It often comes as a surprise to many, but we frequently see popular products of the past gaining some of the highest recognition at auctions, as they become future antiques within their own right.
In recent years, there are a significant number of examples where a designer’s ideas on both beautiful and functional everyday life items have attracted collectors, interior designers and the most critical trendsetters all over the world. In other words, it may be that many of tomorrow’s antiques could in fact be found in several of the major furniture chains on both the luxury and, most surprisingly, affordable sides.
To reach the status of a classic or antique, certain criteria need to be met – notable design credentials, outstanding quality and continued innovation.
The furniture company Heal’s has collected products from several of the world's leading designers. One of whom is the Italian architect and designer Ferruccio Laviani who participated in the wave of revolutionary Italian design, known as the Memphis Group in the 1980s. Laviani is behind some of the most iconic lights, the Bourgie Table Lamp and the Toobe Floor Light, both of which are manufactured by Kartell and were icons of their time. The lamps are guaranteed to be future classics at auctions worldwide.
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It wouldn’t surprise me if the prices will go from today's $4,500 to double in about ten years, and quadruple within twenty years.
Items from the interior design company Bernhardt are further examples of future classics, which are already being sold on the secondary market. An item that should be a future classic is the Axiom Bench which takes the style of New York's Art Deco period and is currently being manufactured. The bench is made from solid stainless steel and is an example of elegant furniture design that has had a place in the living rooms from the 2010s.
In the same way that many international companies have continued to produce their ‘classics’ for many decades, IKEA is set to re-release one of its most iconic items for a limited time only - the LÖVBACKEN side table.
See also: IKEA's Most Expensive Designs
Originally launched in 1953, IKEA’s first flat-pack product the LÖVBACKEN table is a wonderful little table with a fantastic heritage, created by one of Sweden's most successful designers, Gillis Lundgren. It is already being sold at some of Sweden's leading auction houses and the LÖVBACKEN has become a collectable for the most discerning of furniture experts. I wouldn't be surprised if the development in its value only improves in the future.
The Finnish designer Eero Saarinen designed the revolutionary Pedestal Collection during 1955-56, after addressing the “ugly, confusing, unrestful world resulting from the slum of legs underneath typical chairs and tables”. Two years later, the Pedestal Collection by Eero Saarinen was produced for the company Knoll, of New York City, which is still producing the tables after more than 60 years. It is a truly iconic design piece that will survive for generations.
The Chieftain Chair is the Danish architect and designer Finn Juhl's masterpiece. The organic shapes are in great contrast with the strict functionalism which, in turn, has liberated itself from traditional Danish furniture design when it comes to its shape, construction and material. The chair is often credited with the success of the Danish Modern movement, which was exported to the US throughout the 1950s.
Since the relaunch in 2002, the chair has been produced by The House of Finn Juhl in teak or walnut, upholstered in leather. The earliest examples can fetch $250,000-550,000 on the second-hand market today.
