The Old Cinema

The Old Cinema: Antiques and Vintage Furniture in Chiswick, London

The Old Cinema presents itself as London's only department store dedicated to selling antique, vintage, retro, industrial and upcycled furniture. It opened its doors on Chiswick High Road in 1978 and, since then, its catalogue of furniture and homeware has appealed to design-conscious buyers. The company itself notes that its Chiswick store was included in Retail Week's list of the world's '100 best shops'.

A three-floor showroom space

The store occupies over 10,000 square feet of showrooms spread across three floors, with thousands of one-of-a-kind pieces. The company describes its customer service team as having first-hand knowledge of the products, able to offer advice, photos and video direct from the showroom.

Furniture and objects by category

The catalogue is organised into broad sections covering furniture, accessories, art and lighting. Furniture includes seating such as armchairs, benches, chairs, desk chairs and sofas; storage with bedsides, bookcases and shelving, chests of drawers, sideboards, trunks and boxes, cocktail cabinets and trolleys, wardrobes and cupboards; and coffee tables, console tables, desks, dining tables, dressing tables and side tables. Accessories include decorative objects, antique boxes, clocks, mirrors, miscellaneous items, vases and photo frames. The homeware section covers candles and holders, barware, kitchenware, luggage, rugs, silverware and textiles and cushions. There is also fashion and jewellery, with bracelets, brooches, earrings, necklaces and rings.

Art, lighting and styles represented

The art section brings together paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, ceramic art, mixed media, movie posters, art glass, advertising posters, Indian art, ephemera and contemporary art. Lighting includes ceiling and pendant lights, floor lamps, table and desk lamps, and wall lamps and sconces. The catalogue can be explored by style: antiques, art deco, Hollywood Regency, Indian, Japanese and Far East, industrial, midcentury modern, painted furniture, upcycled, vintage, boho and contemporary. Featured trends include Brutalist, West German ceramics, vintage Hermès ashtrays and Indian Banjara textiles.

Unique pieces in the catalogue

The selection shown includes pieces such as a hand-decorated starfish dish by Roberto Rigon for Bertoncello (ceramic, Italy, c. 1970), a solid brass figure of a seated woman (c. 1970), a contemporary Czech bronze sculpture by Ladislav Janovec on a granite base, a 12¼-inch Swedish Dala horse, a midcentury rotating bar tool stand in chrome, stainless steel and Bakelite by Glo Hill (Canada, c. 1965), iridescent Murano 'Cordonati' art glass by Archimede Seguso, a glass sculpture by Erik Höglund (Sweden), a late Victorian dinner gong with brass mounts (c. 1880), an art deco table lamp with geometric marquetry and original angular glass shade (c. 1935), a glass globe table lamp by Štěpán Tabery (Czech Republic), a model NB100 table lamp by Louis Kalff for Philips (Netherlands, c. 1950), a pair of art deco bedside chests in walnut with ebonised moulding and plinths, a set of six midcentury Danish teak dining chairs (c. 1965, newly reupholstered in slate grey fabric), a midcentury console table with faux-marble top and two drawers (c. 1965) and a midcentury room divider/screen in cherrywood (c. 1975).

Buying, shipping and returns

Most of the stock is ready to dispatch from the Chiswick store in west London, and the company offers next-day delivery in London. It also applies a hassle-free 14-day returns guarantee with no cancellation fee. The site indicated a Black Friday weekend promotion with up to 50% off, ending on Monday.

Location and contact

160 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 1PR · Phone: 0208 995 4166 · Email: sales@theoldcinema.co.uk