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Where to buy midcentury furniture, according to Curbed readers

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The living room is decorated with (mostly) vintage midcentury modern furniture.
A remodeled midcentury modern Portland home features carefully collected vintage pieces throughout.
Photo by David Papazian

Here at Curbed, we’re hooked on all things midcentury modern, from gorgeous time capsule home tours to the best ways to renovate a 1960s gem.

Readers love the style too, which is why we started a community group on Facebook dedicated to gushing over midcentury houses and what’s inside them.

One thing we’ve learned from our community discussions: Whether you own an original midcentury gem or just aspire to, one of the easiest ways to incorporate the style into your everyday life is with furniture. But buying great pieces isn’t always easy. To help, we turned to our fellow midcentury lovers to find out where they’re getting their best finds.

The results were illuminating, with savvy Curbed readers identifying where to buy original vintage items, which stores have the best replicas, and providing general hot tips galore. Get an overview below and then keep the conversation going in the comments: Where do you find your favorite midcentury pieces?

For affordable originals, head to Craigslist, antique stores, or yard sales

A ton of midcentury modern obsessives are scoring amazing finds on Craigslist, at local yard sales, Goodwill, or antique shops. We applaud you!

  • Jamie J. says that she’s found great furniture in her “grandma’s basement.” We love your grandma, Jamie.
  • Sean S. isn’t afraid to get dirty: “I am a serious thrift store/antique mall rat. I am never afraid to dumpster dive if it looks MCM either.”
  • “Found some of my favorites at Goodwill and other thrift stores.”—Sharon D.
Items from Target’s Project 62 line.
Target

Big box retailers with midcentury modern collections

Many readers said that when they can’t afford originals or they don’t have time to hunt in antique stores, they turn to big box retailers and online stores.

  • The midcentury modern collections at Target and West Elm can provide good value, readers say.
  • Other online shops mentioned in comments for midcentury-inspired pieces are Joybird, Article, and AllModern.
  • Readers have also had success at big names like Ikea, eBay, and Amazon. “I live in Alaska, so finding companies that will ship their products here without charging double the price for shipping is tough. I’ve found some decent recreations on Amazon,” says Allie S.

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Online stores that specialize in midcentury-style furniture

  • T.J. E. recommends the online retailer Industry West, which did away with the overhead costs of brick and mortar stores to provide accessible, high-quality modern, industrial, and midcentury designs to more people.
  • T. Hines says they’ve “never had much success at auctions,” so they turn to Barcelona Designs—the free shipping is a plus.
  • Cosme H. recommends MCMClassics, an online store that offers reproductions of midcentury furniture for reasonable prices.
  • Another reader likes Midcentury Mobler, an online vintage dealer specializing in vintage 1950s and 1960s furniture imported from Scandinavia and Europe.
  • Vermont Woods Studios make midcentury modern and Danish style furniture, all from sustainably harvested North American wood.

Don’t forget estate sales and auctions

  • Lauren M. turns to “estate sales in MCM neighborhoods” because she’s “never had that Goodwill magic happen” to her.
  • “I shop everywhere I can! I look for estate sales not run by estate sale companies, I look at OfferUp, Instagram, Facebook marketplace, and Craigslist looking for the best deal.”—Hayden R.
  • Uniques & Antiques offers midcentury modern auctions every six weeks.
  • Another reader advises people to check out Next Door because you “Never know what your neighbor is selling or giving away.

Curbed readers love their local shops

  • In the Midwest, readers recommend Brown Elephant Resale Shops and Broadway Antique Market in Chicago, the Left Coast Modern store in Cincinnati, Riverbend Retro in Iowa, and Jimmy Modern in Dayton, Ohio.
  • “The Melrose District in Phoenix, AZ is a great source.” —Devie Y.
  • Readers in Dallas have an affinity for 20cdesign.com, which buys and sells 20th-century furniture, fine art, and decorative arts.
  • “Authentic midcentury modern furniture available at a place called Modville, Adel, Iowa. They have a Facebook account. They are wonderful!” —Diane
  • Retrospect and also Pop Weasel in Knoxville, TN!” —Kara
  • Uptown Modern is a fantastic locally owned shop in Austin.” —Shelly
  • In Palm Springs, readers like H3K Design.
  • In Los Angeles, Heidi H. says she bought “a Heywood-Wakefield square coffee table for our son, and later a teak credenza for a record cabinet for ourselves” at West Coast Modern LA. Another LA reader loves DEN, an East Hollywood shop specializing in the restoration of 20th-century furniture.

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