Many a designer will proudly state that their latest creation is timeless. We roll our eyes because claiming longevity before time has had its say is highfalutin. Beauty may belong in the eye of the beholder, but timelessness is born in the sands of, well, time.
‘Topan’ lamp, 1959 (reissued in 2025), by Verner Panton, for &Tradition. ‘Tetrami’ console, 2023, by Naoto Fukasawa, for B&B Italia. ‘Juicy Salif’ squeezer, 1990, £80, by Philippe Starck, for Alessi. ‘Ancient Writing 1936’ fabric in Daylight, 1936, by Anni Albers, in collaboration with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, for Dedar
‘Argento Liquido’ chair, 2025, by Supersedia. ‘Alpaca Natural’ rug; ‘Déjà Vu Jamais’ fabric in Ivory; ‘Mystone Berici’ tiles in Bianco
Defining timelessness in design is rather futile. It asks us to suspend subjective feelings and subscribe instead to a universal set of principles that underscore ‘good design’, defying time, technology, trend or taste. Timelessness is, by its nature, elusive. As an overused descriptor, it teeters on the brink of obsoletion, heading down the same rubbish chute as iconic, sustainable, classic and authentic.
‘Réaction Poétique’ tray and centrepiece, 2015, by Jaime Hayon, for Cassina. ‘Nara’ console, 2025 (red lacquered reissue of original 2022 version), by Jean-Marie Massaud, for Poliform. Paint in Baked Cherry, £70 for 2.5 litres, by Little Greene
‘Pan’ daybed; ‘Pan’ armchair, both 2025, by Gordon Guillaumier, for Frigerio. ‘Porthole’ mirror, 2025, €3,400, by Willo Perron, for No Ga Projects. ‘Lofty’ chair, 2022 (reissued from 2004 version), by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga, for MDF Italia, from Aram. ‘Nara’ console; ‘Réaction Poétique’ tray and centrepiece, all as before. ‘Etruscan’ pitcher, 2022, €200, by Mentze Ottenstein, for Audo Copenhagen. ‘Toio’ floor lamp, 1962, £1,128, by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, for Flos, from Aram. ‘Grand’ rug in Deep Wine, from £845, by Nordic Knots. ‘Feral’ fabric in Palmaria, 2023, £252 per m, by Formafantasma, for Kieffer. Paint in Baked Cherry, as before. ‘Rosso Levanto’ marble tiles, £156 per m, by Mandarin Stone
‘Lofty’ chair, 2022 (reissued from 2004 version), by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga, for MDF Italia, from Aram. ‘Rosso Levanto’ tiles, by Mandarin Stone
Hold the lid though. Beyond the hollow bombast of the word ‘timelessness’, the qualities of designing for the long-term are precisely what we need to strive for and celebrate. Call us pedantic about semantics, but if we replaced the offending word with some of its adjacent terms – circular, renewable, repairable, dismountable, adaptable, regenerative – then timelessness becomes literal, laudable and perhaps even accurate.
The longer we spend grappling with the impossibility of design being anything other than extractive, the more we settle on endurance as its only viable claim of responsibility. With this in mind, timeless should describe the process and the system of design, not the product.
‘Brutalist’ speaker, 2024, £3,200, by Transparent. ‘Nymphenburg’ coat stand, 1908, £2,352, by Otto Blümel, for ClassiCon, from Aram. Media unit, 1963 (reissued in Olive Green in 2023), from £1,499, by Fritz Haller, for USM, from Aram. ‘Perspectives’ candleholders and vase, 2025, by Mathias Kiss, for Christofle. ‘Pigreco’ chair, 1959 (reissued in 2021), by Tobia Scarpa, for Tacchini. ‘Table No. II’, 2025, by Devin Wilde. Custom-designed tiles, 2021, by Palet. ‘Modern’ rug in Milano Green, from £845, by Nordic Knots. Paint in Citrine, £70 for 2.5 litres, by Little Greene. ‘Amoir Fou’ fabric in Anice, 2020, by Dedar
‘Sculptural House Numbers’, 2000s, £472 each, by Reinoud Oudshoorn, for Petra Hardware
‘CH07 Shell’ chair, 1963, by Hans J Wegner, for Carl Hansen & Søn. Custom designed tiles, 2021, by Palet; ‘Amoir Fou’ fabric in Anice, 2020, by Dedar
‘Pigreco’ chair, 1959 (reissued in 2021), by Tobia Scarpa, for Tacchini; ‘Modern’ rug in Milano Green, from £845, by Nordic Knots
These images feature our selection of furniture, lighting, objects and materials that in their own ways demonstrate a commitment to longevity. Some are defiantly innovative; some are reissued; some have in-built lifetime repair guarantees from their manufacturers; some are eternally adaptable or reconfigurable. Old or new, we feel confident claiming that each has and will stand up to the test of time. Though time itself will be the judge of that.
‘Opus’ floor lamp, 1986, from £916, by Walter Manici, for Lumina, from Aram. ‘Dylan Small’ sofa, 2023, by Rodolfo Dordoni, for Minotti. ‘Butterfly’ stool, 1954, from £695, by Sori Yanagi, for Vitra, from Aram. ‘Rio’ coffee table, 1962, by Charlotte Perriand, for Cassina. ‘Dinner Service’ cups and plate, 1989 (reissued in 2023), by Donald Judd, for Puiforcat. ‘Random Solo’ pendants, 2020, by Chia-Ying Lee, for Lodes. ‘C’ chair, 2023, €3,400, by ERM Studio, from Boon Room. ‘Saarinen’ table, 1957, from £2,280, by Eero Saarinen, for Knoll International, from Aram. ‘123 chair, 2024, by Michael Anastassiades, for Molteni & C. Paint in Cola, £58 for 2.5 litres, by Farrow & Ball. ‘Valleta’ fabric in Onyx, 2021, £53 per m, by Villa Nova. ‘Laser Eco’ fabric in Jet Black, 2024, £40 per m, by Kirkby Design. ‘Untitled 3’ rug; ‘Jaspe Rouge’ tiles; ‘Les Bijoux’ tiles in Marron Imperial, by Florim
‘Infilled’ chair, 2024, by Soft Baroque, from Oigåll Projects. ‘Random Solo’ pendant, 2020, by Chia-Ying Lee, for Lodes. ‘Jaspe Rouge’ tiles, by Florim. ‘Les Bijoux’ tiles in Marron Imperial, by Florim. ‘Untitled 3’ rug, from £1,995, by Carsten Beck Nielsen, for Nordic Knots
This page, ‘Floor Mobile Chandelier’, 2005, by Michael Anastassiades. ‘Seconda’ chair, 1982, by Mario Botta, for Alias. Paint in Yonder, £58 for 2.5 litres, by Farrow & Ball. ‘Helia’ fabric in 0733, 2020, by Raf Simons, for Kvadrat
‘Seconda’ chair, 1982, by Mario Botta, for Alias, ‘Floor Mobile Chandelier’, 2005, by Michael Anastassiades. ‘Nocturne Shell’ room divider, 2025, by Middernacht & Alexander. ‘Border Bamboo and Wool Blue’ rug, from £2,121, by The Rug Company. Paint in Yonder, £58 for 2.5 litres, by Farrow & Ball. ‘Helia’ fabric in 0733, 2020, by Raf Simons, for Kvadrat
Interiors assistant: Archie Thomson
Set build: London Art Makers
This article appears in the October 2025 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print and on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
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