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Retro-Chic Showdown

We invited three arbiters of vintage style to decorate a small space using only things they could find at vintage shops or their own homes. Here's what they came up with.

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The Professional

Carla Stine, owner, Pastiche Design and Decór

Carla Stine’

s Pastiche business is one part storefront, one part personal design service. Carla says small spaces, like the ones here, are a great for cohesion and coziness. They also allow the designer to put more of themselves and their personalities into a space than larger rooms do. The dominant element in Carla’s space is the fabric tacked to the wall for color—it’s an inexpensive filmy fabric (not unlike the webbing you’d find on the bottom of a chair). It’s versatile, non-permanent and at $2.50 a yard, cheaper than paint. Plus, “it’s a big statement, you don’t see it every day,” Carla says. Other elements were also simple, including an armless chair (good in small spaces) with a homemade slip; a pillow from her own store, Pastiche; and a handful of flowers taken from a church near her store. The lone extravagant piece ($180; still a bargain when most go for $600-$800) in Carla’s collection is a cowskin rug from Tandy Leather. Though probably appalling to PETA types, the rug is soft and incredibly stain-resistant, Carla says. Her major advice for vintage design on a budget is to “mix it up.” Hint: Lots of people leave great old stuff sitting out by the curb that might look brand new with just a slip cover or a little polishing.

Antique mirror, $29, Majestic Flea Market

Fabric for wall, $2.50 a yard, Hancock Fabrics

Edison-style light bulb, Walgreen’s (cord from Lowes)

Chair, free from a friend (self-made slip cover)

Pillow, $45, Pastiche

Wood end table, $30, 2nd Time Around (scrap fabric for legs)

Cowskin rug, $180, Tandy Leather

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