How To Source and Buy Vintage Furniture According to Expert Buyers

Making a house a home is about more than what fills it, but choosing the right furniture, rugs, lighting, art and other decorative touches carry real weight. The ’70s are having a mighty comeback, with recent interior trends drawing heavily from 20th-century Italian, French and Danish design.

Still, buying vintage can be daunting. From assessing quality and authenticity to knowing what’s worth the investment, there’s a lot to navigate. If your Pinterest boards and saved Instagram posts are filled with vintage-inspired aesthetics, read on.

We speak with two experts: Dean Angelucci, founder of Fitzroy icon Angelucci 20th Century, who has specialised in restored European mid-century furniture for more than three decades, and Claire Perini of Sydney’s Composition Studio. Together, they give us the lowdown on sourcing vintage pieces that feel right for you – and are built to last generations.

Plus, we’ve rounded up the best vintage furniture stores around the country.

What are the first things to think about when buying a vintage piece of furniture for your home?

Angelucci: It really stems from the need for the piece. I always advise people to shop for things that are actually practical, not just beautiful. It’s great when something incites an emotional response for a buyer, but it’s important to come at the piece from all angles and ask, “will this do what it needs to do?”

Perini: When someone is strongly gravitating towards certain items, I like to ask them, “Do you think you’ll still think about this when you leave?” I like to encourage people to buy pieces that have a lasting impression – sometimes I do actually tell them to go home and, when they walk away, they get the answer they’re looking for. Don’t just buy vintage for vintage’s sake or because a maker or style is on trend. It’s about the tactility and sense that something belongs to you.

How do you balance vintage pieces with contemporary furniture without the room looking like a time capsule?

Angelucci: People get a bit stressed out and tend to overthink it. My advice is to step back and fight the urge to buy more that harmonises or fits in with what you’ve already got. Try and trust your instinct and, if you’re looking at something that contrasts what you already have, think about how that might actually become a complementing aspect that actually works.

Perini: Don’t be intimidated. Your style will naturally start coming together. If people are just starting out collecting, it’s the scarcity that can feel off and make things stand out. The more you collect, the better it will look. [Rooms] get woven together like a tapestry – don’t be too concerned about not having the perfect place for something, it will likely find the right spot if you really love it.

How can people determine a fair price for vintage?

Angelucci: In the age of information that we live in, it’s easy for people to do their research online and get a sense of the right price for something they’re considering. It can potentially seem cheaper to buy items overseas, but you’ve got to factor in shipping costs, plus if any restoration is needed. Particularly when it comes to lighting, make sure you think about the need for converting pieces to meet Australian standards for an electrician to be able to install and hardwire. While the job might not be all that hard, it can be difficult to find the right people to do it for you and do it well.

How can buyers tell the difference between authentic vintage and reproductions?

Perini: The more you look and shop, the more you learn. Don’t be afraid of marks and tarnish. Things that have signs of wear and evidence of use are more likely to be legitimate. With ceramics for instance, I want to see dust. If they’re too perfect and it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always take photos of things and do a Google image search to check and compare what an original piece would look like before you make a decision, particularly at some of the larger markets overseas.

Are there particular makers, regions, or production details people should learn to spot?

Perini: Always look at the hand behind the object. Joinery that doesn’t rely on nails or glues, the weight of a piece, the way materials meet. Danish designers I love the most were obsessive about proportion and timber selection. French pieces often carry a certain romance in their wear, slightly irregular. Beyond names, it’s the details: dovetail joints, hand-turned elements, original hardware, the way upholstery has been constructed. These are the tells.

What materials age the best and how do you protect them?

Angelucci: Leather ages beautifully and can be reconditioned with a product like Renapur.

Perini: Solid timbers – oak, teak, rosewood – deepen rather than deteriorate. Natural fibres soften. Leather creases into itself, becoming prominent with time. Metals like brass develop a patina that feels almost intentional.

