In contrast to the mass-produced items at major international chains, there’s an increasing desire to decorate our homes in a unique way, even with furniture that someone has already used and loved. Retro, vintage, post-war, loft- or industrial-style, objects conceived in the 20th century are now sought-after, not only because of their design, but also their durability. The era has now entered the realm of potential investment too, with some artefacts gaining value in the future. We trawled shops, markets and businesses in and around Budapest where retro characterises the items they stock.
1/15
AMIKOR
At this popular places on Pozsonyi út, in trendy Újlipótváros, the ambience is finely balanced between flea market and top-class gallery. Here you can not only buy but also rent items, as Amikor (‘When’) operates as a house for prop hire. The owners of the store have been dealing in antiques for decades, items that you usually buy in a ready-to-use condition, not completely renovated, and it’s up to the buyer to decide whether to keep it as is, history and all, or revamp it. However, the artefacts that come in very bad condition can be bought ready to be knocked together. In addition to the interior space, there is also a showcase section, featuring emblematic items such as the charming porcelain figures by Antónia Ősz Szabó. There are real curiosities among the furniture, too, from the chair set by legendary Hungarian designer Marcel Breuer, to huge heavy carpets to a hand-painted upholstered sofa. Mention must be made of the wonderful bedroom set by Lajos Kozma – you rarely see such a wonderful ensemble in a condition ready for purchase. More details here
2/15
Artibus 365
Over the next three months, this pop-up
showroom in downtown Budapest will display the most beautiful pieces from Tibor
Nagy’s art collection in Debrecen. You can find works by famous Hungarian
designers, as well as French, Italian and Danish ones. Most of the furniture arranged
in these interiors comes from different periods of the 20th century, not only his
own pieces but also one he’s selling on commission. Tibor’s aim is to make sure
all his objects fall into the right hands, to people who will love and look
after what they’re buying. More details here
3/15
ArtKRAFT
A home decorator by profession, Katalin Baracsi has long been a fan of
industrial style, so you this is what you find in her showroom on Budafoki
út. These objects were once very useful, and the aim is not to get more
life out of them, but to bring history to life through these old pieces. The
website in three languages is open to foreign buyers, filmmakers and home
decorators, and you’re bound to find something to win your heart over amid all
this functional style or folk-loreish culture, possibly rethought or preserved as
Katalin sees fit.
More details here
4/15
Colorbar
Zsolt Szakál became fascinated by antique furniture after buying a Lübke
chair at Tapolca market nearly 20 years ago. He considers himself someone who
likes to look into the background of things, and has gained considerable knowledge
in the field of mid 20th-century furniture and home accessories.
Initially, he became interested in ceramics and small items of furniture, and
then his attention gradually turned to more specific pieces. In Colorbar’s showroom, you find English, Hungarian, Scandinavian and Austrian
furniture and home accessories, but there are often themed exhibitions, a
bi-annual exchanges and six-month shows by students of the University of Fine
Arts. From its former function as a sausage factory to a myriad other uses, the
venue allows for plenty of possibilities. Zsolt also advises everyone to start
collecting a little, get to know what to look for when searching for treasure and
to make their apartment unique with beautiful objects. More details here
5/15
E 40 Design
Where Nagytétényi út meets Sörház utca in south Buda, you find his wonderful
antique mini-empire, where you can choose from retro, vintage and loft-style items,
and browse furniture mainly created by Hungarian and Czechoslovak designers. Renovated
and original Tatra chairs, and other items of used furniture await loving
owners in this store, which also has an outdoor area. They’re
not for sale, but it’s also worth checking out the weird collection of
perpetual calendars next door. The shop does not have a fixed opening hours, you
have to make an arrangement. More details here
6/15
Forma Boutique
This shop on Hegedűs Gyula utca in trendy Újlipótváros is not limited to
a certain period or style, but most of the items found here fall between the 1930s
and the 1970s. The goal is to create a harmonious interior with the help of
matching pieces. It offers a wide range of objects, from antique bronze
statues, modern, airy furniture and abstract tapestries. More details here
7/15
MÖBELKUNST
For two decades, the owner here has been collecting pieces from 1930 to 1980, and oversees a particularly exciting selection of Scandinavian designers. Some of it is for rental only and used for film productions such as Blade Runner 2049. Around the showroom, works by lesser-known designers can also be purchased in their original form or renovated in a way that meets today’s home-design needs, and the website is worth browsing for extra information. Take a pilgrimage to otherwise prosaic Kőbánya to browse cult creations such as Eames, Arne Jacobsen, Knoll, Vitra and Thonet furniture, a re-made set by Le Corbusier and Finn Eero Aarnio. Marcel Breuer’s mock doctor’s surgery in medical green can be hired out, its twin ashtrays put in place for doctor and patient while they re-evaluate their own life expectancy. The Hugh Hefner pinball machine, on the other hand, can only be admired, rather than help transform your two-room flat into a Playboy villa. More details here
