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A Livingetc report describes resale and vintage sourcing as increasingly mainstream in interiors, with younger shoppers joining estate-sale crowds and designers using older pieces in their projects. Market forecasts point to growth in secondhand apparel and furniture, but those projections do not establish how much consumer demand is driven by sustainability, affordability or the search for distinctive design.
Resale and vintage shopping are gaining a larger place in interior design, with younger shoppers increasingly appearing at estate sales and designers incorporating older furniture and decor into projects, according to a Livingetc report. The shift matters because secondhand goods are becoming not just a lower-cost alternative, but a source of distinctive pieces and visible material histories that shape what consumers and design professionals value.
The report describes a change in who shops estate sales. Its author recalls once finding few peers in lines dominated by retirees, dealers and interior designers; now, the author says, Gen Z shoppers are more visible, looking through clothing and household goods. This is a personal observation, not a count of shopper demographics, but it illustrates how an activity once described as niche is being experienced as more mainstream.
Several figures in the report point to commercial momentum. ThredUp’s 13th Annual Resale Report projects the global secondhand apparel market will reach about $367 billion by 2029, including roughly $74 billion in the United States. Those numbers concern apparel, rather than furniture, and are forecasts. UK vintage furniture marketplace Vinterior says its sales to interior designers rose 53% year on year in 2026; the report does not provide the underlying sales totals.
Furniture-market estimates also suggest continued expansion. Mordor Intelligence estimates the global secondhand furniture market will grow from about $47 billion in 2025 to $62.7 billion by 2031. Technavio projects that the market will expand by about $11.24 billion between 2025 and 2030. Separately, Livingetc cites a 2026 1stDibs designer survey in which 81% of designers said they source furniture and decor from the 1920s through the 1990s. These figures use different methods and time periods, so they indicate activity rather than a single, directly comparable measure.
Why Designers Value Older Pieces
The reported shift affects how people define desirable interiors. Wear, patina, joinery and provenance can now be selling points, rather than flaws to hide or reasons to replace an object. A piece may appeal because it is unusual, well-made or has a story attached to its materials, as well as because it costs less than a new equivalent.
That change has practical implications for the market. If more shoppers and designers seek secondhand goods, retailers and marketplaces may compete on sourcing, condition information and the ability to explain an item’s origins. For buyers, resale can widen access to different styles and older craftsmanship, although availability and price vary by item and location. The report presents sustainability as one motivation, but also points to a desire for individuality; it does not quantify the relative importance of either factor.
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From Budget Finds to Design Statements
The report’s author traces a personal interest in secondhand shopping to childhood visits to auctions and thrift stores with a grandmother whose budget did not always match her taste. The author later turned to thrift and estate sales for furniture, art and clothing. That experience illustrates one longstanding appeal of resale: finding distinctive goods without paying the price of new items.
The newer development, in the report’s telling, is that the appeal has broadened beyond bargain hunting. It describes repurposed wood and vintage furniture as part of high-end design language, where an object’s previous use can add meaning. One example is a kitchen island made by ROAR Architects from a London plane tree that once stood in Soho Square. The report also notes that the San Francisco restaurant Cafe Jaqueline closed after 46 years and that its estate sale drew a mix of buyers, though it gives no attendance figures.
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What the Market Figures Cannot Show
The report combines market forecasts, company-reported sales growth, survey results and personal observation. They do not measure the same thing, and the source material does not provide detailed methodologies or full underlying datasets for each figure. Forecasts may change, while Vinterior’s reported designer-sales increase does not show the total number or value of transactions.
It is also unclear how much of the shift reflects sustainability concerns, tighter household budgets, changing tastes or social-media visibility. The report characterizes secondhand shopping as increasingly mainstream, but supplies no population-wide survey establishing how many consumers shop resale or how often. Nor does the supplied material include the full statement from a shopper or industry source; no direct quotation is available to reproduce.
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Signals to Watch in Resale
The next evidence will come from updated market reports, marketplace sales data and designer surveys that show whether the forecast growth continues and which categories benefit most. Furniture, apparel and decorative objects should be tracked separately, since the figures in the report cover different markets and cannot be treated as interchangeable.
Further reporting would also need to test who is driving demand and why, using comparable consumer surveys and sales data over time. For now, the clearest supported conclusion is that resale has a visible place in contemporary interiors and that several market sources anticipate further growth; the scale and causes of the change remain less settled.
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Key Questions
What is changing in secondhand interior shopping?
Livingetc reports that thrift and estate-sale shopping are attracting younger shoppers and that vintage pieces are increasingly used in interior design. The report describes a change in visibility and taste, but does not provide a comprehensive count of shoppers.
How large is the secondhand furniture market?
Mordor Intelligence estimates the global market at about $47 billion in 2025 and projects it will reach roughly $62.7 billion by 2031. These are estimates and forecasts, not final measured totals.
Are vintage pieces being used by interior designers?
Yes, according to figures cited by Livingetc. A 2026 1stDibs survey found that 81% of surveyed designers sourced furniture and decor from the 1920s through the 1990s. The supplied report does not include the survey’s full methodology.
Is sustainability the main reason people buy secondhand?
The report identifies sustainability as one factor, alongside affordability and interest in distinctive finds. It provides no data showing which motivation is most common.
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