At Stockholm auction, vintage Ikea goes high-end

STOCKHOLM

At a chic Stockholm auction house, 122 carefully-curated items with unusual provenance went under the hammer on Dec. 18 evening: Vintage furnishings from flatpack furniture retailer Ikea was sold for a total of 37,000 euros ($40,000).

Collectors' interest has blossomed over the years for Ikea pieces that have become design icons, as the Swedish company, normally known for more budget-friendly piece, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.

Inside the showrooms at Stockholm's Auktionsverk, the world's oldest auction house, a tubular sofa, a lacquered chest of drawers and even a pair of "space age" lamps take pride of place.

The pieces, which date from the 1950s to the 1990s, are all marked with the stamp of the famous Swedish brand known around the world for its DIY furniture.

"I've been working in the auction industry for almost 30 years, and if somebody when I started would have said that 'One day you will host an Ikea auction in a very nice showroom', I would have said 'No, no, that's absolutely that's not possible,'" laughed Li Pamp, head of the auction house.

"Ikea has in many ways been controversial," she noted, citing the company's history of copying and following trends and "criticized for environmental and sustainability reasons."

"But there are also some items that stand out," Pamp said. "Many very famous designers have been at some point in their career involved in Ikea. And for many, Ikea was the starting point of their career."

Tableware, furniture, mirrors, lights: More than 100 pieces curated from private homes were sold at the auction. A red sofa sold in Ikea stores in 1972 for the equivalent of 120 euros went under the hammer for 2,000 euros.

Earlier this year, an Ikea "Cavelli" armchair made headlines when it sold for 18,000 euros at another Stockholm auction, a fortune compared to the around 27 euros it cost when it first went on sale in 1958.

Picking up on the trend for all things vintage, Ikea has launched a new collection with fresh takes on iconic Ikea designs, with the slogan "return to the future."

With that market booming, Pamp said many people could literally be sitting on unknown treasures.