Shopping for Quality Vintage Furniture

From solid wood to modern sawdust and glue, comparisons made between the furniture of the past and the items for sale to day can be depressing. Very little of what's made today will be around in a hundred years given the some-assembly-required pre-fabricated factory pieces in most homes. Craftsmanship and quality materials have been replaced by higher profit margins and faster manufacturing practices. The trend to look for vintage pieces rather than buying something new is merely common sense in practice.

Defining what the terms mean is a good place to start, as "vintage" is not merely a synonym for "used" no matter what the thrift stores might advertise. Collectable pieces can be anything older than 25 while vintage starts at 30 to 40 years old. The hard line to earn the title "antique" is a hundred years old. For furniture, vintage is best--it's not merely the used cast-offs of those who didn't want to take their couch with them when they moved and it's also not the beautiful but possibly fragile aged wood of a prior century. It's also smart to select an era and stay with it. While mixing and matching to create a unique look might be fun, it also might end up looking more chaotic than eclectic and sticking to a consistent style might be more effective.

Luckily, furniture through the ages has been through many shifts in design. Art Deco can have smooth lines and simple but fun shapes of antique chests and more furniture, with unexpected curves and daring finishes with interesting trim. Slightly older pieces often boast rich wood grain and detailed carvings while mid-century pieces may even have involved plastic or metal hardware that look like an old-world vision of the future. Because many of our modern-day manufacturing practices had yet to be invented, most pieces were built by hand and built to last, thus being highly functional even 50 years later.

The key is to look for gently used items that might be scratched on the surface but otherwise in good shape, with no splits in the wood or damaged hardware. As long as the piece is sturdy, structurally sound and all drawers can open and close freely, small cosmetic problems can be easily repaired. Refinishing Mid century chests piece is always possible but simply throwing a coat of paint on everything to make it all match wouldn't be a great idea. There is an art and a history to these pieces and matching the original finish honors both. 

Mismatched garage sale items are not the crux of vintage decorating. There is a deliberate process to looking for an appealing era and shopping within that style. A table is much larger than a soda can and buying vintage is a form of recycling in addition to being a way to express personal style while finding high-quality pieces for less than the price of some new furniture. Art Deco tables and chairs, art deco chests and antique sideboards still exist, just waiting to find a new home to furnish in the good old fashion way.