Vintage IKEA Began as Cheap Furniture. Now It Commands Thousands of Dollars.

IKEA furniture, typically associated with affordability and flat-pack convenience, has seen a surprising surge in value for certain vintage pieces. Items from IKEA's past catalog, especially those from limited runs, are now highly sought after by collectors and fetch substantial prices on platforms like 1stDibs. For instance, the 1995 Vilbert chair, designed by renowned Danish architect Verner Panton, which once cost around €60, now sells for nearly $1,800 on 1stDibs. Similarly, the 2002 Karlskrona wicker chaise is listed for about $1,595 on Etsy.

Experts attribute this phenomenon to IKEA's past collaborations with remarkable designers and creatives, which produced unique and often avant-garde pieces. Beyond designer collaborations, fun and eye-catching designs from the 1980s and 1990s are also gaining traction. Eva Seeman, head of modern works of art and design at Bukowskis, notes that spiraling prices for iconic Danish designs have had a ripple effect, elevating the value of IKEA's mid-century pieces that shared similar aesthetics with pricier designers like Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl.

Several specific pieces are highlighted for their significant appreciation. Tord Björklund’s 1970s Skye chaise recently sold for €3,750, while a 1960s Singoalla daybed by Harold Fust fetched approximately £2,450. A pair of Karin Mobring’s 1970 Amiral armchairs can cost £4,006 on 1stDibs. Even earlier designs, like the 1953 Ake chair, sold for £1,038. Limited edition items like the Cavelli armchair, designed by Bengt Ruda in 1958, have fetched as much as £15,000 at auction, a substantial increase from its original price. Pontus Silfverstolpe, founder of Barnebys, noted that "Ikea" was the 50th most-searched-for word on his platform globally in 2019, with furniture from the 1950s to the 1970s being the most popular.

This trend has not gone unnoticed by IKEA itself, which reissued 26 vintage pieces in limited numbers in 2014. Contemporary collaborations with designers such as Ilse Crawford, Tom Dixon, and Virgil Abloh are also seen as potential future collector's items. The market for vintage IKEA pieces is still relatively new, with experts like Elizabeth Rider, content manager at Vinterior, suggesting that "People are just starting to wake up to vintage Ikea." The ease of identifying vintage IKEA pieces by model names, even though few are explicitly marked, contributes to their appeal, with pieces from the PS series often commanding top prices.