Many clients have asked me the differences between antique furniture, vintage furniture and retro furniture…
And it is that the furniture and antiques market has given rise to much confusion regarding the terminology of antique furniture, vintage furniture and retro furniture.
Technically an antique piece of furniture is a piece of furniture that is more than a hundred years old. Enough. There are no more possible definitions regarding antique furniture.
However, the confusion begins when this term is used for this furniture that has been recovered but whose age cannot be verified with certainty. For these cases, it is usual to resort to history, experience, examples of similar old furniture, etc…
For example, one of the formulas to be able to define the age of a piece of furniture is the study of notarial acts of wills. Furniture was once considered an important asset of value, and wills often included listings of the furniture as part of the estate.
A very common case was to inherit the furniture that was given to the bride. In this way it has been possible to trace and classify furniture over one hundred years old.
Another recurring formula is the identification of styles and even carpentry craftsmen. Sometimes some signs of identity were found in the old furniture of these craftsmen.
On the other hand, a piece of furniture that is more than 20 years old is usually called vintage furniture. For example, furniture from the 70’s is often labeled as vintage furniture.
Although the use of this term has really become widespread and has lost its original meaning. Currently this description refers more to a piece of furniture that looks old than anything else. Sometimes this term is used in such a generic way that the buyer no longer knows if he is buying a piece of more than twenty years or a reproduction of an antique piece of furniture.
And finally the term retro furniture. Here we are in front of a subjective definition of what a retro style piece of furniture can be. It has nothing to do with his age, but simply with his style.
There is also what is called as a “reproduction piece” of furniture. The reproduction is a replica of an antique piece of furniture. An authentic reproduction of an antique piece of furniture can be very valuable as a good reproduction must mimic the same carpentry, assembly and lacquering techniques as the original antique furniture.
These construction techniques are craft techniques, learned by generations of carpenters and painters. In fact, a good reproduction is nothing more than an “antique piece” of furniture less than a hundred years old.
