Antique furniture: what it is and how to recognise it
Search for "antique furniture" and you soon hit the same question: what does "antique" actually mean? The word gets used for pieces thirty years old and for any heavy wardrobe with a lot of carving. This guide sets out the definition, the real signs of age and the most common traps, so you can judge a piece without an expert's eye.
What antique furniture means
The most widely used convention is simple: a piece is generally considered antique when it is at least 100 years old. Anything between about 20 and 100 years old is usually called vintage. This is not a universal law, and some countries and auction houses apply the line more strictly or loosely, but it is the reference most dealers use. The difference, and what it means for your home and budget, is explained in vintage or antique, and younger pieces are collected under vintage furniture.
One important point: age alone does not make a piece valuable. Condition, quality of craftsmanship, authenticity and how much of the original survives all matter. An old but heavily altered piece can be less interesting than a younger one that is untouched.
The wood: oxidation and patina
Wood that has spent decades in the air changes. The surface oxidises and darkens, and the colour looks deep and slightly uneven rather than "painted on". Areas that met the light differ from protected ones: the inside of a drawer will not match the top. Look for exactly these contrasts. If the inside and outside share a perfectly uniform tone, it is worth asking why.
Patina builds up over time through wax, handling, light and dust. Genuine patina is matte or gently glossy, darker in corners and in the recesses of carving, where wax and old dirt collect. A thick, shiny lacquer applied recently does not have that depth.
Tool marks and joinery
Before machines were widespread, many parts were cut and shaped by hand. On unseen surfaces, the back, drawer bottoms, the inside of the carcase, you may find fine marks of a plane, chisel or handsaw. They are slightly irregular, unlike the identical, evenly spaced grooves left by machinery.
Joinery says a lot. Dovetails at drawer corners are a common sign of careful work. In hand-cut pieces the tails are usually a little uneven in size and spacing; machine-cut ones are very regular. This is not an absolute test, since a skilled modern maker can imitate it, but it is a good starting point. Perfectly threaded screws, or industrial staples and nails, in a "150-year-old" piece raise questions unless the seller can explain them as part of a repair.
Wear patterns and hardware
Genuine wear follows the logic of use. Tabletop edges are rounded where hands rested, chair feet are polished underneath, drawers slid along the same runners and left a visible track. Artificial wear tends to look uniform or to appear in places that make no sense, such as identical scratches on every side or knocked corners only on the visible face.
Hardware (handles, hinges, locks, keys) deserves a close look. Old cast or forged parts have weight and small differences from one example to the next. Old screw holes with no matching fittings show that the hardware has been changed. That is not necessarily a problem, but you should know, and the seller should say so openly.
Repairs, restoration and "married" pieces
A piece over a hundred years old has almost certainly been repaired. That is normal, even a good sign: furniture that survived was looked after. The right questions are what was repaired, with what, and whether the work respects the structure. Sympathetic restoration keeps as much original material and finish as possible; aggressive work, with total stripping and fresh lacquer, can erase exactly what made the piece valuable. The difference is covered in our article on restoration versus renovation.
A "married" piece is assembled from parts that were not made together, for example a cabinet top from one era on a stand from another, or a new tabletop on an old base. Signs include wood in different shades, styles that do not quite match, and traces of fixings that correspond to nothing. Such pieces can be beautiful and useful, but they should not be sold as a single original.
Reproductions and "aged" finishes
Reproductions have existed for a long time, and some are well made. An "aged" finish can imitate patina with bitumen, staining, deliberate dents or painted cracks. The most reliable clues: no difference between inside and outside, uniform wear, fresh-looking wood on the back or under a drawer, and modern glue or screws. For a longer checklist, see our guide to telling an authentic piece from a reproduction.
Be careful with unusually low prices for "antique" furniture, with spectacular stories that come with no evidence, and with sellers who sidestep simple questions about age and repairs.
Provenance and documents
Documents are not required for old furniture, but they are a real plus: old invoices, family photographs showing the piece in a home, workshop labels, stamps, auction notes. None of them proves age on its own, but they tie the piece to a story you can check. What you should receive with a one-off piece is set out in the article on warranty, papers and provenance.
How to buy sensibly and how to care for it
- Ask for photos of the front, back, underside and inside the drawers.
- Ask directly what has been repaired, replaced or refinished.
- See the piece in person if you can: light, smell and weight tell you more than a photo.
- Compare the price with similar pieces in style, condition and size, not with new furniture.
- Do not buy under pressure; a good piece can wait a day.
Care is gentle: keep the piece away from radiators, direct sun and swings in humidity; wipe with a soft, dry or barely damp cloth; use a good wax rarely and in a thin layer, and avoid silicone products and harsh sprays. Old wood needs stability and calm above all.
If you would like to see real wood, joinery and patina in person, you are welcome at our showroom in Nimoreni, 15 minutes from Chisinau, or you can browse the full catalogue. Every piece is one of a kind and the price is shown on each. We deliver across Moldova and Romania.