Love Vintage Modern? Best Old School Brands to Get You Started
Overland Sheepskin Company
45 years ago they opened their doors in Taos, New Mexico. From sheepskin and fur fashion to luxurious accent rugs and soft pillows, this is one brand you’ll want in your life if you love real fur, glamorous decor and comfortable attire. You can still visit their location in New Mexico today!
Pendleton Woolen Mills
Pendleton is a textile company specializing in cozy blankets and woolen fashion. It started in 1983 and continues to be one of the top brands in jacquard blankets and fashionable clothing. If you find a pendleton coat, a pendleton purse or a pendleton blanket in an antique store, you won’t be disappointed by the quality. Their mesoamerican patterns are a distinct feature of this brand making them fairly easy to spot when visiting an antique store.
Kofod-Larsen
More of a designer than a brand, Kofod Larsen is a popular danish designer from the late 1940s. His rigid yet graceful minimalist style on furniture design continues to be popular into present day. You can find accurate reproductions of Kofod Larsen’s original furniture design today to honor his impressive eye for danish design. Some of his more popular designs include the Kofod-Larsen Easy Lounge Chair and the Kofod-Larsen Penguin chair.
Bassett Furniture Company
This company began in the early 1900s. They provided high-quality oak and solid wooden furniture in a variety of styles including mid-century modern, traditional, french provincial and transitional. If you are lucky, you may spot an antique Bassett at a local antique furniture store.
Bernhardt Furniture Company
Bernhardt was founded in 1889. Similar to Bassett, they specialized in solid wood oak furniture. Most distinctively in native white oak. They are well-known for their Georgian style furniture. It may be a challenge to find, but a Bernhardt original could be lurking in a vintage store in town with the right set of eyes.
Stickley Furniture
Not only is Stickley a brand name but it is also the name of the designer who started the company, Gustav Stickley. This company was founded in 1901. L & JG Stickley began marking their furniture from the years 1907 until 1912 with a decal reading “Handcraft L&JG Stickley.” Find a piece like this with the markings and you’ve won yourself a piece of history!
Ethan Allen
Probably the most recognized name among the list is Ethan Allen. This furniture company has stores all over the world but it began in 1932 as a housewares brand. After absorbing another US made furnishing company, Baumritter Corp, it began producing furniture under the name Ethan Allen in 1936. Most of their more impressive furniture is cherry, alder and maple wood made in the US.
While many of these old school brands started in the 1900s, they have made a serious comeback among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts and vintage furniture lovers today. Antique collectors have been buying up these pieces for years, but its time to know what you are looking for! Never hold back on purchasing an accurate reproduction if you can’t find an original. These furniture designs are timeless, no matter where they come from!