Decorating Your Home With Vintage Furniture
The value of a vintage piece is not in how much it costs or the age on its surface, but rather in what it means to you. Discernible from new pieces that are mass-produced and disposable by comparison, old furniture has a unique character with every scratch and dent telling an untold story about someone’s life lived out loud.
It may be time for your family heirlooms to have more than their final resting place as well–time for them to get back into circulation!
In nearly every issue, shelter magazines promote retro furnishings with displays of elegant rooms oozing one-of-a-kind charm. But just what exactly does “retro” mean? How can this term differ from our definition of “antique?
What Is Vintage Furniture?
Vintage furniture is anything that’s at least 20 years old. This includes pieces of furniture with a history and sentimental value, as well as those without it. To be considered vintage the piece must have been manufactured before 1994 or restored in such a way that it looks like one made from this era when viewed by someone outside the trade.
Retro is a style from the 1950s to 1980 and it’s coming back into fashion. Newer pieces, those dating from the mid-1980s onward are considered used furniture because they’re newer than retro styles of furniture which date all the way up until 1980. Retro has come back into the trend with styling like this new couch I just got that came in 50 shades of brown!
When you hear the word “vintage,” what usually comes to mind? Old furniture, right? Some people might even call it antiques. But there is a difference between old and vintage pieces of furniture that many do not pay attention to when they use these words interchangeably.
Simply being an older item doesn’t automatically classify as one being considered designer quality or antique worthy enough to be called true vintage from any era in history- but some styles are more easily identified than others for certain time periods throughout the decades past because those were primarily emphasized during their respective eras.
If we’re talking about retro furniture, then it must be an example of what defined the style during that era. Simply being old does not make any furniture vintage in the technical sense even though most people use these terms interchangeably- if they should have some way to relate with their given period.
For instance, a chair from Eames is essentially as much “vintage” or “retro”, for lack of a better word – simply because this particular piece exhibits characteristics best described by mid-century modern design aesthetic and ideology; however one doesn’t necessarily need to belong to either well-known line or manufacturer in order for them become worthy enough on collector’s book shelf’s around the world.
Vintage Within Budget
For those who are looking for an affordable way to indulge in high-quality living, buying vintage furniture may be your best option. Finding pieces made of higher-grade materials and with better craftsmanship than new furnishings allows you the opportunity to have something that will last longer without breaking the bank.
Environmentally Friendly Furniture
The environmental benefits of owning vintage furniture are easy to see. You’re not only being a friend to the planet when you buy pieces that come from an era before toxic materials were used in manufacturing, but also by preventing old furniture from going into landfills and reducing your exposure at home to formaldehyde or other toxins present in finishes and glues if they need refinishing.
If these pieces need any work done on them after all this time–such as re-gluing loose legs, replacing broken parts with new ones made out of non-toxic material…
Finding Vintage Furniture
Why Vintage Pieces Matter. Finding the perfect vintage piece for your home is an adventure that you will never regret; it can make all of a difference in creating unique spaces and developing a personal style! To find these great pieces, consider looking to thrift stores, consignment shops, or online sites such as eBay.
Be sure to add shipping costs when shopping at these virtual locations so they are more accurate of what you’ll end up paying in total.
The old has always been new again since the beginning of time–so why stop now? Shopping for antique furniture might be intimidating because there’s no telling where you’re going to find something and how much it may cost but don’t worry about this too hard-you have options like trying out secondhand places
- Grandparents and other older members of your family or friends
- Internet retailers
- Live auctions
- Local auction websites
- Local garage and yard sales
- Charity flea markets
- Local Secondhand stores