Your Brief Furniture Guide: Vintage, Antique or Retro

Retro, vintage and antique, they all might bring up almost the same image in your mind, when you see an old piece of furniture with lifetime “scars”, or an ornate chest, that could easily be found in a second-hand store, or even a funky decor piece from the 80s. Most of the time these words are used interchangeably in online furniture stores and furniture malls, but in fact, they have their own unique definition. Learn with the FurnitureCart today how to determine the style, and find out which exactly you prefer.

Antique

The ‘oldest’ of these three, and usually refers to something that is a hundred years old or older. It usually refers to wooden furniture, paintings, decor items and handmade stuff. You can buy luxury and valuable antiques at auctions, designated furniture stores and from the owners themselves. You won’t find a lot of antiques in modern furniture stores, but you will find the name used with many collections by furniture brands.

Vintage

This furniture style has a broader age requirement, yet it looks like cut out from the past epoch. Vintage takes you back to feelings of nostalgia, and in the industry, it is the most used determination out of these three. Usually, genuine vintage is furniture that’s at least 20 years old. However, again, with contemporary furniture, you will find vintage names and motifs from numerous furniture manufacturers.

Retro

This name designates that it might not be old at all! Retro furniture pieces are found in the collections, created by honoured furniture designers and big retailers, the style inspires and brings back feelings of sweet nostalgia and coziness. In fact, retro furniture items are newly made but designed to look old-styled, antique or vintage.