Millennials: Vintage

Furniture Revival
Vintage furniture is having a moment thanks to
Millennialsʼ desire for authentic, affordable and
sustainable furniture and homewares. We look at how
brands, retail platforms and influencers are tapping into
this market

Allyson Rees
04.12.22 · 7 minutes

This Is Glamorous
Analysis
The mass adoption of e-commerce, sustainable lifestyles and a desire for
nostalgia have created a vintage furniture boom among Millennials.

The secondhand furniture market was seeing growth pre-pandemic, but as

consumer attitudes shi to more local, sustainable and authentic products, the
category is set to skyrocket over the next few years. According to a survey of US
consumers by C2C selling app OfferUp, the online resale home furnishings category
is projected to grow by 54% in the next three years; 3.5 times faster than physical
retail.
Growth will be largely driven by Millennials. Entering the housing market, theyʼre
looking for affordable, well-made furniture that represents their personal style and
vintage products tick these boxes. 1stDibs states that more than 60% of its orders
from Millennials are vintage and antique furniture. Vintage furniture seller Chairish
found 31% of US Millennial and Gen Z consumers say the pandemic has increased
their interest in buying used, vintage or antique furniture online. WGSN TrendCurve:
The New Retro reports that search interest in “retro decor” was up 138.7% from
2020 to 2021.
Millennial consumers are tapping into various discovery channels to feed their
vintage needs, from estate sales to micro-influencer curators. This report examines
the key players in the vintage furniture game and highlights how brands can tap into
the moment.

Vico Magistretti

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Need it now
Vintage products already exist in the market. For Millennials seeking instant
grati cation, they’re more appealing than the eight to 12-week lead times of
new furniture.

The furniture industryʼs pre-Covid-19 long lead times were already a pain point for
consumers, designers and retailers. When the pandemic caused factory closures,
material shortages, transportation issues and rising labour costs, the furniture
supply chain witnessed major stalls, many of which remain. Combined with the war in
Ukraine, the furniture and homewares industry is hamstrung for the foreseeable
future.
Vintage marketplaces reaped the benefits of the supply chain crisis. Online vintage
platform Vinterior has seen 120% YoY growth during the pandemic and last autumn
announced £8m in Series A funding by Active Partners. The UK-based e-commerce
brand also partnered with John Lewis on a curated collection of vintage wares, with
the department store seeing searches for “vintage” rise 77% from August 2020 to
September 2021.
Furniture brands should tap into their vintage inventory to satiate their Millennial
consumers. Restoration Hardware announced the creation of RH Antiques &
Artifacts, which will expand the US brandʼs existing vintage furniture collection.
Brands can also reissue classics in updated colourways and fabrics to generate a
limited-edition feel.

John Lewis

John Lewis’s partnership with Vinterior shows how traditional retailers can leverage curation and
one-of-a-kind products

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Celebrating eclecticism
As forecasted in Future Innovations 2022, pleasure has become a priority for
consumers of all ages. Millennials are using vintage furniture to boost their
mood and express personal style.

Chairish reports 76% of shoppers like pre-owned home decor because of the
individuality and uniqueness of pieces. WGSN TrendCurve: The New Retro highlights
how “mixing and matching” is key across Innovator, Mass and Conservative trends on
social media, as consumers take an anything-goes attitude to curating eras.
Brands have an opportunity to help Millennial consumers execute their personal
style via vintage upcycling. Look to services such as St. Louisʼs Sit Foundry, which
helps customers reimagine upholstered pieces. In Europe, Stockholm-based
furniture brand Massproductions created Face Li , a design collective of upholsters
in 12 countries. It plans to expand to offer other furniture maintenance services.
Following in the footsteps of Chairhead influencers, consumers are now prioritising
seating in vintage marketplaces; the more eclectic, the better. On Etsy, searches for
vintage and antique couches increased by 126% from 2019 to 2021, while the 1970s
reign on 1stDibs, with icons including Mario Belliniʼs Camaleonda sofa, Vico
Magistrettiʼs Maralunga sofa and Michel Ducaroyʼs Togo sofa seeing spikes in
interest and sales.

“Vintage pieces allow shoppers to express their one-of-a-kind

Architectural Digest
style and create highly personal spaces”
Global Google searches for “Togo couch for sale” (referring to Michel Ducaroy’s Togo sofa) are up
– Anna Brockway, co-founder and president, Chairish 250% YoY

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All about the hunt
Millennials are all about the chase to nd that one-of-a kind-piece and are
discovering an often overlooked market: estate sales.

