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The beauty of the vintage furniture market is that nothing ever really goes out of style—trends come and go but eventually find their way back to relevancy when the next generation rediscovers and revives them. If my colleague Hannah Martin has taught us anything with her object lessons, it’s that there’s always something retro having a moment in design. Our interiors are a reflection of our inner world, offering a window into the most intimate part of ourselves. Even international pop stars like Harry Styles are pulling inspiration from the well of domesticity while daring us to think outside of the four walls that surround us.
According to 1stDibs, the top-selling vintage and antiques categories that saw significant order volume growth in Q1 of this year were dining room chairs, wall lights and sconces, and chandeliers and pendants. Top searched terms included Eames, Knoll, Thonet, Pierre Chapo, Cassina, Nakashima, Noguchi, and Murano, along with styles such as Art Deco, Space Age, brutalist, and midcentury.
During the pandemic, there has been an uptick of interest in Cesca chairs, Togo sofas, and Murano mushroom lamps. To find out what’s currently on trend this quarter, I consulted seven of the best vintage dealers across the country about the latest best sellers from their inventory so far. These collectable items are selling so fast that they can barely keep them in stock—act fast if you’re looking to score one of your own.
USM Haller units
“I’ve noticed that, in the past year, more people are leaning towards items that are built to last, timeless, modern, and sleek in design. I feel like whenever we source an USM Haller unit, it goes pretty quickly, especially the colored ones. We have a few USM units ourselves, and we love them.”–Jessica Li, founder of Renewfinds
Ettore Sottsass Mandarin chairs
“Bold and vibrant accent chairs have been moving pretty fast at our shop. We recently had a number of Ettore Sottsass Mandarin chairs. There’s always a few available on the market because they were mass-produced by Knoll, but the ones available are almost always in pretty drab colors. We had ours reupholstered in much bolder colorways, more true to Memphis style, and they all sold out within minutes of being listed.”–Jonathan Sanchez-Obias, founder of Primaried Studio
Marble nesting trio tables
“All things marble…. What used to be only travertine requests, now people are loving the more color-rich marbles: hunter green, maroon, red travertine, etc.”–Tricia Benitez Beanum, founder of Pop Up Home
“We’re seeing a lot of interest in strong textural elements this year, such as stone and marble coffee tables, burled woods, caning, and luxurious velvet textiles with geometric patterns.”–Sara Swan, cofounder of The Swan’s House
Sofa beds
“As for sourcing requests, we’ve gotten an unusually high amount of customers asking us to help them find unique sofa beds this year! I’m not sure if they’re low-key Airbnb schemers or just optimistically trying to make their homes more guest-friendly for a post-COVID world (knock on wood). Either way, it’s been fun sourcing those for customers. We have one incredible vintage pullout sofa in stock right now.”–Laura Weiszer, founder of Betsu Studio
Umbo shelves
“It’s always had a cult following, and we’ve seen it trend the past few years, but it seems the interest in space-age furniture is still growing. I picked up an Umbo shelf for the shop recently, and it became one of my most engaged posts.”–Jonathan Sanchez-Obias, founder of Primaried Studio
Bruno Rey chairs
“Simple and elegant dining chairs like Bruno Rey’s Rey or the Magnus Olesen 8000 Serie chair are bigger than they’ve ever been in the United States, and people are styling them with all sorts of table designs, proving the chair’s versatility.”–Daniel and Meghan Larvey-King, cofounders of Home Union
Zig-zags
“Waves and wiggles are definitely still trending hard, like these zig-zag martini glasses we can’t seem to keep in stock, this wavy-edge side table and matching coffee table (half of the set has already been sold), and this incredible full-length wavy mirror that’s been in at least a dozen shopping carts this week!”–Laura Weiszer, founder of Betsu Studio
Knoll Pollock office chairs
“Another item that sells out really quick for us is the Knoll Pollock office chair. Now that more people are working remotely at home, investing in a comfortable but sleek office chair is important. We usually sell out of these within a few days.”–Jessica Li, founder of Renewfinds
Chiclet sofas
“Chiclet sofas had a resurgence last year, and Herman Miller ended up reissuing them. I thought it would be harder to sell the vintage ones once that happened, but every Chiclet we’ve had post-reissue has sold within minutes. Like the Mandarin chairs, they have a really identifiable and fun silhouette, and the ones that sell fast are always in a vibrant color.”–Jonathan Sanchez-Obias, founder of Primaried Studio
K700 Paperclip stools
“Bar and counter stools are also high in demand. K700 Paperclip stools are a fun and unique way to spice up a kitchen island.”–Jessica Li, founder of Renewfinds
Sonneman lamps
“Oversized, sculptural Sonneman-style lamps are very popular in fabrications from chrome and Lucite to plaster and ceramic.”–Sara Swan, cofounder of The Swan’s House
Modular sofas
“Modular sofas are so popular because of all the ways to configure them. When we do these types of stories on social, they get high engagement; it’s always fun to be creative with a larger piece of furniture such as a sofa!”–Tricia Benitez Beanum, founder of Pop Up Home
Caprani lamps
“The Caprani lamp clearly isn’t going anywhere, either. They’re never available in our store for more than a day or two. This has kind of become a Home Union staple, and we still receive requests for them all the time.”–Daniel and Meghan Larvey-King, cofounders of Home Union
Tubular valets
“I also had this yellow tubular valet at the shop for almost a year, which finally sold a few months ago. Since then, I’ve picked up a few more, and they’ve actually all sold in my shop before I could post them online. A good amount of people have asked me if I’m getting more in. I think that definitely speaks to the interest in playful silhouettes, vibrant color, and Space Age moment happening.”–Jonathan Sanchez-Obias, founder of Primaried Studio
Sculptural candleholders
“I’ve been noticing people moving away from the sculptural candle craze and collecting more sculptural candleholders, which is a longer-lasting investment. This pair hits on both trends, and I’m surprised they’re still in stock! I have a couple of these faux marble holders in my house that I’m obsessed with.”–Laura Weiszer, founder of Betsu Studio
Pipistrello lamps
“We noticed that people are always asking if we have smaller prints or floor lamps available. For some reason, floor lamps are usually harder to find than table lamps. Another piece that’s not for sale, but we receive a ton of interest on is our Pipistrello lamp. This lamp is an eclectic piece that can definitely upscale any room.”–Jessica Li, founder of Renewfinds
Togo sofas
“We still receive frequent emails and calls for Togo sofas all the time. Any three-seater designer sofa or larger never sticks around the store long. With the world experiencing some form of supply issues, the ability to have something NOW is appealing. A lot of companies are backed up a year or more for sofa orders!”–Daniel and Meghan Larvey-King, cofounders of Home Union
