Retro IKEA furniture is now collectable: Your pieces from the 90s could be worth a fortune

(Image credit: IKEA)

published 6 February 2021

Collectors are paying thousands of pounds for old IKEA pieces- meaning the flatpack bookcase in the corner of your home office might just be worth a small fortune.

In the next unexpected turn of 2021, a selection of IKEA pieces, worth approximately £60 in the early 90s, are for sale on Pamono for over £4,500. Pieces from the 1960s to the 1990s are in demand among collectors, who have paid £657 for Hasslo chairs by Monika Mulder for IKEA. Others have paid £300 for Jarpen, a wire chair, the Scandinavian brand listed for £12 in the 80s.

In 2018, the preeminent auction site, Barnebys, already predicted that furniture from the beloved Swedish chain would 'become the collector's items of tomorrow,' valuing IKEA's 1956 LÖVBACKEN side table at £5,000 within 20 years. While their prediction is already becoming a reality today, Barnebys suggest IKEA furniture will only increase in value.

In their discussion of these collectable pieces, Karin Gustavsson, IKEA Creative Leader, explained:

'We are happy to see that a lot of IKEA products have been popular among our customers for many years and even become collectors' items. We believe these products are our best example of democratic design, as they combine a beautiful form, a great function, sustainability, an affordable price, and quality that lasts long.

Back in 2018, to celebrate our icon products and 75 years of IKEA design, we released GRATULERA, a vintage collection including hand-selected favorites from the '50-the '60s, '70-'80s, and the '90-'00s Each launch was very different, signifying its time period; dark woods with a classic expression, to a very playful style with strong colors, and then to a more minimal look with natural light woods and graphic colors'

Karin continued: 'Some of the products from the GRATULERA collection remain in the range, like LÖVBACKEN side table and STRANDMON armchair and footrest, and we are pleased to see the customers' interest for them is always high.

An icon is an icon because it's unexpected, or considered an innovation of its time. Like LÖVBACKEN table (previously known as LÖVET), such a cool statement piece, with only three legs, the tips covered in metal. It's our first knockdown product.

Some of our products are icons of vintage furniture - they're everywhere today. I still buy IKEA vintage in auctions and second-hand shops. I see people having this desire for history and heritage.'

Want to pick up a stylish piece that might make you a fortune in a few years? We recommend starting with the best IKEA sofa beds.

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Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team.

Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.

Megan currently lives in London, where she relocated from her hometown in Yorkshire. In her home, she experiments with interior design trends and draws inspiration from the home decor ideas she observes in her everyday work life. Her favorite pieces include her antique typewriter and her expansive collection of houseplants. When she isn’t writing, she is browsing London’s coffee shops and bookstores to add to her ever-growing library, taking over the open shelving in her apartment.

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