This sentiment is echoed by prominent luxury retailers, such as the Printemps Haussmann department store in Paris, whose seventh floor is dedicated entirely to circularity and vintage revival. The magnificent refurbishment of the 1910 dome lights up 1,300 square meters of space solely devoted to sustainable fashion, showcasing luxury second-hand clothing alongside a dedicated area for repurposing old garments. Within this captivating world of vintage, aesthetics play a significant role. Whether it’s a designer handbag or a 1950s sideboard, the shapes, handcrafted details and materials of vintage items embody authenticity, evoke emotional connections to the past, and serve as guardians of historical heritage. The rise of specialized marketplaces has also opened up the vintage market to a remarkably wide range of tastes and budgets. From well-known platforms such as 1stDibs, boasting sales of $96.8 million and a NASDAQ listing, to specialized platforms such as mdrn – an Austrian platform offering a curated selection of twentieth-century mirrors and lamps – there’s certainly something for everyone. The enduring appeal of twentieth-century design, still the most sought-after vintage period, originates from the exceptional craftsmanship of renowned designers from Italy, Scandinavia, and the U.S.

This era is celebrated not only for its remarkable diversity, but also for the abundance of inherently high-quality, and thus timeless, creations. Suffice to say that reissues of historical pieces now constitute a significant portion of the best-selling items for many prestigious designer brands. While emerging designers often draw inspiration from the masters of the past, the world of contemporary interior design is incorporating a fusion of different eras, with projects often revolving around a single vintage piece, sometimes owned by the client, serving as the focal point for the rest of the room’s design. Influenced by the growing popularity of 1950s and 1960s aesthetics, recent trends have begun to move in alternative directions. “Collectors’ interests seem to be shifting towards the 1970s and 1980s,” explains Stefano Andrea Poli, Head of the Decorative Arts of the 20th Century and Design Department at Il Ponte Auction House, “There’s a particular fascination with exceptional, rare works that spark significant cultural discussion, as well as with those existing in the transitional space between art and design, a phenomenon also seen in more recent years (take the success of Yoichi Ohira’s 2000s glassware, for example).”