When it comes to the “TED” folding chair or “Plagg” clothes rack, there are bound to be people who still remember these products and regret throwing or giving them away. This is even more likely for furnishings by design greats such as Verner Panton and Niels Gammelgaard, which naturally are among the most coveted in Ikea’s history. Some vintage Ikea furnishings not only count as rarities, they also document the predecessor products that the mostly unnamed Ikea designers drew inspiration from.
Artist Harry Stayt has collected forgotten and underrated Ikea pieces from the 1980s and 1990s, mainly from the postmodern furniture collections that the Swedish brand launched with in the UK. Stayt has gathered these objects since his time at Camberwell College of Arts in London, where he studied modular systems and flat-pack furniture. In November 2020, Stayt sold more than 100 vintage Ikea products from his collection of furniture, catalogues and accessories spanning five decades on a platform called BILLY.forsale – named after “Billy”, probably the most popular of all Ikea shelves. After launching late last year and selling out in less than an hour, BILLY.forsale has recently presented a second series of archive Ikea pieces. The latest offer features a mix of coveted and lesser-known items, many of which were quickly removed from the Ikea range when they did not find sales success. The auction’s highlights include Gilis Lundgren’s Impala armchair from 1972 and the “Blinda” light that was clearly inspired by Ingo Maurer.
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