If you are a restoration purist, most likely you will want to use all original period pieces, and nothing else. Although this would be most every purists dream, unless you have been collecting for quite a while and accumulating a collection over the years, this could be easier said than done. But why? There are antique and vintage shops all over the place, right? Not to mention estate, garage and yard sales.
There are a few reasons why this goal might not work out as well as you would like it to, especially if you are attempting to newly furnish an entire home from scratch, with period pieces. For one thing, depending on the period you are working with, unless you have been collecting all along, finding period pieces....especially those you can actually use...might be more of a project than the room make over you just did completed.
Another obstacle can be cost. While some vintage and even antique items can still be found at decent prices, many can also shock the pocketbook! And other items may be so rare, that it could be years...if ever...before you find what you are looking for. One way you can help that a little bit, is that if you are looking for something that will be purely decorative and does not have to be functional, you can save money by purchasing real, but non functioning pieces, for this purpose. This isn't my personal favorite, because I like to be able to use what I purchase, however when push comes to shove, and it is a rarer piece, there is nothing wrong with going this route if necessary and it fits your personal needs.
Although these might not be the only issues you might have in trying to use all period items, in my opinion these would be the main ones. So, even if you don't think you'll be doing your restoration anytime soon, it will still be a good idea to start your collection now, if you already haven't.
What about reproductions? If you have decided that you want to go with using total reproductions, it can be much easier to find what you are looking for. That said, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be cheaper. I've seen reproductions who's price tag was almost as much as purchasing the real thing. However, usually when this happens, it is a hand made reproduction, not mass produced. And if the handmade reproduction is a good one, it can have a high value. In fact, a good reproduction is sometimes not distinguishable from an original. (Which is something antique hunters need to be watchful of.) In most cases, however, the reproductions will be much more affordable that their antique or vintage counterparts, and work well for your needs.
When purchasing reproductions, you don't necessarily have to spend a lot of money. You might find pieces in department stores, yard sales and thrift stores. (You might also find a few antiques at thrift stores as well, although not necessarily at a good price.)
Of course, the best of both worlds is using a combination of antiques and reproductions. This can be carried off easily and very nicely, if you make sure that your reproductions are of a nice quality. They don't have to be of top quality, although it is always nice to be able to purchase as much quality as you can on your given budget, however even though your reproduction may say "Made in Japan" on the bottom, it shouldn't look like it, it you are mixing.
Also, if you are mixing old and new, if the new isn't distressed or aged to your liking, you can always fix it the way you want it, so that it fits with your old. Most of the time, it will probably just mean aging it a bit more through the use of faux finishing, and there are many simple ways to accomplish this (which I will do a piece about along the way, with directions for a few simple techniques). Cloth can also be aged as well, with a simple tea or coffee stain bath. But if there are things that you don't like about your reproduction, many times there are things that you can do to get it to "blend in" more with your old.
Finally, there may be some who think that they want to live in a restoration, as period as possible, but they don't want to live in a museum. Your home is what you make of it, and if you create the total period reproduction that you want, but then are afraid to use it, that isn't on the work, that is on you. You might have reproduced a home right down to finding the exact period door knobs that you want, but if you don't "live" in it, it won't be a home. So whether you use all antiques, all reproductions or a mix of the two, remember that the point of this all is to have an enjoyable place to "live", not a place where you want to rope off the rooms for viewing only. It is a HOME and NOT a museum!
Although this only touched briefly on the subject of reproductions vs antiques, hopefully it has given you a starting point as to what direction you will be going, if you haven't already made that decision. Whatever you decide, remember to make it they way you want to LIVE in it.
BTW....the picture of the chair is a reproduction that I made a few years back.
