Vintage, Antique and Retro all most likely bring up a specific design aesthetic or image. You may think of an old, ornate piece of furniture, items you would find in a second-hand store, or a funky 80s decor piece. But what exactly do these interior design terms mean? Is that old dresser you bought an antique or is it vintage? What exactly does retro include? Much of the time, these words are used interchangeably, but they all have their own unique definition.
Vintage, antique, and retro each have their own style characteristics and encompass different items and time periods.
Here we have tried to simplify the definitions of each:Antique
An antique item is something that is about 100 years old or older. So in 2022, an item would need to be from 1922 or earlier to generally be considered antique. Examples could include handmade, wooden furnishings, paintings, or other decor items.
Vintage
Vintage furniture and other items have a broader age requirement than antiques, though they must be old enough to feel like they are from a pre-existing time period or a bygone era. This would include items that are anywhere from about 20 to 99 years old. Often vintage items bring back feelings of nostalgia and may also be collectible.
Retro
Retro may not actually be old at all. You often will find retro pieces at popular retailers today. These items are newly made but designed to look like vintage or antique items. For example, you might find a pair of "vintage" shoes or an "old" lamp that evoke styles of times past, though they are not actually from an older time but really quite new.
To add more technical terminology to the realm of vintage, antique and retro; items that are more than 300 years old have their own classification and are referred to as an artefact. Artefacts fall into two different categories depending on if they are a manmade creation or a natural find:
- Fossils: If an item is not manmade and is an impression of a formerly living item.
- Artefact and/or antiquities: If an item is manmade and more than 300 years old.
When perusing your local vintage vendor, you are unlikely to come across an artefact sitting on the shelf ready to be re-homed as items greater than 300 years of age are typically dug up during land developments or through archaeological digs. However, sometimes you may strike gold in the most unlikely of settings, with artefacts found in basements, attics and private collections from time to time.
And finally there are also collectibles. Collectibles are worth more over time than when they were initially purchased. While many items will be branded as ‘collectible,’ not all actually qualify for the label. This is dependent on make, provenance and quality and is a term often overused in an attempt to add value to an ordinary object. It is best to exercise a level of buyer caution in this space.
Well, I hope that has helped to add some clarity and given you added confidence when it comes to chatting with dealers when you are next in a market or auction - Happy Foraging.