How do you assess whether a piece can be restored – and whether it’s worth it?

Perini: If the bones are good, almost anything can be brought back, but that doesn’t always mean it should be. I look at structure first: is the frame sound, is the material still honest? From there, it’s about restraint. Patina, the slight irregularities in finish – they give a piece depth. Over-restoration can erase that entirely. A question I ask myself is, “does the piece still hold its presence?” If restoring it enhances the piece, then by all means, but mostly I prefer a piece layered with its history.

What do you think is worth the investment right now? What pieces or styles are on the up?

Angelucci: I think one of the most underrated aesthetics is ’70s Scandinavian casual country or lakehouse. It stands out to me where they use pine – rather than rosewood or teak as they would in the city – for a materially driven, relaxed look. In Australia we can think of pine as being a bit daggy, but it can be very chic. Wall lights are also a really nice way to bring a warming effect to more modern spaces. Coloured glass, or even clear glass that’s handmade, adds little rays of interest and points of reflection that soften a space.

Perini: More of a maximalist approach is coming back around. People aren’t afraid to make their homes feel really homey again, which invites more opportunities to add vintage pieces in their space. I think pieces from French designer Pierre Chapo, and Danish duo Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, are really smart investments at the moment. And coloured pieces or items with lots of patterns are having their moment.

What’s the biggest learning you’ve had in your years of collecting vintage pieces?

Perini: Lamps are difficult. I think about 50 per cent of the lights I’ve brought back from overseas I haven’t been able to get rewired in Australia because our standards are quite different. Also, be careful with any wood that is untreated or unsealed – sometimes it means they just need to be sprayed more before they get through customs, but the costs tend to add up.

What are your favourite items to buy when it comes to particular eras or designers?

Angelucci: Italian design pieces, lighting and occasional furniture are my enduring favourites. They’re so quirky and driven by the heart in their design – the intent is to elicit an emotional response.

Perini: I’m always drawn to French and Danish designers. But there’s a green velvet sofa by [American designer] Bertha Schaefer in the showroom right now that I’m completely obsessed with. It’s modular and almost creates the vibe of a sunken living room – it just encapsulates you.

What’s the best find you’ve bought for your own home?

Perini: I’m extremely fond of a few 1960s Japanese ceramics I have, as well as a self-gifted 30th present: an original Hans Arp sculpture.

Angelucci: The best find was a King Sun lamp by Gae Aulenti – a sculptural, rather than practical piece. Gae Aulenti lighting has become difficult to source since the rise in popularity of 1970s Italian design.

The best vintage furniture stores in Australia

Melbourne

Angelucci 20th Century, Fitzroy 
Smith Street Bazaar, Fitzroy
CCSS, Abbotsford 
Grandfather’s Axe, Collingwood 
Red Rider Vintage, St Kilda
Castorina, Fitzroy
Nicholas and Alistair, Abbotsford
LH Design Hub, Essendon 
Mood Objects, Brunswick East 
Primary Residence, St Kilda 
Ma House Supply Store, Collingwood 
The Vintage Shed, Tyabb

Sydney 

Composition Studio, Surry Hills
Tamsin Johnson, Paddington 
506070 Shop, Elizabeth Bay
Tangerine and Teal, Brookvale 
The Valut, Roseberry 
Mitchell Road Antique & Design Centre, Alexandria
Vampt Vintage Design, Surry Hills
Juliet’s Balcony, Dulwich Hill

Brisbane

Rewind Mid-Century, Shorncliffe 
Empire Revival, Paddington

Adelaide

Realm Vintage, Norwood 
Retro Room, Adelaide 
Oldfield’s Antique Market, Semaphore 

Perth

Old Values, Fremantle
20th Century Vintage, Bassendean 
So Last Century, Mt Lawley
Hunters & Collectors Interiors, Mosman Park
Intoo Collectables, Northbridge 
The Vintage Sparrows, St James 
Aslett Antiques & Mid Century, Fremantle