The mind of an antique dealer is an interesting one. There’s knowledge not only of vintage furniture, but also of art, history, interior design, architecture, and, let’s not forget, business.
Antique dealers spend their lives looking at objects most people overlook. Over time, that constant exposure develops a trained eye for design, quality, and proportion.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Vicente Serrano, the antique dealer behind Studio Vintage in Valencia, Spain, a shop specializing in mid-century modern furniture, to talk about vintage furniture, trends, and what decades of working with design objects can teach you about taste.
Our conversation went beyond vintage furniture. Vicente reflected on how trends come and go, what makes certain pieces suddenly fashionable, why some objects become overpriced, and how to recognize truly valuable vintage pieces.
Meet Vicente: The Antique Dealer Behind Studio Vintage
Vicente Serrano has a long trajectory dealing in vintage furniture. Coming from a family involved in the world of furniture and design, he was exposed to design objects from an early age.
Today, he runs Studio Vintage in Valencia, Spain—the first store dedicated to vintage furniture to open in the city, specializing in mid-century furniture and design pieces.
When you enter Studio Vintage, you feel transported. It’s a carefully curated mix of not only furniture, but also lighting fixtures, art, and decorative objects. Your eye doesn’t know where to look first.
Studio Vintage not only serves a local clientele but also sells internationally through 1stDibs and Pamono, two of the main global marketplaces for vintage furniture and design.
And now, the five lessons.
1-Taste Is Developed Through Exposure and Curiosity
Taste isn’t something you’re born with—it develops through exposure and curiosity.
Growing up, Vicente spent his weekends reading design books and magazines, as well as time in his family’s furniture shop. Being constantly surrounded by objects helped him develop an instinct that proves curiosity often matters more than formal training.
Later, by the time he studied architecture and art, he had already internalized many of the principles that shape a trained eye.
The beauty of it all? Anyone can develop an eye for vintage furniture by staying curious, learning about design history, and paying attention to small details like craftsmanship and materials.
2-Trends Can Inflate the Price of Vintage Furniture Overnight
Over the years, Vicente has seen trends come and go. One thing he has consistently observed is how visibility can suddenly drive demand, and with it, prices.
As he explained, a piece that might have sold for €100 can suddenly jump to €1000 once it starts appearing in magazines or on Instagram. At that point, you’re often paying for the trend rather than for the actual quality or design of the object.
If you’ve been reading this publication for a while, you probably already know that I’m personally not a big fan of trends. One of our earliest articles explored how to curate a home that feels collected rather than trendy. Overpaying for something simply because it’s fashionable—only to have it feel dated a few years later—rarely makes much sense.
As Vicente also pointed out, trends are often easier to manipulate than we think. Economic cycles frequently shape what becomes fashionable: minimalism tends to dominate during times of prosperity, while periods of crisis often bring a return to color and more expressive interiors.
3-Not Everything Old Is Truly Vintage
As Vicente explained, the term vintage originally comes from winemaking. It refers to the year a wine was produced (the year of the grape harvest) which helps determine its quality, style, and character.
Today, however, the word is widely misused. Not everything old is truly vintage. The term refers to quality and significance, not just age.
A true vintage furniture piece often introduced a new material or technique in its time, marked a shift in design, or later became iconic.
At the same time, not every vintage piece needs to be signed by a famous designer. Some objects represent the spirit of an era so well that they qualify as vintage even without a well-known name attached to them.
Many objects people come across in thrift stores or flea markets are simply second-hand items—not vintage.
4-Decorating with Vintage Furniture Takes Patience
The best way to decorate a home is slowly, over time. Vintage collecting is no exception.
Instead of rushing to fill every corner immediately, Vicente always advises clients to take their time when decorating. This approach allows you to live in the space, observe it, and notice what it truly needs. Empty corners are part of the process.
Slow decorating naturally leads to homes with more character, where you can see intention and sense the passage of time.
5-Good Interiors Always Come Down to Balance and Proportion
Humans naturally respond to visual balance. For Vicente, balance and proportion are everything.
Over the years, he has developed—as he describes it—a kind of obsession with these principles. You can actually see it in his shop: nothing feels random, everything seems to sit exactly where it should.
Vintage furniture often works well because many older designs were built around these ideas. Proportion, rhythm, and harmony create a sense of visual pleasure and calm.
Lighting also plays an important role. The way a room is lit can completely change how a space is perceived, shaping how proportions, textures, and materials are experienced. In fact, one of the easiest ways to create balance in a room is through layered lighting—something we explored in more detail in our guide on how to layer lighting like a designer.
Talking with Vicente, who lives and breathes vintage furniture, is a reminder that taste and beautiful interiors go far beyond what we see on social media.
Vintage furniture isn’t about filling a home with old pieces. It’s about selecting objects with character, understanding their design, and allowing a space to evolve naturally over time.
In the end, the most interesting interiors aren’t assembled overnight. They are collected slowly, piece by piece, until everything feels exactly where it belongs.
