In the heart of Valencia, Spain’s elegant L’Eixample district, just minutes from Colón, you’ll find Heirloom, a mid-century modern furniture store that captivates you before you step inside. It’s mid-century modern interior design, curated with intention and lots of character.
French-born Stephanie Laroche is the mastermind behind Heirloom—owner, curator, and restorer. With years of experience sourcing vintage pieces across Europe and working hands-on with restoration, she’s developed a trained eye shaped by a life lived between France, West Africa, Amsterdam’s design world, and now Valencia, Spain.
But Stephanie isn’t just the owner of a beautiful store with vast experience sourcing and restoring vintage furniture—she has the kind of timeless design philosophy and vision that doesn’t respond to trends, but to personality and excellent taste. And what I loved most: her conviction that anyone can train their eye and acquire that je ne sais quoi we all want our spaces to have.
If you think mid-century modern interior design is about clean lines and iconic silhouettes, you’re only seeing the surface. In this conversation, Stephanie walks us through why mid-century is everywhere again, how to shop vintage like a pro, and why trends backfire faster than you think.
A Different Way of Seeing Mid-Century Modern Interior Design
Stephanie doesn’t talk about mid-century modern the way the internet does. For her, it’s not about a look, it’s about an entire era, with many different styles within it. A useful label, yes, but not something to treat like a strict aesthetic formula. In fact, she didn’t set out to open a “mid-century modern” furniture store—it was simply the clearest way for customers to recognize the era.
When I asked where her passion for interiors began, she traced it back to secondhand objects—growing up in Africa surrounded by reuse, flea markets, auctions, and a home shaped by her mother’s love of art.
I love color in interiors, and I think that’s very closely related to Africa… Mixing a bit of everything, because that’s how it is there.
That instinct was later shaped by years in Amsterdam during the design boom of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Valencia’s strong presence of contemporary furniture and quality design made it feel natural to open Heirloom here.
In a world obsessed with grays and beiges, Stephanie’s design language is unapologetically vibrant. It instantly reminded me of the Millennial Gray Living Room piece, where I explain how to liven up spaces trapped in a cycle of “safe” neutrals.
But what makes her point of view especially compelling isn’t just taste—it’s craft. Stephanie doesn’t just sell mid-century pieces; she restores them. Bringing vintage furniture back to life is equal parts art and science, and it shapes the way she thinks about quality, style, and what’s truly worth keeping.
The Truth About Why Mid-Century Modern Is Everywhere Again
Mid-century modern interior design is everywhere again, but not for the same reasons it first emerged.
A style that originated in the post-war era as modernism became more livable—favoring clean lines, functional forms, and honest materials—seems to be responding to different variables today: a renewed search for authenticity and quality. As Stephanie put it, most new things end up being disposable.
She also pointed to climate anxiety as part of the growing rejection of throwaway furniture, at least, she hopes so. At the same time, there’s a contradiction: many of the same people drawn to vintage still buy fast fashion.
She recognizes there’s also a strong social-media effect. She often sees younger shoppers come looking for pieces they’ve seen on social media, in magazines, or on influencer pages. And as she put it:
If you only like what’s everywhere, you end up being conventional.
Because as trendy as mid-century modern can be, the goal shouldn’t be to chase trends but to build a home with identity. I resonate deeply with this philosophy. I even wrote a piece on how to curate a space that feels collected, not trendy, here in Vibe & Form.
But the most valuable part of my conversation with Stephanie wasn’t mid-century interior design itself, it was her belief that taste is built, not born.
“Educate Your Eye”: How to Train Your Taste Before You Shop Vintage
Entering the world of vintage can be daunting. Suddenly, you’re faced with variables you don’t encounter when shopping for new pieces.
There are originality questions, price variations, condition issues, restoration quality, and the risk of buying something that simply won’t work once you bring it home—and can’t be returned.
When I asked for advice on how to start buying vintage, Stephanie’s answer was simple: Educate your eye.
Look around, read, research different styles. Learn some of the history behind them, and then follow your instinct.
What I love about this thesis is that good taste isn’t a gift. It’s a result of exposure, plus repetition, plus curiosity. And is this curiosity that will allow you to see beyond trends.
One of the most modern parts of our conversation was her take on social media. She explained that on Instagram she only looks at vintage—and that “whether you want it or not, your eye gets educated. It learns, and your taste forms.” This is why your visual diet matters.
Another point she made that I found refreshing: instinct still plays a role. Vintage buying isn’t purely analytical. Stephanie admits she often falls in love with pieces, even ones she knows will be difficult to sell. If you like something, that’s usually already enough.
She described flea markets as an adventure; you never know what you’re going to find or what you’ll fall in love with. You have to let yourself go a little and accept that doubt is part of the process. You can be wrong and still move forward.
But instinct alone isn’t enough. Developing taste also means learning what you don’t like. The more you look, the easier it becomes to recognize what doesn’t resonate. And once your eye begins to sharpen, the next step is learning how to evaluate pieces in real life.
