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You've bought your new condo and now you want to make the space uniquely your own.
A great place to start is with funky retro, vintage and antique furniture, fabric or accessories.
"Most people have a [time] period they gravitate to, whether it's an overstuffed-sofa look from the 1930s or '40s or the sleek-space look of the 1950s," says Victoria Dinnick, proprietor of Gadabout, a "vintage everything store" located in Toronto.
Find items that appeal to you and build from there. Some people like to add a specific decade via vintage drapery, Dinnick says.
"We have atomic-print fabrics from the '50s, bark cloth from the '40s, chintz from the '30s and a lot of curtains. Some [window covering] sets are lined. They're large panels ideal for loft spaces, with each panel 14 feet wide."
Vintage mirrors are also popular. Instead of one large mirror in a hallway, living space or bathroom, group multiple mirrors from the same era, either framed or frameless.
A way to add character to your kitchen is with vintage tea towels, glasses or canister sets.
Textiles, rugs, throw pillows, candlesticks and ceramic pieces are among the many other vintage items that can add interest to a space, and clothing and shoes from the 1800s to 1970s would be amazing framed, says Gadabout's Dinnick.
You can buy one era -- for example, a 1950s turquoise Naugahyde sofa, a kidney-shaped coffee table and tub chairs -- or mix it up. In a loft space, try a great Arts and Crafts screen with a 1950s lamp and a funky 1970s carpet with a geometric design, suggests Dinnick.
Vintage pieces are often well made and less expensive than their newer counterparts, making them easier on the environment and the pocketbook.
The can also be instant conversation pieces. Ask the store owner if they know the history behind a piece. At Gadabout, a cabinet that Dinnick uses to display jewellery once belonged to a family of doctors. "It was where they kept their surgical instruments," she says.
A pouf (a circular upholstered stool) and tub chairs from Dinnick's store were used in the 2007 movie Hairspray. Other pieces were used in the film Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe; the television series Murdoch Mysteries, which is set at the turn of the century; and the Hilary Swank movie Amelia Earhart, being released this fall.
Buying vintage is a way to define your personality, says Dinnick.
There are a lot of ways to make your space one-of-a-kind, and searching for the perfect pieces will be great fun.