Nowadays, the words "antique" and "vintage" are used so interchangeably that the meanings have become somewhat convoluted. It has become overused in the common lexicon that most people don't really know the formal meanings of each. So I think its now time to settle the score and figure out once and for all what makes these two different.
The word antique and vintage both have connotations of being old but they have different and specific meanings that will differentiate each one. Formally, Merriam Webster defines vintage as the "period in which something was made or begun". While antique is defined as "a collectible object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has a high value because of its considerable age"
Basically, in simpler terms it means that:
- Antiques are anything that are older than 100 years. A 1900s Louis XV armchair would be considered as antique. Also, antiques are considered to be much rarer and more unique. There are mass produced furnitures during that time period that a lot of people have purchased. Even though that is older than 100 years old, you wouldn't call it antique. It is basically like saying that today's Ikea furniture would be considered antique in a 100 years which we all know it wont because it will fall apart.
- Vintage refers to an item that is representative of the time it was made. An example of this would be a midcentury chair from the 1950s or an art deco chair from the 1930s. There are a lot of sellers representing their items as "vintage" when it fact it is just a reproduction of that style or design. These are what you call retro. They are basically newer items that are made to look like items from an older era. The popular style nowadays are retro designs.
I hope that cleared things up for you and hopefully it will help you when you're buying "old" items. Goodluck shopping!
-Vanessa
