Retro furniture adds something different and is a great way to recycle

Just because retro and vintage furniture might not be the newest things on the block—and some of the pieces might even have a nick or two—placing a piece from the 1940s, ’50s, or ’60s in a room can add a fresh twist to run-of-the-mill decor.

The East End is ripe with antiques shops, though only a few offer high-quality retro and vintage furniture. Stellar Union on North Sea Road in Southampton is one such store which offers a wide variety of furniture from the 20th century.

A red-hot mid-century chair, rosewood dining room sets, a lamp that resembles a satellite dish, crystal chandeliers and a few massive contemporary art works are just some of the retro pieces crammed into every corner of Stellar Union. According to husband-and-wife owners William Schefferine and Sheila White, nearly all of the pieces they carry in their store are made by notable period furniture designers. But even more important, the furniture they sell also has the ability to add character to an otherwise bland room.

For example, a pair of volcanic glaze Danish lamps could spruce up end tables and add a colorful flair to the entire room, Ms. White said. The lamps, made in 1960, feature teak bases and brass hardware and retail for $1,800. Mixing in unique period pieces is a great way to make standard contemporary furniture pop, according to Ms. White.

“If you buy a bunch of Ikea furniture, you can add character by accenting with a vintage piece,” she said, adding that there are no hard-and-fast rules for purchasing vintage furniture. “You should buy what you like, the same as collecting art.”

Ms. White, who has owned the store with her husband for six years, explained that Stellar Union stocks furniture, accessories and artwork from the 1940s through the 1980s, with a few antiques and contemporary items as well.

“We’re eclectic, mostly modern, but we don’t mind throwing in an 18th-century Italian piece,” Ms. White said, adding that a piece of furniture made in the 18th century in Italy could look very interesting next to something more modern, like an Eames lounge chair, for example.

Ms. White noted that it has been trendy for East Enders to purchase vintage and retro furniture for the past 10 years or so. She added that the retro and vintage movement also appeals to the environmentally-conscious, as it is a way of promoting recycling.

“You’re not cutting down trees to make furniture,” she said simply.

Diana White, who formerly owned Needful Things in Sag Harbor and now sells only online at vandm.com/NeedfulThings, has vintage furniture dating back to the 1920s, the Art Deco era. Art Deco design is both opulent and modern. The Chrysler building in Manhattan is one of the most famous examples of it.

Ms. White also has pieces in the “moderne” style of the 1930s, which featured aluminum and metal furniture, as well as a good selection of Bauhaus design.

“You also had Bauhaus in the 1930s, which had very high design and a lot of famous designers,” Ms. White said.

Stellar Union also carries pieces from the 1940s, which often add a touch of Hollywood glamour to a room, said Sheila White. Surprisingly, it’s the furniture from the 1950s, which reflects the baby boom era, that has perhaps maintained the most stylishly contemporary feel to it, she explained. “It’s designed to be as easy to put together as possible, and it’s very simple and modern.”

According to Sheila White, the 1960s and the 1970s became more ornate in style. She said that John F. Kennedy’s move to the White House, and his wife, Jacqueline’s, furnishing of it in French style, brought about the more elaborate designs of that era.

Diana White doesn’t carry furniture from the 1980s at her online store, explaining that much of it copies the original Art Deco style. “I’d rather have the original,” she said of her dislike of 1980s reproductions.

As hard as it may be to believe, furniture from the 1990s is also considered to be valuable vintage to some collectors now. The just over 10-year-old pieces are becoming must-have items at auctions and in some shops, according to Russ Steele, the owner of RE Steele Antiques at Red Horse Plaza in East Hampton.

Mr. Steele, who is known as one of the most popular vintage and retro furniture dealers on the East End, specializes in pieces from the 1980s and ’90s. But his store also carries furniture from the 1940s as well as some contemporary pieces. The busy entrepreneur noted that furniture from the 1970s ranks high as his favorite personal style, though there’s a bit for everyone who collects vintage at his shop.

“I sell a tremendous amount of stuff, stuff from across the board,” Mr. Steele said. “I sell lots from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.”

But shops specializing in retro and vintage furniture aren’t the only places one can find these pieces. Those who are on a quest, and have a good eye for hidden treasure might get a lucky break at a yard sale or consignment shop as well.

Buying pieces this way could result in a real steal. But the article purchased outside a dealer or specialty shop may be in less than perfect condition, according to Shannon Willey, who owns Broken Colour Works on Hampton Road in Southampton.

Ms. Willey said that sometimes all it takes to bring an old piece back to life is reupholstering and some tender loving care. In fact, she reported that she spent a good deal of time recently doing just that on a set of chairs from the mid-century period. The chairs were in rough shape, she said, but with some wood refinishing and fabric reupholstering, they are better than new.

It’s precisely the lack of newly-minted perfection on those beautiful pieces of history that Sheila White of Stellar Union said she loves most about retro and vintage furniture.

“I like pieces with a few scratches and dings,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be pristine.”