Vintage, antique or retro: which one you prefer most?

 Ah, the joys of aging. Those little moments when you learn what recent history seems to you is a piece of ancient history for others when the album Help by the Beatles includes a song that was a relatively hit or realizing that Titanic is two decades old! Anyways, what do you call vintage or retro?



Everything you buy for your home – furniture, artwork, lighting – is plotted on a timeline based on when it was manufactured and affixed with a generational label like “contemporary”, “antique”, “vintage” or “retro”. An item’s age is a key factor to determine its value, along with its quality, condition, and relative rarity.

What is an antique?

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, antique style refers to home décor, originating from the long-forgotten times and has at least 100 years of history.

Designer Alison Koch notes that we have to treat the items in antique style as exceptional collections that adorn any interior, e.g. original wall pictures, clocks, etc. The antique-style furniture and home décor is an investment to any interior, if you combine it with other styles, you add more depth and mystery into the space. How can you differentiate it? The accessories in the antique style stand out by the patterns, referring to the gone times.

What is vintage?

If antique themed accessories possess 100 years of history, then what is vintage? Vintage (French. Vendage) refers first to ripe grapes and a specific period of origin.

Interior designers refer to the vintage as a style belonging to a specific period of origin, e.g. if you still have tableware, wall clocks, vases that originates from the 90s, you can call it vintage as it introduces the lifestyle of the 90s. Vintage accessories may not have modern elements in the design. Ashley Furniture Homestore offers a wide selection of American furniture and home décor which stick out the most characteristic features of vintage style: distressed wood, floral patterns, pastel color scheme, and natural materials (brick, stone).

What is retro?

Retro refers to the backward period of time. Retro-style furniture does not have to be old-fashioned, but it can include the elements of those home designs that have gained great fame throughout the times. 

An American designer, Samantha Gallagher mentions that retro is a contemporary reproduction of the gone styles.

Retro furniture and interior accessories may have contemporary design elements. So, retro is the imitation of the past styles in present. It contains innovative modern design solutions. Retro was initially applied in home design in the Scandinavian countries and gained more popularity in the 1950-70s. Retro projects synthetic materials, floral patterns, straight lines, shiny leather, and a bright color scheme. In the ’60s the retro style gradually started prospering when the hippie movement hit the boom. Retro home design may have big, but low-profile sofas, bar stools with matte black feet, wood cabinets, poufs, wall arts with abstract patterns, or unusually shaped sofas or dining tables.

If a retro style is quite adaptable to new changes and may easily go with any design solutions, then vintage has strict rules to follow and any distraction is unforgiven. These two are most confusing in interior design, that is why we suggest that you consult with our interior designers to make a decent decision about a home design plan. 

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