Some furniture is simply better with a little history. Vintage pieces introduce materials, craftsmanship and unusual proportions that can be difficult to find in newly manufactured furniture, while giving a room a sense of character without requiring everything inside it to belong to the same era.
For anyone beginning to buy vintage furniture, these are the ten pieces interior designers return to again and again.
1. Statement Mirrors
Vintage mirrors combine decoration and function, often featuring carved timber, smoked glass or beautifully aged gilt frames. They are also relatively easy to introduce into an otherwise contemporary interior.
Our pick: 1970s Italian smoked-glass mirror
2. Dining Chairs
A vintage dining chair can bring craftsmanship and personality to even the simplest table. Look for solid frames, interesting backs and silhouettes that will remain distinctive if the upholstery is eventually changed.
Our pick: Fler TVS Dining Chairs, Australia, 1960s
3. Table Lamps
Vintage lighting adds a layer that newer rooms often lack, particularly through ceramic bases, unusual shades and warmer materials. A lamp can also act as a small sculptural object during the day.
Our pick: Vintage Lamp with Waxed Swirl Shade and Dark Wood Sphere Base
4. Coffee Tables
Because the coffee table sits at the centre of the living room, it is a natural place to introduce something with more texture or history. Vintage coffee tables range from restrained timber forms to glass, tile and sculptural metal designs.
Our pick: Danish tile-top oak coffee table
5. Side Tables
A side table does not need to match the surrounding furniture. Its smaller scale makes it one of the easiest vintage pieces to experiment with, whether carved, lacquered, tiled or made from weathered timber.
Our pick: Antique teak round pedestal side table
6. Cabinets and Storage
Vintage cabinets tend to offer the detail that contemporary storage often removes: expressive veneers, unusual handles and doors designed to be noticed. They can bring depth to a dining room, living room or entryway while remaining genuinely useful.
Our pick: Nathan Furniture Art Deco bar cabinet
7. Dining Tables
A well-made vintage dining table can anchor a room for decades. Australian mid-century, Scandinavian and Italian tables are especially sought after for their solid construction and simple but recognisable silhouettes.
Our pick: Vintage Parker No. 92 D-end dining table
8. Rugs
Vintage rugs bring colour and pattern into a room without making it feel newly decorated. Their softened tones and natural wear work particularly well beneath clean-lined contemporary furniture.
Our pick: Vintage Nomad Tribal Wool Rug, Multicolour.
9. Original Art
Artwork does not need to be by a widely recognised artist to be worth collecting. Vintage paintings, drawings and mixed-media works offer compositions and colour palettes that are unlikely to appear in mass-produced prints.
Our pick: 1966 abstract figurative painting
10. Ceramics and Decorative Objects
Small vintage objects are often the beginning of a larger collection. Hand-finished ceramics, art glass and unusual vessels can sit on contemporary furniture without making the whole room feel antique.
Our pick: James Plant Art Nouveau Vase, Circa 1910
The best vintage furniture does not need to match perfectly or arrive all at once. A room can begin with one mirror, lamp or set of chairs, then become more layered as the right pieces are found over time.