Vintage Retro is a somewhat quirky business specialising in vintage retro furniture and household accessories. Items are mainly from Sweden, Denmark and the UK, from both well known designers and those lesser known. Andrew Tavroges is the owner and he’s a man passionate about what he does. Originally an auctioneer, Andrew started out on his collector’s journey with a keen interest in stainless steel toast racks and modern studio glass. “I’ve always been interested in collecting things that are unusual” he says.
Andrew’s interest in Scandinavian design became much more apparent after a holiday to Sweden and Denmark. “Living in Newcastle at the time, it was easy to take the ferry to Gothenburg.” He was becoming bored of being an auctioneer and was looking for a new avenue to follow. Andrew considers that as the Arts and Crafts movement ran “out of steam” in the 1920s and 30s, traditional craftsmanship was taken up by the Danish in the 1940s and 50s. He believes Danish craftsmen were influenced by English furniture design.
When asked about favourite designers, Andrew enthused about Kaare Klint, who he considers the father of Danish furniture design. Klint was involved in founding the furniture school at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1924 and subsequently shaping the careers of many young designers including the inimitable Poul Kjærholm.
With a background as an auctioneer, Andrew said that he “knows a little about a lot” when it comes to design. For him, it was always the design that was more interesting than being an auctioneer. He quoted the Danish designer Finn Juhl as another favourite designer, but one who is unaffordable for the majority of people. As a collector, Andrew likes to find interesting pieces by unknown designers as these will be more often accessible to people in terms of price. He also finds that his customers are more often interested in the design aesthetic rather than the actual designer.
When looking through the Vintage Retro website I spotted a very intriguing chair that I thought looked similar to the Papa Bear Chair by Hans J. Wegner. Interestingly Andrew doesn’t know who designed the chair, but was nonetheless very taken by it.”It was both a good price and a piece that people will be interested in,” he says. “If I were to find some information on the chair it would be a bonus.” Andrew believes that we often get caught up in famous designer names and overlook great design by those unknown or lesser known designers.
When buying furniture, Andrew thinks about what’s commercial, but also what’s different. The former for him subsidises the latter; his real joy is in finding pieces that are different, even though they may not be commercially viable. In the 1960s, most people buying Danish design in England would buy dining tables and coffee tables. Consequently there are a lot of these to be had. Not so common were Danish desks, chests of drawers and arm chairs to name but a few. In terms of what sells well, for Andrew it’s pairs of bedside cabinets. He says that “in the 1960s people usually only bought one cabinet, so finding a pair is great.” Desks and sideboards are another good seller. Where once the sideboard was looked upon in distain by many, it is now a popular piece and multifunctional in its purpose. Sideboards are used in many areas of the home, not just the dining room. A 1960s English vintage Dalescraft rosewood sideboard on the Vintage Retro website caught my eye. It has that clean styling and form that you look for in Danish design, but at about half the price of equivalent Danish sideboards, is great value.
Vintage Retro’s customer base is wide and varied. For example Andrew recently sold some pieces to three girls sharing a flat in London and on the same day made a delivery to a multi-million pound house near Regents Park. He sells pieces to people who would have liked to own them when they were younger but couldn’t afford to at the time and to people who sold an item believing it to be out of fashion, only to realise years later they wanted to own a similar piece again. Andrew finds that people want to own quality pieces. Even if they can’t afford something there and then, they’re prepared to save and wait until they can. A nice position to adopt in today’s throwaway culture.
