Vintage Furniture: The ultimate guide (2024)
The trend for unique vintage pieces is ever-growing. People are swapping mass-produced furniture for vintage furniture to add an individual style to their homes, and the rise in online shopping has led to more awareness of conscious consumerism. This ultimate guide covers what you’ll need to know to successfully shop for vintage furniture.
Table of contents
- Overview
- Key points
- What is vintage furniture?
- Why are people choosing vintage?
- Vintage Furniture trends to look out for in 2024
- What’s the easiest way to find vintage furniture?
- What are the benefits of vintage furniture?
- Some of our top picks this year
- Get started with vintage furniture shopping
Overview
The way people shop for furniture and home decor pieces has changed.
With an ever-increasing number of shops and high-street closures taking place – caused by the COVID pandemic and on the back of the more recent cost-of-living crisis – more customers have turned to online shopping than ever before; seeking wider choice and better prices. Year-on-year we’ve seen an increase in online shopping from 18% in 2018 to 19.2% in 2019. During the pandemic, more consumers were making online purchases with a 46% increase in 2020 from 2019 – online sales represented 28% of all retail sales in 2020.
The demand for furniture has also increased. To keep up with this consumer demand however we’ve seen a rise in furniture mass production. Mattress Online have revealed an average of 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded per year in the UK, much of which goes straight to landfill. At a waste level of 80%, it’s one of the least recycled household items. Enter vintage furniture. The carbon footprint of vintage furniture is anticipated to be 16 times smaller than that of mass-produced modern furniture.
Hunt Vintage® is the online marketplace for everything Vintage Furniture. This guide is here to share some of the most frequently asked questions around vintage furniture shopping so that you can find the perfect vintage pieces you will love.
The key points:
- By keeping, or restoring, vintage pieces you’re improving the environmental impact on the planet and reducing your overall carbon footprint.
- Vintage shopping has become a top trend because home shoppers want unique pieces that add more character and individuality to their homes.
- Give more life to one-of-a-kind furniture and décor.
- Find vintage furniture easily via Hunt Vintage and choose from thousands of vintage and antique pieces that fit with your home decor or room style.
- Choosing quality over mass-produced benefits the environment and you’re purchasing pieces that can, and will likely, go up in value as time passes. Shopping vintage is therefore a win for your pocket, as well as the environment.
What is vintage furniture?
Vintage furniture is a timeless addition to the home. And, as people are spending longer periods in their homes, many are seeking to add character with statement pieces from the past. It’s a growing trend that continued its upward trajectory during the recent pandemic.
But what is vintage furniture? The term refers to a piece of furniture or décor, previously owned, that dates back at least 20 to 100 years old – whether restored or in original condition. However, not all old furniture is vintage or antique (over 100 years old).
With a growth in popularity, vintage and antique items are making a comeback. So there’s no better time to buy some staple vintage furnishings. In particular, the Mid-Century Modern era has risen in popularity with its projection of simplistic beauty. These items are popularly sought after by dealers and homeowners. With sustainability and conscious consumption on the rise, aged is now best.
The online world has never been a better place for finding unique vintage furniture. If you want to find a one-of-a-kind piece full of charm and individuality, we know just the place to look.
Why are people choosing vintage?
Opting for vintage and antique furniture over mass-produced is a good way of keeping your home unique and individual to you. Vintage furniture can be up to 80% less in price and better crafted than mass-produced furniture. It adds character and style to a space, and, in most cases, people want décor in their home that can’t be found anywhere else.
By choosing one-of-a-kind furniture and décor pieces for your home, you’re giving them new life. Finding vintage furniture is an ideal approach to creating a beautiful interior, full of personality and one that captures a little piece of history.
Vintage Furniture trends to look out for in 2024
As we move into 2024, we’ve been liaising with our expert network of vintage dealers, from across the globe, to glean insight into the top trends in vintage furniture this year. Here’s what we anticipate:
Custom vintage furniture pieces
We’ve noticed the trend for unique upcycled pieces increase in the past 12 months with customers switching on to their furniture purchases being a longer-term investment. Not only this, but customers are waking up to the fact that furniture can speak more precisely to their individual home decor desires, layout and tastes. This puts the spotlight firmly on a number of other dealers, with a great example being the uniquely crafted pieces from one of our most exciting sellers in recent months, Jay & Co – spearheaded by the brilliant celebrity furniture designer Jay Blades MBE.
Dark Wood
Dark wood is back in vogue. Think rich walnut, mahogany and rosewood. With the addition of dark wood vintage furniture pieces to your home you’re able to make a real statement against lighter colours. This is a very versatile trend and will prove popular amongst a broad spectrum of shoppers – from designers to individual homeowners.