How to Shop Vintage Furniture Like a Pro
Over years of sourcing and restoring furniture, Stephanie has developed a clear process for spotting quality, authenticity, and potential the moment she sees a piece.
What Experts Check First When Evaluating a Vintage Piece
She told me it’s actually rare for a piece to arrive in perfect condition. There’s almost always something to repair, clean, or restore—which is why her workshop is constantly full.
• Check for woodworm or structural damage: This is the very first thing to do when examining a piece. Open the furniture and inspect the inside, not just the visible parts. Check for woodworm and whether the structure is compromised.
• Identify the materials: Is the piece solid wood, veneer, or other material? Restoration depends heavily on this. As Stephanie warned, stripping wood and applying the wrong finish is one of the most common mistakes people make—there’s a reason restoration is studied. A bad restoration can ruin a piece, and can take all the value of a design piece, so her approach is simple: intervene as little as possible, preserve patina, and restore only what truly needs it.
• Examine how the piece is built: Go ahead and open drawers, turn the piece around, check the back and bottom. See how parts are connected (joints, screws, rails, hinges) a well-made piece should feel solid. Weight can also be a good indicator; quality vintage furniture often feels heavier. Equally important, details like how drawers slide, how doors close, how legs are attached reveal a great deal.
• Condition is NOT the same as quality: A vintage piece can be very dirty, with rusty chrome, damaged finishes, and still be a diamond in the rough. As Stephanie told me, “sometimes you don’t even want to touch it”, but the good news is chrome can be re-plated, furniture can be cleaned, repaired, and refinished, and what once looked beyond saving can end up looking almost new again.
How to Read the Signs of Real Vintage (and Avoid Reproductions)
• Hardware tells a story: While design pieces often carry a signature (Vitra, for example, marks its pieces with the brand and year of production), for more ordinary pieces, you can check the hardware. By looking at hinges and screws, you can detect whether they are new or not. Locking systems and keys are also a good way to spot if a piece is actually vintage.
• Mirrors don’t shine the same: An old mirror and a new one are very easy to tell apart. An old mirror doesn’t shine as much.
• Imperfection is part of authenticity: A vintage piece is never perfect in itself, and that’s part of the charm. Small signs of age, wear, and irregularities are normal. This natural aging, known as patina, is something professionals try to preserve whenever possible.
Want to dive deeper? These articles explore how to develop your eye and create a home that feels cohesive, collected, and uniquely yours.
The Cohesion Factor: How to Make Mid-Century Modern Work in Real Homes
One of the most surprising parts of our conversation had nothing to do with mid-century modern interior design itself, but with why people bring home beautiful pieces and still feel like something is off.
Her philosophy is simple: “I mix everything”. As she sees it, if you have a common thread, each piece will eventually find its place.
I believe you can perfectly mix pieces from almost all periods, from almost all styles, with good taste.
It ultimately comes down to your physical space. Her recipe is clear: if everything isn’t piled up and the room doesn’t feel too heavy, the sky is the limit.
As she explained: “What matters is the overall composition, and also that the piece isn’t too dominant. That can be the problem when you buy a piece with too much personality.”
It felt inevitable that our conversation circled back to trends. Stephanie has never relied on them, and it’s an approach I couldn’t agree more with. She pointed out how certain pieces suddenly start showing up everywhere (the Togo sofa, bouclé upholstery, brown everything) and then end up dating spaces.
The takeaway is clear: once you make the switch and focus on cohesion and personal taste, trends lose their power, and your home begins to feel timeless.
Before We Wrap Up…
I asked Stephanie a few quick closing questions.
What’s one piece in your home that you would never get tired of?
Lamps. I never get tired of lamps. For me, lighting is the most important thing.
A trend you’d love to see disappear?
Definitely bouclé. I don’t really follow trends. Also colorful modular Haller furniture. And all the brown and beige—when you look at decoration magazines, everything starts to feel very uniform and without personality.
In one sentence, what is good design?
Quality, attention to detail, good materials, simple lines… and that little je ne sais quoi.
Is there a vintage designer you think deserves more recognition?
There are so many. Some designers are huge stars in Denmark, for example, but unknown elsewhere. Design is much bigger than the famous names.
After years of sourcing vintage furniture, what’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered?
That furniture has a life of its own. It has history—it tells stories. Sometimes you find traces of previous owners: chewing gum stuck under chairs or tables, little reminders that these pieces have lived in real homes before.
I hope you found this conversation with Stephanie as thought-provoking as I did. Mid-century modern interior design may be the entry point, but beyond the label what really matters is learning to see differently; to look at design through the lens of quality, character, and identity.
Take this as an invitation to begin. Explore a flea market. Research a designer you’ve never heard of. Look closer at the pieces already in your home. Trust what catches your eye. You don’t need permission to build taste, only curiosity and the willingness to pay attention.
