The Renner Project sells the highest-end vintage furnishings in town -- but you'll pay dearly for…read morethe privilege of purchasing anything there. (They also sell their pieces on 1stdibs.com, by far the highest-end online marketplace for vintage - featuring the collective pieces of hundreds of vintage shops in the U.S. alone - which is typically a sign that a store sells goods priced at the point of "if you have to ask...")
This isn't the place to go if you're looking for something along the lines of mid-century Eames pieces; their focus is decidedly more eclectic, and by no means limited to mid-century. For the most part it's not even on the work of American designers: most of the "names" you'll see here are largely obscure outside of interior-designer or extreme design-geek circles (I fall into the latter category) and for the most part hail from Europe, along with a bit of Brazilian design.
By "eclectic" I also mean extending beyond "vintage" into traditional-antique territory. To cite some examples: at present they have a '60s-era Brutalist sideboard from Belgium alongside a decidedly more classic Biedermeier cabinet from early 19th-century Germany. They also have a decidedly '70s-looking Lucite-and-steel desk, as well as a 19th-century oval dining table from France.
While I appreciate the store's considerable diversity of pieces both from various eras as well as various countries, I'm giving it three stars for its price tags, which in many cases are at batsh*t-crazy levels -- most of all for works by unattributed designers. As a longtime collector, I'm broadly familiar with what pieces for most post-1930 periods and styles sell for, and in recent years I've purchased effectively identical works for literally 1/10th the prices seen here.
To again cite some real-life comparisons: at present they have a completely nondescript teak dining table -- which I mean both figuratively and literally; the table has no description other than the variety of wood employed (and no mention of era, designer or country of origin) -- for $3,500 that one can find at auction for around $500 (if not less), along with a recently sold ash-burl console table for $3,880. I own a nearly identical one attributable to a well-known designer, Milo Baughman, that I purchased (also at auction) for $600. (In the vintage world, buying at auction is the rough equivalent of purchasing at wholesale prices, at least for mid-tier work bought at auction houses other than the likes of Wright and Rago, the two biggest U.S. specialists in 20th-century design. The best deals can typically be found at auction houses more off the beaten path.)
Finally, the most ludicrously overpriced item currently available is an entirely ordinary Chesterfield sofa available for $8,900 (!!). A while back I bought one of similar age and condition for $1,000. (To be fair, I'm more adept than most at knowing where to source quality vintage furnishings at inexpensive prices, but still. Also, given that the majority of the pieces listed on their website have been sold, clearly they do ample business with interior designers for whom budget considerations are presumably minimal or nonexistent.)
Curiously, this is one of the few vintage stores I can recall seeing where the pieces that *are* attributable to well-known designers are for the most part relatively reasonably priced, at least if you're buying at retail. A '60s-era Harvey Probber cabinet can be had for $2,400, and a mint-condition George Nelson chest and slatted bench combo is priced at $3,100. Again, one can find both at auction for less, but more like 30%-50% less versus 90%. In any event, The Renner Project is at the very least a great place to engage in some browsing of upscale modern vintage that you're very unlikely to encounter anywhere else in Austin.