Earth tones
In contrast to our last point, earth tones will add the warmth and comfort which many buyers will be desiring for their homes throughout 2024. Here, we’re looking at ivy green, sage and terracotta to sand, taupe and beige. Colours which will commonly suit busier areas of the home – living rooms, family rooms and tv rooms.
Mixing vintage and antiques with contemporary pieces
Adding a touch of nostalgia or history to even the most modern home will appeal to a broader range of shoppers in 2024, with the aim of giving their space an entirely different look and feel; a fresh alternative to the somewhat ‘drab, uniform and contemporary’ design trends which have featured so heavily in recent years.
What’s the easiest way to find vintage furniture?
More and more people are shopping online than ever before – a trend that has accelerated in recent years. So, finding vintage furniture and decor is easier than ever – and you can do it from the comfort of your home. There’s an abundance of vintage and antique wonders of the second-hand world. You can find all variations of vintage furniture quickly and easily with Hunt Vintage. Offering a curated selection of unique vintage items, Hunt Vintage was created to enable you to browse through thousands of pieces from thousands of vintage and antique dealers. With a specific emphasis on sustainability and quality, we’ll find the best furniture for your individual interiors.
What are the benefits of vintage shopping?
In a time of sustainability and conscious consumerism, there is consistent awareness to lower our carbon footprint. A key reason for shifting to vintage furniture is that vintage and antique items will give your home a unique style. One that is both environmentally friendly and that will leave a lasting impression on your house visitors and guests.
So, what are the benefits of choosing vintage over mass-produced?
- Cost-effective, with the potential to increase in value
Contrary to popular belief, vintage and antique furniture can be affordable purchases. More often than not, vintage furnishings and décor are less expensive than their modern equivalent. It’s more cost-effective because you’ll usually be buying for less than its original price. But best of all, by choosing the right piece, the item can potentially increase in value due to its unique qualities which tend to become more sought after over time.
- Each piece is one-of-a-kind
Vintage furniture tells a story. Each item reflects a piece of history that you don’t get with mass-produced furniture. Every furnishing is unique with a one-of-a-kind design. The timeless quality means it will never go out of style.
- Well-made and good quality
Even in this modern design era, vintage furniture is always in demand. Many manufacturers attempt to replicate vintage and antique style and design in their furniture and décor. However, the unique, well-made quality cannot be matched in the same way. The materials used to create these pieces are more durable and substantial than the laminates used on furniture today. Over time, vintage furniture has been passed through generations and has stood the test of time in style and quality.
- Better for the planet
In the UK each year, we discard 1.6m tonnes of furniture. With most pieces going straight to landfill. The rise of conscious consumerism continues as environmental and social awareness has grown, with over 40% of people actively making sustainable purchases. A single mass-produced chest of drawers has a carbon footprint 16 times higher than if it were to be second-hand. Moving from mass production to vintage furniture will help lower your carbon footprint and prevents unwanted furniture from going to landfills.
Some of our top picks this year
We’ve selected some of our top items that we think you’ll love for 2024. We’ll update this frequently as each one-of-a-kind piece is bought.
Ercol Two Seater Sofa, Armchair and Footstool by Jay & Co
Every piece of furniture from Jay & Co, the brainchild of celebrity designer Jay Blades MBE, has been created to blend functionality with aesthetics and to elevate the ambiance of any room. These particular pieces see classic 60s Ercol furniture given new life, in a playful and relaxed style, with luscious Clarke & Clarke recycled grey velvet, and a silky black paint. Simply stunning and unique.
Find the Sofa here
Find the Armchair here
Find the Footstool here
Mid Century Teak G Plan Fresco Long Sideboard
One of our mid-century classic’s that effortlessly combines style with functionality. This wonderful Teak Fresco Long Sideboard by G Plan is clean, stylish, solid and in excellent original condition.
Nathan Parker Knoll Teak Bookcase 1970’S
One for the booklovers! This delightful bookcase was designed and manufactured by British cabinet maker Nathan in the mid-twentieth century. Both stylish and functional.
Scandinavian Mid-Century Chair from the 1960s
This stylish and undeniably elegant set of 3 teak, nesting, side tables were designed by Danish furniture designer Kai Kristiansen and manufactured in the 1960’s by Vildbjerg Mobelfabrik. A trio that would suit most interior styles.
Vintage Teak & Boucle Angular Armchair, 1960s
An angular teak armchair with newly upholstered white coloured boucle fabric, brought back to life from the 1960s. The teak has been fully restored and the piece newly upholstered.
Ready to get started?
There is no better time to invest in vintage furniture. Now it’s time to do it for yourself. Browse our range of the latest vintage furniture pieces on Hunt Vintage and find the next unique addition to your home.
