Antique heirlooms blend well with transitional style

DEAR GAIL: I just inherited a couple of antique pieces from my great aunt. I received a mirror, chest, bench and her typewriter. I love them because they remind me of our time together, but I don't have a very antique décor. The best way to describe my home is that it is a mix of contemporary and transitional. I wouldn't say that the contemporary is very edgy, but my transitional is not country at all. How do I incorporate these pieces? -- Cathy D.

DEAR CATHY: It is wonderful that you received some of your great aunt's pieces. The memories we have of the time spent with family is something that we should always cherish.

Incorporating something that you love is always easier than incorporating something that you don't, no matter the décor. When you have more of a contemporary/transitional feel, you have to be a bit more careful with antiques. First, I wouldn't place them in the rooms where you feel you lean more toward the contemporary side as the antiques will feel out of place immediately. I would start in the rooms that are more transitional.

For the bench, there are a couple of places that you can try. Do you have an area where you could place the bench under a window? If placing the bench against a plain wall, just be careful about the artwork that you hang over it to make sure that it feels right. Depending upon the size of the mirror you received, it could be hung over the bench. Be sure to check what the mirror will be reflecting. You want an attractive picture in the mirror and not an empty wall, closet door, bathroom or kitchen. Another area where the bench could work is at the end of your bed. No matter where you finally place it, I would add decorative pillows or a throw in your color scheme, as this will help bring it together as part of the room.

For the chest and mirror, it would be easier to keep them together. My first thought was to place them in your home's entry if you have the room. But, since the entry does set the initial feel of your home, this might not be best location depending upon what else you see immediately from your front door.

You could incorporate all of the pieces in a guest room and give it a completely nostalgic feel. Along with these pieces, you could add a wall of all older black and white pictures of your family. So that the room will not feel completely out of place, decorate it with the same colors that are in the rest of your home. If you have a very bold color scheme, just select the pastel tones of those colors to tone it down. It is amazing how color unifies every space.

The sewing machine featured in the photo is actually in my entry. My grandmother sewed wedding dresses on a machine exactly like the one shown. The picture above it is my other grandmother's wedding photo. Don't you just love the top hat? Then, the picture on the sewing machine is my dad's baby picture with his bronzed baby shoes. It is one of my favorite places in my home.

The other two pictures are a before and after. Before, you can see that the picture and bench were in different parts of the room, and the grandfather clock was in the entry. The owner had a country feel in her home, but separately these three pieces did nothing for it. Instead they were all grouped in the entry with the clock. It looks much better, plus this way you can see grandma without her looking down on you.

Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 7380 S. Eastern Ave., No. 124-272, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.