What's new in old Antiques with clean lines and utility come into fashion

Trends in antique furniture circle in and out of favor like painted ponies on a vintage carousel. Biedermeier and midcentury modern are riding high, while Mission and French Empire are fading. Mark Howald, executive vice president of St. Louis auction house Ivey-Selkirk, says there's a logic behind the simultaneous popularity of seemingly disparate styles.

"We're seeing a move toward a minimalist look across all styles," Howald said. Biedermeier, made in Germany and Austria from 1815 to 1848, and midcentury modern furniture are both architectural with clean lines.

Two other clean-lined styles that are popular now are English Regency and French Directoire, says Keitha Kaminski, director of Webster House Antiques in Kansas City, Mo.

Running her fingers along the carved front of a French Directoire cherry console, Kaminski said, "This is a country version of a piece that would have had lots of ormolu, lots of goop.