Why not gather some pics from the Internet and ask them about the style they have in mind? The terms Vintage vs. old fashioned are pretty vague and mean different things to different people. Did they maybe think shabby shic? I remember seeing a room in a vintage shop in Manhattan decorated in French provincial style. What drew me in from the street was the quilt on the bed. It was made from a number of soft color floral prints on white (mostly pink and red roses) with a simple country pattern - one print was a 10" or so square of fabric, no cutting. In that room it was beautiful and effective and both vintage and old fashioned at the same time. Let them look at pictures of different styles, pick a color and save yourself a headache.