finishing touch is made with Unica Super Lacquer.