8/15
Ódon-fon
One of the largest antique shops in Europe can
be found in this old iron foundry building in Vác, 40 minutes north of
Budapest. Zsolt Parádi, who is behind the business, has been dealing with
antiques for 30 years, and his passion for old artefacts underpins this 5,000-square-metre
exhibition space. Along with original rustic furniture and ornaments, the items
on sale include clocks, cabinets, paintings that once hung in the flats of the
well-to-do, loft decor, industrial-style objects and retro ones. Some are
loaned out to film companies for use on set – including items from the unique medieval collection. But since Ódon-fon took
over the material that once filled the famous Fót Film Warehouse, you can also
rent World War II stuff, a complete grocery store, a hat shop, a hairdresser’s
salon, tailoring instruments and complete office equipment from the period
between 1900 and 1980, as well as complete hospital and pharmacy sets. Ódon-fon
furniture can be seen in, for example, in the film version of Magda Szabó’s
novel The Door starring Helen Mirren, The Witcher and Shadow and Bone on
Netflix, The Eagle starring Channing Tatum, Blade Runner 2049 and the series by
National Geographic about Picasso starring Antonio Banderas. More details here
9/15
Antik-Bazár
While the expert
eye could turn up real treasure here, it’s more accurate to define this store as
a secondhand business in friendly surroundings. This small shop is like a
fairly large flea market crowded into a tiny room, so you can go on a real quest. Here, you will mainly find accessories and objects in Hungarian
retro style, such as the emblematic pieces of the bizarre coronavirus collection by Alföldi
Porcelán. The interior is funny and contradictory, especially if you
look around and find the images of Lenin and right wing ex-Hungarian Prime
Minister, Miklós Horthy, hanging on the wall. So have a look around,
there's always something surprising around the corner.
10/15
Falk Miksa utca
While not exactly real secondhand furniture stores, the galleries and antique boutiques lining elegant Falk Miksa utca should appeal to those drawn by Art Deco,
vintage artefacts or mid 20th-century modernity. You will find
professionally restored furnishings by renowned Hungarian and foreign designers,
which give you a glimpse into the best that can be achieved with these objects.
Montparnasse and Artcore have long showcased such expertise and a quality-oriented approach, but you can also browse beautiful
pieces in the Bardoni outlet. Another promising option would be the Retroom, where the
owner collects special Art Deco and mid 20th-century Italian pieces.
11/15
Flea markets
You can go on a real treasure hunt at Budapest's flea markets. The main one is Ecseri (XIX. Nagykőrösi út 156), where you can engage
in a little bargaining but always keep an eye open for hidden goodies. Open every day, it's reached by bus 54/55 from Boráros tér every 20-30mins, 20min journey time to Naszód utca (Használtcikk piac). Other flea markets include the regular one on Népsziget and Antik PLACC on Klauzál tér in the Jewish Quarter.
12/15
Daken Studio
Two siblings, a carpenter and his sister, an interior designer, opened this tiny outlet together on Szentkirályi utca almost three years ago. Growing up with artistic
grandparents, they became passionate about mid 20th-century Hungarian,
Czechoslovak and other retro vintage pieces. Apart from the carefully
renovated furniture, they also produce contemporary items. Favourites include the
adjustable lamps, usually covered with red glaze, once typical in Socialist
Hungary, which you can find in a refreshing matte pastel colour in the store.
Have a look online, too, to view objects in Daken's large warehouse in Keszthely. More details here
13/15
Fabrika
For six years now,
owner Mariann Kollár has been collecting iconic vintage furniture and home
furnishings from the '20s and '70s, mainly from England and Hungary. The special feature here is the lighting equipment and by now she has an
impressively large collection of lamps, around 150 at the Fabrika outlet alone. In addition to the
renovated objects that fit perfectly into a modern interior, it’s also an
important principle to use natural materials during the design process. That
means your furniture is not simply beautiful, but also has the smallest
possible ecological footprint. It’s also worth browsing the website, as in their
warehouse they have a lot of extra objects available and they customise them for
your taste and needs. More details here
14/15
Remodel
This studio is not
only about nicely renovated 20th-century furniture, they have a social mission
as well. In their upholstery and carpentry centres, Remodel have developed a
special training system to provide opportunities for unemployed youngsters to
gain experience. Apart from renovation, the outlet also reinvents pieces
of old furniture that is no longer suitable for use and creates brand-new
products. The company was founded in Szeged but then opened a branch at the MaxCity mall in Törökbálint, just outside Budapest. You'll find it on the second floor, unit 227. More details here
15/15
Woodelier
The owner, Dr
Judit Szendrei, has selected an exciting range of secondhand objects that she revamps
and redesigns with fine taste and expertise. Woodelier’s style is elegant yet
bohemian, classic with a contemporary twist. In addition to wood, their favourite
materials include velvet, copper, marble and glass. Apart from remodelling old pieces,
they also make furniture following their own design ideas. More details here
