Designer insights, Furniture & styling

What I check before I buy any furniture

By Carole Vaudable

July 28, 2026

Why this matters more than the price tag

Let's talk about something that will completely change the way you shop for furniture and that's actually knowing a little bit about furniture periods before you buy anything. Once you know what you're looking at, you stop buying things just because they're pretty and you start buying things because you understand why they're good.

The question I ask before every purchase

Before I buy any piece, I ask myself which period it's coming from or which period it's trying to replicate, because that tells me almost everything I need to know about the quality, the proportions and whether it's going to hold up over time.

Mid century, real vs. copy

Mid century pieces, from around the 1940s to the 1960s, are all about clean lines, warm woods like walnut and teak, and function that never sacrifices style. A real piece is solid wood with visible joinery, nothing glued or stapled, and a finish that shows the grain instead of hiding it. A copy uses veneer over particleboard and finishes that look plastic-smooth. Flip the piece over, real ones have finished undersides and solid tapered legs, not molded plastic pegs.

Art deco, real vs. copy

Art deco, from the 1920s and 1930s, is bold and glamorous, full of geometric shapes and rich materials like brass and lacquer. Real pieces use actual brass or bronze with sharp, precisely cut angles. A copy uses gold-tone plastic or plated metal that dulls and tarnishes fast. A magnet test settles it fast, true brass is non-magnetic.

Traditional and antique, real vs. copy

Traditional and antique pieces go back much further, built on craftsmanship and hand carved detail meant to be passed down, not replaced. Hand carving has slight irregularities, no two flourishes match exactly, while machine carving is flawless and repetitive. Real patina builds in the grain over decades, a copy is stained on the surface to fake that look.

The simple test

Whenever you're unsure, check three things: what it's made of, how it's put together and how it's finished. Real materials, visible joinery and finishes with some imperfection almost always mean the real thing.

You don't have to pick just one

Some of the most beautiful spaces I've designed mix a mid century chair with an art deco lamp and a traditional table. The key is mixing them on purpose, because you understand what each piece brings to the room.

Before you buy anything

Next time you're about to buy a piece of furniture, take a second and check the material, the joinery and the finish. That one habit tells you almost everything you need to know before you spend a single dollar.