Modern Vintage Style [Hardcover]

Emily Chalmers (Author), Debi Treloar (Photographer), Ali Hanan (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2011

In Modern Vintage Style, Emily Chalmers - interiors stylist and owner of hip boutique Caravan - shows how using vintage items in a contemporary context can introduce humour, flair and personality to a home. Decorating should be fun and inspiring, so there are no style diktats; no 'this-must-go-with-that'. Modern vintage is all about trusting your instincts and taste and using a bit of imagination in seeking out the right items to create a perfect balance of old and new. In the first section of the book, Inspirations, Emily offers up imaginative and varied examples of furniture, lighting, textiles, decorating and collections & display. In the second section, Style, she shows you exactly how to pull the look together, applying her decorating philosophy so you can cook & eat, live, sleep and bathe in tune with Modern Vintage Style.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Emily Chalmers is a interiors stylist and author who excels at using more dash than cash to create inspirational interiors. Her work has appeared in several magazines and she now happily combines work with play running her destination design store Caravan in Shoreditch. She is the author of the bestselling Flea Market Style and Cheap Chic (both Ryland Peters & Small).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small (April 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1849750998
• ISBN-13: 978-1849750998
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.8 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture > Interior Design

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Expected May 15, 2011

By E. Hicks

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having loved her previous books 'Style on a Budget' and 'Flea Market Style', I wondered whether Emily Chalmers's latest book would be up to their excellent standard. I was not disappointed. The best thing for me was that it doesn't just contain the same old images that we've seen in various books and magazine articles. It is fresh and up to date. All the spaces are carefully edited and beautifully photographed. There are dozens of ideas to apply to one's own home. Absolutely loved it!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the furniture in this book! June 29, 2011

By Susannah C. Seefeldt

Format:Hardcover

Lots of great examples of Swedish and Danish furniture. Wanted this book so much and due to being back ordered had to buy at Anthropologie. Highly recommend this book.

70 of 97 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Bizzare Mishmash July 10, 2011

By Shatzi Crabtree

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The first thing I disliked was that it appeared by the cover to be a book on decorating with 50s/midcentury American style pieces. Yes, there were a few lamps from the period, butterfly chairs, some wonderful Eames style tables, etc. But most of the book was other vintage pieces thrown together. To me, maybe it's just my taste, just any old piece of junk can't be used as "creative." Here you'll find lots of what we call Shabby Chic, which is not my cup of tea. Headboards and cabinets that look as if they've been in a field since WWII just doesn't do it. Specifically, what you'll find here are: bedrooms so old fashioned looking that they reminded me of the dead mother's room in Psycho. A room with at least six different mismatched wallpapers (on the same wall!) with a mattress on wheels serving as a bed, covered with about five hideous quilts and crocheted blankets, again, none remotely matching. Throw pillow on the bed that doesn't match any of the hundreds of colors already here, nail a picture of a poodle up, and that's one room for you to emulate. Now, mixing patterns can be great if done right. But some of the rooms looked like the apartment bedroom of a college grad on her first job. She couldn't afford half a dozen blankets so she went to Goodwill and bought them cheap. The cover shows a wonderful minimalist decor, clean white walls, etc. Inside however, we find that white walls are the enemy, and it is suggested that we hang a mix of colored bead necklaces across the entire length of the wall! But nothing beat the bedroom with dark blue or black walls, red/white striped curtains, mandatory ugly quilt, and what appear to be the tops of suitcases with handles tacked to the wall for decoration! I can't imagine someone wanting a black room with Big Top curtains. Kitchens?... One here has that ancient rotting look wood that some find appealing, and the bathroom right off the kitchen has a curtain for a door. I'd love to be at a dinner party and have to use the bathroom with only a curtain dangling between me and everyone there. Bathrooms aren't too hideous, but no toilets are shown. I suspect, with all the abandoned farmhouse furniture, the toilet would actually be a latrine dug into the ground, with a moth-eaten quilt there for color. Anyway, if you want a book strictly on 50s or 60s vintage looks, keep shopping. The few examples here aren't worth the other 97% that is old lady quilts, odd ideas (using a stack of books as a table with rotten wood box containing hand statue), and WTH moments including a "clever" display of someone's collection of broken alarm clocks. Dump 'em in what appears to be a searchlight and put that sucker in the entry. Call me traditional but... Read more ›

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars More vintage than modern August 3, 2011

By Mom to 2 boys VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was pretty excited about this book, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I love the style of Anthropologie and I figured this book would be very similar in its style. However, I found it to be more vintage and Shabby Chic than modern vintage. Modern vintage implies that it's an updated style with some vintage pieces. I think of Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie, not flea market style, which is what this is more geared towards. There were some cute pieces in here, but the pictures were so cluttered that it just didn't look updated or clean.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Much Better Than 'Flea Market Style' September 8, 2012

By K. Fitzgerald

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a difference from the author's previous book, Flea Market Style, which I had nothing positive to say about (which is rare). I really enjoyed reading Modern Vintage Style. I think perhaps the layout of this book (dividing into two parts - Inspiration and Style) has a great deal to do with that. Instead of just showing images with little to no details as the previous book had done, this book provides details on the owner and their inspiration or what they were trying to achieve. Each section begins with an overview (i.e. Part I is furniture, lighting, textiles, decorating, collections & display vs Part II which is cook & eat, live, sleep, bathe) and is then followed by examples with detailed information that relates back to the text. This is a book that I can see myself returning to in the future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book July 26, 2012

By chris

Format:Hardcover

Great book it shows a great mix between modern and vintage style. So many great ideas that make me want to change some rooms of my own.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book January 7, 2012

By Catalina

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bought this book as a gift for Christmas. Ended up really liking it for myself too! Great ideas, perfect for that eclectic, garage sale, bargain hunter style.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Uninspired July 25, 2011

By J. Ford

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was expecting to be inspired and I wasn't. When I buy a book like this, I don't care about the text - I just want to see the pictures and lots of them. For the price I paid for this book, there was little value in it.