Since its founding in the 1940s, Ikea has made it its mission to create accessible furniture and design that reflect the needs of its time. For this reason, vintage Ikea finds are often an exciting window into the history of contemporary interiors and how we lived over the past eight decades. Ikea recently celebrated its 80th anniversary with the Nytillverkad collection, a new line that revisits some of the most beloved pieces from its archives, but vintage Ikea furniture is still going strong with iconic objects by the likes of Verner Panton and Niels Gammelgaard, rare designs that can be found second-hand on platforms such as 1stDibs.
We scoured the web to find some of the most exciting vintage Ikea finds available to buy now, from furniture to lighting, and including rugs and children’s furniture.
Shop our vintage Ikea picks
Tiger rug by Walter Van Beirendonck
Launched in 2016, the ‘Glödande’ collection by Walter Van Beirendonck featured the Belgian fashion designer's signature bold prints across furniture and accessories. The limited-edition rug features his signature superhero ‘Kwade Tijger’ in bold colours.
Sälen Armchair by Knut & Marianne Hagberg
Available in its original packaging and instructions, this 1982 chair by Knut & Marianne Hagberg was never assembled and is an incredibly rare find (having originally been in production for just 2 years). The Sälen chair is made of Scandinavian pinewood with a red lacquered steel seat and back and white pillow.
‘Guide’ shelving system by Niels Gammelgaard
The ‘Guide’ shelving system by Niels Gammelgaard was designed in the 1980s, and features a powder-coated metal frame with four black shelves with profiles in bold colours, making it a classic of industrial design with a twist.
‘Markerad’ daybed by Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh's 2019 ‘Markerad’ collection for Ikea featured a limited-edition range of furniture and accessories featuring recurring elements of the designer's work, from fluorescent tags to sentences in quotation marks. A highlight of the collection, this daybed is perhaps the most conservative among the designs, featuring a classic midcentury silhouette with grey textile upholstery and an orange label.
‘Storvik’ lounge chair by Carl Öjerstam
Made of a light bamboo frame and a woven rattan seat, the ‘Storvik’ lounge chair by Carl Öjerstam was awarded the Red Dot Award in 2002. The lounge chair's inviting forms are ideal for both indoor and outdoor, and feature a touch of that whimsical approach that has defined Ikea ever since its beginning.
‘Vilbert’ chairs by Verner Panton
Verner Panton created furniture for Ikea in the 1990s, and the ‘Vilbert’ chairs are among the collaboration's most distinctive designs. The chairs (here available as a set of two) were originally produced by Kellco Switzerland and were distributed by Ikea.
Rug by Louise Treschow
The output of artist Louise Treschow included tapestries and jewellery, and her brief stint at Ikea resulted in linear furniture and this woven-motif rug. A rarity for Ikea at the time, the hand-tufted rug was produced in a limited edition of only 1,000, this being number 100 in the series.
‘Peggy’ highchair by Karin Mobring
This vintage Ikea highchair was designed by Karin Mobring in 1959 and became part of the company's catalogue in 1966. Mobring's work was spotted by Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad at Stockholm Furniture Fair, and she became part of the company's in-house team, creating over 100 designs over four decades.
Peanut wicker bench
This rare wicker bench features a slim frame and a whimsical peanut-shaped seat. Made in the 1980s, the bench combines a refined craft construction with the sense of humour that has always defined the Swedish company's designs
Skye Chaise Lounge by Tord Björklund
One of Ikea's most prolific and iconic creators, Tord Björklund's pieces would be at home in a James Bond-esque interior. Originally produced in the 1980s, the Skye Chaise Lounge is a postmodern design featurng a steel frame and seat with leather upholstery.
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