How do I make modern furniture look vintage-y?

Details. you could buy vintage posters or old vinyl records and put them on your wall. As for your furniture, you could sandpaper it to make it look older, or leave it and just decorate other parts of your room. Shop around at antique stores, thrift shops, and flea markets and you'll probably find some cool vintage pieces, be creative!

1 Apply 2 coats of your base color. In the example above, General Finishes waterbased Brick Red Milk Paint was used. (For more instructions on how to apply waterbased finishes, look for this Ehow article - How to Apply Water Based Stain to Wood http://www.ehow.com/how_2063275_apply-waterbased-stain-wood.html 2 After that is dry, apply a waterbased clear topcoat to prevent color blending. 3 Apply your top color. In the example above, General Finishes waterbased Basil Milk Paint was used. 4 Sand the desired areas with a random orbital sander. This could be portions of drawer fronts, door panels, or table tops - any place that might get extra wear. Sand one section at a time, then wipe away dust with a cloth to reveal the first color of paint. Experiment with different pressure and technique to create the look you want. 5 Use 100 grit sandpaper and enhance certain areas by hand - edges, corners, and around doorknobs. 6 Optional - To further distress the wood, create markings by hammering nails or other hardware into the surface of the piece. 7 Optional - Add a glaze. Liberally apply a glaze and really get the surface wet with foam brush or Handipainter pad over entire area. (In the image above, General Finishes Yellow Ochre Glaze Effects was used). Wipe off excess with a lint free cloth to achieve desired look. The glaze will tint the areas that were sanded and give the painted sections more of an aged look. Let dry 2-4 hours. 8 Finish with 2 applications of a clear topcoat to protect your work!