My Most Stylish Friend Swears By This Simple Decorating Tip (It’s Genius!)

My partner and I recently moved in together — an exciting relationship milestone that doubled as a fun opportunity for us both to start fresh and design a new space. Although we love our cute and compact Brooklyn apartment, we’ve had our fair share of decorating dilemmas pop up.

For one thing, the apartment was recently gut-renovated (I know, brag) and came to us in a pristine state — so pristine, in fact, that all the stark white walls and brand-new finishings were starting to feel a bit, ahem … bland. In our new space many of our existing furniture pieces and wall art looked less like extensions of our personalities, and more like we’d given up and raided a photoshoot. Enter: the patina trick. 

I picked up this ingenious design tip for cozy interiors from my friend Amy Marie Seidel, a theater artist, director, and freelance designer who’s styled apartments for our mutual friends here in New York. She explains it like this: To make a space feel warm and lived-in, “the trick is to integrate objects with age and history into your home.” 

Those “objects” could be anything from a cherished trinket or family heirloom, to a funky antique side table you scored at an estate sale. All that matters is that it has some patina — meaning it actually shows some visible age. Vintage and antique pieces with subtle signs of use look cozy and well-loved, which can imbue an uninviting space with the touch of life it’s otherwise lacking.

Sounds simple, right? It is. But trust me — this trick works like a charm. You’d be surprised by how incorporating even a handful of vintage, antique, or well-used items “can make a big difference in making a space feel like home,” Seidel says. And you don’t have to break the bank to put the patina trick to work. Seidel recalls saving a vintage tin cigarette ad from the trash room in her apartment building. To this day, it’s one of her favorite pieces on a client’s wall. She’s had good luck shopping for vintage furniture online on sites like Facebook Marketplace, too.

This was also the case for me and my partner. For weeks, we struggled to find the perfect new kitchen table and chairs for our space. We eventually came to the conclusion that a vintage wood dining set would add some much-needed warmth and character to our kitchen. Lo and behold, we finally sourced one we loved, complete with warm cherry wood and worn brass legs, on Marketplace. This one addition instantly made our whole apartment feel warmer.

“Don’t feel like you have to rush the process to assemble your space,” Seidel adds. “Find objects that speak to you over time, and before you know it, it will feel like home.”