Investing in a luxury watch or bag may be a good idea in the long run, but what about designer furniture?
In the same way as works of art or sought-after luxury bags, investing in designer furniture pieces can be a wise choice. “When you don’t have enough money to treat yourself, it can be smart to buy the majority of your furniture from big brands and to buy one or two beautiful designer pieces: an armchair, a light fixture, a table…” says Jean-Paul Bath, general manager of Le French Design by Via, an association created by the French Ministry of Industry in 1979, whose goal is to promote innovation in contemporary furniture.
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Indeed, a designer piece can be a very good investment: “You can enjoy it every day, without it losing too much value. Or even that its value is maintained or that it increases with the years!” adds the expert.
Second hand or new?
We are seeing the emergence of platforms for the resale of designer furniture, such as the e-commerce site Selency, which offers decorative objects, furniture and designer pieces. On the secondary market, the value of a piece depends on its condition, its rarity and the demand.
Some vintage pieces “with simple, organic and colorful lines” can fetch hundreds of thousands of euros at auction. “It’s hard to say how much they cost to buy at the time, but they were expensive and were already aimed at a certain elite,” explains Sabrina Dolla, director of the Art Deco – Design department at Artcurial auction house. At the moment, Scandinavian pieces are very popular. Very cocooning, they are trendy in terms of decoration.
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But these objects are inaccessible to most people. Fortunately, it is possible to treat oneself at a lower cost: Robin Beyries, design and decorative arts specialist for Christie’s auction house, thinks in particular of furniture designed by designers from the 1960s onwards. “It is possible to find exceptional pieces at a few hundred or around 1,000 euros. (…) I would recommend pieces that have a history. For example, chairs that Philippe Starck designed especially for a restaurant or a hotel and that were later mass-produced”. However, be careful to check the condition of the piece in question, and who knows, an infatuation with the period may increase the value of your object.
Moreover, some mythical pieces are still being produced decades after their initial launch. This is the case with the Pipistrello lamp released in 1965, which is very popular on social networks right now. “I would advise, when possible, to go for the original edition rather than the reissue. First, because the vintage version is not always more expensive than the reissue. And above all, because with the original edition, we are as close as possible to the creator’s will” underlines Sabrina Dolla.
Read also > Milan: Design trends spotted at Salone del Mobile 2022
Featured photos : © Le Corbusier chair/ Cassina
