We are often asked where we find the furniture for our apartments and our Maison LAROGY projects. Here is an honest map of the Viennese vintage market, with addresses, tips and a few warnings.
A word upfront. Vintage sourcing is work. It is not faster than a furniture catalogue, it is not cheaper per piece, and it regularly goes wrong. What you get in return is a room that does not look like everyone else's.
The major auction houses
Dorotheum is the most obvious address. The main house on the Dorotheergasse is an institution, the auctions are reputable, the online platform is good. What we most like to buy there. Smaller design pieces (lamps, tables, mirrors), Viennese period furniture from the interwar years, ceramics and porcelain. Note. Buyer's premium and VAT are added on top, factor that into the prices.
Glanz & Gloria in the Josefstadt is smaller, quieter, more honest. Here we often find the pieces that would be overlooked at the Dorotheum, Viennese writing desks, hall chests, simple farmhouse cupboards from Lower Austria that are magnificent after a clean.
im Kinsky for higher-quality pieces, workshop drawings, Bauhaus furniture, original Loos pieces. Rare, but when something comes up that fits, it is worth it.
Second-hand shops and flea markets
Karmelitermarkt (in the 2nd district, right beside our Augarten apartments) has a small but fine flea market on Saturdays. Here we find smaller items, vases, books, textiles, occasionally a small lamp. Rarely large furniture, but ideal for atmosphere pieces.
Naschmarkt flea market (Saturday, 6th district) is the more touristy option. We go early, often by 7am. Here we find curtains, old mirrors, sometimes interesting lamps from the 1950s. It is hectic, but worth it.
Brockenhaus Volkshilfe (several locations), modest prices, sometimes real finds. We regularly check the larger furniture, especially after estate clearances.
Carla markets of Caritassimilar principle. Lower volume output, but we are regular visitors.
Restorers and vintage dealers
Werner Schubert (antiques, 8th district)knows Viennese history better than most city guides. We have bought several pieces here that now stand in our apartments. Open by appointment, no online shop, no Instagram. Honest, patient, expert.
Studio Vintage 1900 on the Westbahnstraße, specialised in Viennese Modernism (1900–1938). Expensive, but every piece has a story and a documented restoration history.
WERKSTATT (first name on request), we refer to a restorer by first name, with whom we have worked for years. He repairs upholstery, veneers, legs. He also tells us honestly when something cannot be saved.
Online (good and bad)
willhaben.at is the obvious first port of call. We check it daily. Filter. Furniture → Vienna → Private sellers. The best pieces come from estate clearances, usually from heirs who want to sell quickly. Patience and quick responses are the recipe for success here.
vinted (for textiles)we buy linen blankets and vintage curtains.
1stDibs for international pieces. Very expensive, very curated. We use it rarely, too high-priced for most projects.
What we avoid. "vintage" Etsy shops of dubious provenance. "Reproductions" in any format. Anything from China.
How we decide what to buy
Three tests before we take a piece.
1. Would we live with it? If we cannot imagine the piece standing in our own living room, it does not go into an apartment.
2. Will it last ten years? If we have to imagine replacing the piece in two years, we do not buy it. Even when the price is low.
3. Does it have a story? Vintage without patina is dull. If a piece has just been "done up" and is "as good as new", the heart of our style is missing. We would rather buy the piece with the three small marks.
For those who curate for others
If the effort feels too great but you want the same style in your own home, that is what Maison LAROGY is for. We curate for private clients in Vienna, using the same method as for our apartments. We can also source individual pieces if you already have the rest, that is our "sourcing" format.