According to Chairish's Home Furnishings Resale Report, 86% of shoppers love to

hunt for pre-owned, vintage and antique home furnishings. This has converged with
the acceleration of e-commerce and the digitisation of estate sales and tag sales,
which have boomed alongside the real estate market.
Once only physical events, estate sales moved online during the pandemic, allowing
items to be sold globally. It also streamlined the auction selling model, letting
companies sell to the highest bidder. Caring Transitions, a US service that helps with
senior relocation, downsizing, estate sales and online auction services, reported
earnings of $17m in 2020 with the launch of its online auction platform, compared to
$9m in 2019. Meanwhile, North Carolina-based Blue Moon Estate Sales was
recognised as the fastest-growing franchise in 2022 by Entrepreneur magazine.
Estate sale companies and startups can leverage the power of TikTok to generate
buzz among Millennials and Gen Z, giving followers a sneak peak of merchandise. In
the Boston area, Best Rate Cleanouts & Estate Sales say attendance skyrocketed
a er its TikTok videos received more than 50,000 views.

@bestratecleanouts

Estate sale auctions are a win-win for sellers and Millennial consumers. Sellers cash out with the
highest prices and Millennials get a rush of dopamine knowing they scored a deal

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Visual search
Social commerce has made sourcing vintage furniture and homewares easier
and new technology is empowering Millennials to nd exactly what they’re
looking for.

As highlighted in US Social Commerce 2021, Pinterest and Snapchat invested heavily

in visual search over the last few years. Meta is following suit, offering a visual
search technology for Instagram as part of its effort to rev up the platformʼs
commerce capabilities. Users will be able to source visually similar items available
to shop on the app and can upload pictures from their camera roll to find similar
products. This type of tech is already being used by antique dealers, vintage pickers
and thri ers as a way to source on-trend merchandise, but Instagramʼs upgrades will
put the power directly in the hands of users, allowing them to zero-in on different
designers, pieces and styles. As video becomes the dominant medium on social
media, itʼs only a matter of time before it can be sourced for visually similar
products.
Visual search is particularly useful to help vintage and secondhand C2C
marketplaces, including Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and Franceʼs leboncoin,
stand up to big-box retailers and vintage boutiques. Rather than searching for terms
such as “vintage snake couch” or “curvy pink mirror”, users will be able to simply
upload a picture of the desired product and click to purchase.

Business of Home

Google Lens is one of many technologies brands are working with to help consumers nd the
products they’re looking for

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Vintage social commerce: ones to watch
Even with visual search, social media cannot emulate the merchandising mix that makes vintage sellers so
popular. Here are ve sellers carving a niche in the vintage design space.

Didi & Dora @Tarn_London @jolie.tte @the_curatedvintage @densurplus

@didianddora @tarn_london @jolie.tte @the_curatedvintage @densurplus

Started on Instagram and named Launched a er owner Tanya Joliette is a vintage and antique Run out of a residence in Long Run by Jason Potter of vintage
a er the foundersʼ Zendra was made redundant dealer based on Instagram and Island, New York, The Curated furniture store DEN Los
grandmothers, Didi & Dora is the from her job during the out of Toronto. The duo behind Vintage was started when Angeles, DEN Surplus offers an
collaboration of two pandemic, Tarn offers Georgian, the brand scours flea markets Jessica Ferrandino was entry level collection of vintage
Melbournians, Sophie Victorian and Edwardian pieces. and offers French and Belgian furloughed from her job. Her furniture and lighting with the
Zilberman and Cara Slade. The Known for bobbin and caned heirlooms, including bent bistro aesthetic is minimalist, with same midcentury aesthetic. Its
shop is inspired by their furniture, Zendra also offers chairs, Louis Philippe mirrors products ranging from a vintage selection includes Mies Van Der
grandmothersʼ homes in the vintage and antique artwork. and Regency style accessories. clay backgammon set handmade Rohe lounge chairs, George
1960s and sells affordable retro in Mexico to a carved stone bust Nakashima dining chairs and
wares. of Artemis. Simon Moore ceramics.

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Action points

Call in the experts Think outside of retro Consider alternative retail Invest in visual search
channels

Partner with vintage dealers to ensure From cottagecore to Regency revival to Estate sales and auctions are booming Visual search will continue to enable
your assortment tells a story, is on Frasurbane, new eras, styles and with the housing market. Look at how consumers to achieve their personal
trend and authentic. Look to micro- design movements are making waves seasoned dealers are using online and style and educate themselves about
influencers and virtual storefronts to among Millennials. There is no one- IRL nostalgic experiences to generate vintage design. Ensure your brand is
see what products are trending in what size-fits all to vintage in 2022 buzz and drive Millennial engagement keeping up and look to video as the
markets future of visual search

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