Vintage Furniture

Collecting vintage furniture is a great way to have fun decorating your home, especially if modern designs aren't your cup of tea. Vintage furniture finds can be discovered at many local flea markets, antique stores and estate sales. There are a wide variety of styles available; all you need to do is decide which vintage year or design is your favorite.

1970s Vintage Furniture

Furniture from the 1970s reflected a change from bright and funky furnishings that were omnipresent in the 1960s, to more sleek and modern lines. Popular colors to use when decorating were white, chrome, black and brown.

• Mission oak furniture
• Molded plywood chairs
• Finnish modern chairs
• Bubble lamps
• Ball clock

Finding items from the 1970s to decorate with is fairly easy. Items can be found on eBay, in your local flea markets, auctions and stores that carry reproduction modern furniture. There are many online stores that carry vintage furniture from the 1970s, some of which are:

• Funky Sofas
• Mod North West
• Retro Furniture
• Decoratum

1960s

The 1960s brought about many changes in the design of furniture. Plastics enabled many designers to create tables and chairs in free flowing styles. Chrome plated kitchen tables and chairs were common in kitchens and upholstered furniture was preferred over more highly decorated, less comfortable ones.

Examples of home decor that were common are:

• Andy Warhol pop art
• Moroccan rugs, shag rugs
• Verner Panton plastic furniture
• Giancarlo Piretti furniture
• Space age looking chairs
• Lava lamps

If you want to try hippy chic or space age modern, you can find decorator pieces at:

• Smart Furniture
• Merrill Antiques
• Real Good Furniture
• American Chairs
• Retro Online

1950s

1950's vintage furniture is very popular with designers and collectors alike. The bright colors used during this era appeals to many people. An example of 1950's furniture that is in great demand is the retro diner furniture. Decorate your kitchen in the style of a classic diner or malt shop. Some examples of must-have items that are easily found on the Internet and in specialty design shops include:

• Select-O-Matic to play all of your favorite songs
• Retro stoves in your favorite colors
• Retro refrigerators with 1950's design but with current technology on the inside
• Booth seating
• Bar stools with footrests
• Planters
• Chrome tables

There are several retailers that specialize in retro furniture online. They are:

• Pastense
• Elite Products Unlimited
• American Chairs
• New Retro Dining
• American Retro Furniture

1940s

Old phonographs, paper drapes, porcelain enamel kitchen tables…all were familiar sights in a 1940's American home. Many people choose to use this vintage style in their kitchens, bedrooms and patio. Items that people would use to decorate their home in this retro style include:

• Ericsson wall phone
• Metal cabinet double basin kitchen sink
• Metal pantry and cupboards
• Coca-Cola coolers
• Astaire style furniture
• Metal patio furniture
• Ella sofas
• Charles Eames chairs

While finding certain original items can be difficult, there are many places where you can shop for 1940's vintage furniture and accessories.

• Metro Retro Furniture
• Historic House Parts
• Posh Living
• Red Door Antiques
• Vintage Swank

1930s

Art Deco and depression era home furnishings were the rage in the 1930s. The French influence is visible on many of the highly polished pieces of wood furniture. Depression glass, satinwood furniture and lacquered wood pieces were prominent during this time. Color themes featured tones of brown and green.

Typical items that you would see in a 1930's home include:

• Celluloid radios
• Duncan Phyfe dining room furniture
• Vintage leather furniture
• Lacquered cabinets, many with Oriental designs on them
• Cocktail bars
• Club chairs

You can find many items from this era for sale both at auction and from antique dealers on the Internet.

• GoMod
• Step Toes Antiques
• Art Deco Collection
• Restorations
• Midnight Sun Antiques

Conclusion

Decorating your home with vintage furniture can be a fun as well as educational. There is a lot that can be learned from collecting items from the past, from learning about famous designers to discovering how people lived long ago.

Choose items carefully to bring your designs to life. You may even want to mix and match items from several eras, such as creating an Old Hollywood look from 1930s and 40s furniture..

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