One half of the Duffer Brothers duo, of Stranger Things fame, Matt Duffer, has shown that his style at home is far more refined than the retro 80's interiors seen in his hit TV show. Instead, the producer's Los Angeles home, which he shares with his wife, Sarah Hindsgaul, embraces a quietly sophisticated aesthetic that combines vintage lighting and artwork with subtle, pastel blue-painted furniture and delicately patterned floor tiles.
There's a subtle art to decorating with vintage if you want to ensure that you don't make your space look more like a museum than a home, and Matt Duffer's pool house guest room (pictured below), designed by another creative duo, Nickey Keyhoe, achieves that balance beautifully.
I spoke to Amy Keyhoe and a vintage expert on how to create a calm aesthetic with antiques, and below you'll find my edit of furniture and decor inspired by Matt Duffer's serene space, from a cornflower blue bed (Anthropologie) to a vintage-style print (Wayfair).
Shop Matt's 'Monastic Calm' Bedroom Look
The beautiful pastel shade of this bed is just like the one used by Nickey Keyhoe in the design of Matt Duffer's guest room – it creates such an unexpectedly fresh backdrop for the antique pieces.
Eyelet bed linen brings a quietly artisanal feel to a bedroom scheme, reminding us of hand-embroidered sheets and quilted blankets of old. There's something comforting and elegant about them.
Made from mango wood, this nightstand brings in a hint of rustic wood in contrast to the blue painted beds and dark antique pieces. Unlike Matt Duffer's piece, it has a handy drawer.
This vintage style piece evokes a real sense of peacefulness just like the authentic antique piece in Matt Duffer's space. Hung above the bed it sets the tone for the space without dominating.
This 19th century French design features two candle-style lamps in antiqued bronze, with scrolled arms and paw feet for an ornate addition that will really stand out in a calming space.
With an aged look, these tiles bear a similar pattern to the ones in Matt Duffer's guest room and will bring a touch of vintage style in a pared back palette to contrast with darker pieces.
The look in this guest room particularly stood out to me as it's not a central space in the home, but an occasional room for visitors, yet it's still been treated with a design-led reverence that creates an unequivocally calming atmosphere.
Amy Keyhoe, Co-Founder of interior design studio, Nickey Keyhoe explains: 'This guest room has a separate entrance from the house and a close connection to the terraced backyard. The calm of the exterior was intentionally borrowed for the interior.'
This space is punctuated by a few carefully chosen vintage pieces – an ornate iron ceiling light, a French artwork, the Bouilotte-style table lamp (1st Dibs has similar), and antique-style tiles – but it hasn't been overdone. This can result in a space that feels old rather than styled. Amy explains: 'The darker, saturated color of the iron lighting and rustic wood table balance the light palette of walls and floors. The 'humble quiet' of these pieces enhances the overall serenity of the room.'
The lighter, calming color scheme is achieved through an unexpected injection of pastel blue in the painted wooden beds. 'A quiet palette of neutrals, a pale dusty pink tiled floor (based on a vintage tile), and mostly unadorned walls create the monastic calm we were after,' explains Amy. It's a genius move to bring the look up to date without competing with the authenticity of the vintage pieces.
Krystal Baldwin, Founder of San Francisco Vintage explains why this works:' When it comes to styling vintage more broadly, the most compelling spaces are edited, not filled. A single vintage piece, whether it’s artwork, a light fixture, or even something architectural like tile, can carry a room if it’s given enough breathing room.'
She continues: 'Pairing vintage with pastel blue is a great example of that. The softness and clarity of the color act as a clean backdrop that makes the texture and character of vintage pieces feel sharper and more intentional. It pulls them out of the past and reframes them in a way that feels modern, curated, and a little unexpected.'
So, rather than adding more, a few carefully chosen antique pieces can actually work harder, allowing the time and space to appreciate the design. Krystal concludes: 'It’s less about layering vintage on vintage, and more about creating moments where each piece has a reason to exist.'
Matt Duffer's guest room has certainly given me pause for thought when it comes to styling antiques for an elegant feel. I'd never have considered pastels as a pairing for vintage pieces, but it certainly brings a lightness and freshness, which encourages us to see antiques in a new way.
