Love the sustainability, artisanal craftsmanship and historical decor narrative of antique furniture, but don’t fancy the dark, heavy wood finish? Why not follow the contemporary interior design trend of purchasing bleached antique furniture or natural finished items. Adding a bleached antique refectory table to your dining room, bleached headboard to your bedroom or bleached armoire to your entrance hall can serve to lighten and brighten the space, without overwhelming it, no matter the size of the furniture item. 

At The Crown Collection, we are on a mission to bring you handpicked and curated quality antique conversation starters with a unique decor story. Bleached items easily tick this box. If you want to bleach any antique piece purchased at our store, we offer an additional and professional bleaching service; making any piece fit with your bespoke aesthetic. 

Here are 3 advantages of decorating your home with bleached or natural wood antique furniture:

#1 Modernise antique furniture

The history books tell the story of dark wood furniture pieces with ebony finishes dominating the opulent, luxury design sphere. ‘Blonde’ wood furniture was viewed as a Scandinavian design aesthetic and thought of as out of place in these high-culture homes.

But, the paradigm shift ushered in by the 21st century saw lighter wood finishes as modern, stylish and trendy. 

Contemporary designer, Sheena Notely-Griffiths, described it as follows: “The lighter timbers create a more open, less oppressive space as they are less noticeable. They blend easily into a space and, whether matte or gloss, their luminosity creates a feeling of light.”

You’re probably not wanting to create a duplicate of the front cover of this month’s House and Leisure, but rather desire to highlight a carefully curated aesthetic of antique and vintage items, scattered among modern, more colourful contemporary pieces. Bleached items fit this brief perfectly.

The timeless beauty of antique furniture makes it a modern decor no-brainer in light of the current eco-conscious and sustainability movements. Forget the deforestation and pollution involved in manufacturing mass-produced furniture and invest in the low-impact, longevity of antiques (which actually appreciate in value over time). 

By reupholstering, adding cushions, and throws, sanding down worn edges or changing the colour through staining and bleaching antique furniture, your home remains updated and maintains a fresh and contemporary finish.

#2 Lighten & brighten your home

Not only does bleached antique furniture follow up-to-date design trends, but it also complements a range of other antique furniture items, introducing an understated and comfortable sophistication to living spaces.

Bleached antique furniture gives rooms a light, airy look (or even a coastal feel, if you’re looking to decorate your beach house), and successfully balances the contrast of darker traditional antique tones. 

Naturally brightening the room, bleached antiques are also the ideal contrast to moody, dark accent walls.

While dark traditional antiques give rich character to dining spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas, their heavier wood finishes can often pose a design dilemma when integrating with colourful, mix-matched contemporary furniture. This is where bleached or natural-wood finished antiques step in as the perfect modern decor solution. 

#3 Add variation to historic furniture pieces

Pairing a mahogany dining room table with the same shade of mahogany chairs, a mahogany sideboard and mahogany coffee table can look heavy and overdone. Matching antiques of the same shade of wood is an old-school philosophy. 

However, marrying a dark mahogany set of chairs with a bleached oak refectory table and a Dutch bleached oak cabinet can provide the space with interest, variety and depth and will completely transform the narrative.

One of the reasons interior designers love to include the contemporary, fresh finish of bleached antique furniture is because these items better accentuate the lines and details of antique furniture, making them pop with character, becoming the hero pieces of the room.

Upmarket, modern homes thrive on variety, balancing eclectic statement pieces (whether they are antique or modern) with classic neutral items. While many antique lovers will never tire of brown furniture, bleached pieces can add much-needed contrast and versatility. 

We’ll bleach it all at The Crown Collection

If you want to modernise a classic heirloom, mix-and-match old and new items or contrast bold antique statement furniture pieces, then our emporium is the ideal space for sourcing on-trend bleached antique furniture. 

Our experienced restoration team will bleach and stylise any antique item to create your desired look, or shop our selection of already bleached antique or natural finished pieces for every room of your home.

Bring antique furniture items into the modern era with stylish bleached furniture at The Crown Collection.