Remember when a house packed wall to wall with antiques was considered the epitome of good taste? If you couldn’t afford the genuine article, reproductions were also fine, as many homeowners, regardless of the size, age or appropriateness of their property, tried to replicate the interior of a country manor house.

The rise of minimalism since the 1980s has put paid to all that. Now those beloved antiques are gathering dust in the basement as we opt for polished concrete floors, LED lighting and ethically sourced dining tables. Which may seem rather bad news for those of us still attached to Granny’s old ormolu clock, the empire table with inlay work picked up years ago at a country shop, or the overpadded, over-the-top Regency chaise longue handed down through generations of family.

For it is all too easy to be hypnotised by glossy interiors magazines, full of styling rules that border on the draconian. You can feel guilty for liking a piece if it’s out of character with the rest of your living space. Worried you will be judged by your peers for lacking taste or style, you steel yourself against the passion you feel for that 19th-century French chandelier spotted at the local antiques market. After all, you bought a funky Matthew Hilton sofa with brushed chrome detailing six months ago – surely they could never go together?

Well, yes they could. You just need to learn how to integrate the two styles – and it isn’t that difficult. It is about time we all started trusting our instincts. It doesn’t matter whether you are an antiques buff who wants to experiment a little or a lover of sleek, contemporary styling feeling strangely seduced by the past. There is no right or wrong way to decorate, but there are basic guidelines that will help achieve a balanced interior. If chosen carefully, antiques can sit comfortably in a 21st-century setting. The vogue is for uncluttered styling, and that applies just as much to a room that is predominantly modern, with a few antique pieces, as it does to a period room with modern pieces.

Think of your living space – lounge, bedroom, kitchen or study – in percentage terms. Furnish 80%-90% in the predominant style you want, then add a statement piece (a bold, standalone item that provides visual interest) to take up the last 10%-20%.

Statement pieces can be all sorts of things. Armchairs in a different style and covering to the rest of the furnishings are popular at the moment. Or you could opt for a large antique mirror leaning against one wall of a stark, minimal room – which also allows light to be reflected at floor level, giving a greater sense of space. Whatever you choose, make sure it contradicts the style of the rest of the interior.

The item you make a statement with can be large or small, anything from an art-deco figurine to a Regency chest of drawers in mahogany. What it shouldn’t do is compete for attention. Take the 18th-century French-style chairs placed in a modern entrance hall (facing page, centre right). The clean angles of the spartan setting provide a dramatic backdrop, and the gilded curves and luxurious fabric offer a visual contrast to the rest of the room. The muted colours and pattern of the oriental rug further soften the effect, without competing for attention.

Using oversized objects can work well, but be mindful of proportions. A chandelier or bookcase, however expensive, will look awkward if it is too big or too small for the room.

Adding the odd antique to a contemporary scheme – or a modern piece, such as a Philippe Starck light fitting, to a traditional interior – can also give a sense of your character in a setting that may lack a homely feel. A 19th-century gilded French mantle clock will still look elegant on your lacquered B&B Italia cabinet: just don’t clutter the space by surrounding it with a lot of other items.

Some period pieces are easier to integrate than others, and that is influencing the antiques market. It is true that the bottom has fallen out of “brown furniture” – as wardrobes, dressers, tables and the like are known – but it is really just overly ornate, fussily Victorian or inferior items that are out of favour.

Many sectors of the trade are buoyant; there is a particular thirst for mid-20th-century design and designers, and anything to do with the decorative arts, such as items from the art-nouveau and art-deco periods. Garden statuary is also popular: why not add a twist by bringing it indoors to create a dramatic talking point (facing page, centre)?

Refectory or extendable tables from any period can look fantastic with contemporary seating. Designs made from glass, light woods such as ash and bleached oak or French provincial furniture painted in light colours work well in this context.

Anything in American Lucite, a clear plastic produced by DuPont in 1931 and developed in several colours, also looks fabulous. Period chairs in any style – from upholstered Georgian wing chairs to 19th-century mahogany dining chairs – can be made current by covering them with modern fabrics. Raw linen in neutral tones is a popular choice, and even the most striking contemporary graphic can look great on a Victorian club armchair. Modern sofas and chairs teamed with antique occasional furniture – a Regency rosewood games table, say, or a French empire circular tripod table – can look sensational.

Don’t place upholstered period furniture against walls, though: however big the pieces, they will seem lost and unimportant, and there is a danger that the whole thing will end up looking like a dentist’s waiting room.

Whether you want to update a traditional setting or introduce an antique touch to a contemporary interior, lighting is crucial. Clever use of modern lights can transform the most traditional room. And a carefully chosen period light, such as an early-20th-century cut-glass Italian chandelier or an old Chinese urn lamp, can soften a minimalist interior’s harsher edges.

Jonty Hearnden, the antiques expert and broadcaster, is consultant editor to Miller’s Publications, which produce Miller’s Antiques price guides. His new book, What’s in Your Attic? (Mitchell Beazley £14.99), is available at the special price of £13.49 (inc p&p) from The Sunday Times BooksFirst; 0870 165 8585, timesonline.co.uk/booksfirst

Get the look

Auctions and fairs

- The Nolte Collection paintings, Sept 25: Woolley & Wallis, www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk

- Chelsea Antiques Fair, Thu-Sept 20; www.chelseaantiquesfair.com

- Furniture, art and rugs, Sept 25, Christie’s; www.christies.com

- Fine Art & Antiques Fair, Nov 12-18; www.olympia-antiques.com

Dealers

Furniture and decorative art: Blanchard Collective, www. blanchardcollective.com

Mid 20th-century design: De Parma, www.deparma.com

Antiques and 20th-century design: Dorchester Antiques, www.dorchesterantiques.com

Antique and modern design: Guinevere Antiques, www. guinevere.co.uk

20th-century: Gordon Watson, www.gordonwatson.co.uk

Antiques Centre: The Swan at Tetsworth, www.theswan.co.uk

Trade bodies

Lapada professional art and antique dealers: www.lapada.org

The British Antique Dealers’ Association: www.bada.org

Further reading

Old and New by Katherine Sorrell (Ryland, Peters & Small£7.99) East Meets West by Kelly Hoppen (Conran Octopus £16.99) The Alchemy of Design by Ashley and Allegra Hicks (Conran Octopus £25)

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