IKEA, the Swedish supermarket of furniture and design objects, has championed more impressive designer collaborations in its days than I can count, with names on their roster from Verner Panton to Virgil Abloh. As of recent years, vintage dealers and resellers (myself included) have been on an exuberant hunt to uncover out-of-production IKEA pieces, reselling them to design lovers everywhere.
“Vintage IKEA pieces are just so cool,” says Meghan Lavery, cofounder of Instagram-famous vintage shop Home Union, citing the “original designs they contracted by innovative designers.” “Back then, items weren’t derivative of anything other than the actual designer’s work,” adds Daniel King, the other half of the Brooklyn showroom.
As the Swedish retailer didn’t open its doors in the U.S. until 1985, the thrill of finding old IKEA is that much more satisfying. However, there’s no guidebook on how to purchase vintage IKEA. We called on a few top vintage hounds to share tips that will put your mind at ease and keep you in the know for when you’re ready to shop—and yes, this guide is far less complicated than an IKEA manual.
Hit the books
“Read a book!” says Taylor Fimbrez, founder of NYC-based design site Odd Eye. “My main tip for shopping old IKEA is to do the research beforehand! IKEA: The Book is a great place to start. It’s very informative as far as design collaborations and tracking down the common stuff you’ve probably seen.” This book is the IKEA holy grail. Once you’re a savvy IKEA expert, when the right piece crops up online, you’ll know to jump on it with knowledge of its value and instincts to back you up.
Set your budget—and stick to it
Before you begin scrolling grids and pages, nail down how much you’re comfortable with spending, says Canadian vintage dealer Chester Ebona of Genius Bones. “For someone new to vintage IKEA, set aside a budget that works for you and be patient!” As dealers curate their pages with newfound finds, you’ll discover designer collaborations of the past you didn’t even know existed and that might better align with your paycheck.
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Find your match and return consistently
If one dealer’s style particularly catches your eye, check back in frequently, turn on notifications, and keep tabs on their next website refresh. If the sight of a seller’s finds gives you heart palpitations—like that slime-green Barnslig IKEA Mirror in perfect condition—they could be your golden goose. While sourcing can be unpredictable, if a dealer’s sourcing eye consistently meets your vision, they’ll probably find something else you’ll swoon over. Plus, many vintage dealers will take on personal sourcing. Check out their FAQ before sending an email or DM to inquire.
Stay open to unconventional uses
Vintage curation is the perfect point of discovery to get perspective on ways to repurpose vintage IKEA items. “Some of my favorite vintage IKEA pieces are actually children’s items,” says Dylan Montcalm of Toronto vintage site Studio Montcalm. Looking for the perfect plant stand? Think of the life your spider plant can live atop a primary-colored IKEA children’s stool from the ’90s. Check, and check.
Ahead, find eight vintage sources where you can consistently spot iconic IKEA pieces from the ’60s to the ’90s, and fill your digs with nostalgia.
For the most centralized source of Vintage IKEA, don’t sleep on Etsy in your hunt for a specific designer, color, or material. Home to thousands of secondhand sellers, the stars are bound to align for you with a search bar that vast. This yellow 1990s IKEA LöV model table lamp, designed by K. Hagberg and M. Hagberg, is currently at the top of my wishlist.
Rare Vintage Ikea table lamp

$125.00, Etsy
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Toronto-based Studio Montcalm is a consistent source for heavy-hitter 1980s Vintage IKEA furniture, such as Niels Gammelgaard chairs. If, like me, said knockout pieces live rent-free in your head, you can get them delivered to you worldwide.
Odd Eye is a pattern-splashed, Memphis-feeling wonderland. Taylor Fimbrez’s shop is a place to uncover old IKEA design collaborations you won’t find easily anywhere else. Currently Odd Eye has a set of Martin Vallin for IKEA Livat vases circa 2010 up for grabs, and previously sold a limited edition sculpture by Ed Eva and Paul Moritz, circa 2003.
Deadstock Martin Vallin Livat Vases 2010

$68.00, Odd Eye
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1stdibs is like a giant candy shop when it comes to designer vintage IKEA. You can search through more than a hundred iconic IKEA pieces on the platform, such as the 1970s Impala Easy Chair by Gillis Lundgren.
1970s Swedish Impala Red Easy Chair by Gillis Lundgren for IKEA

$14966.00, 1stDibs
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Genius Bones, which launched in 2017, is a curation of vintage housewares with a clear emphasis on IKEA. The sleek grid with pops of color leaves you scrolling eye-catching pieces for hours, such as a recently sourced ’80s IKEA Wheeled Record Crate. Genius Bones specifically caters to Canadian shoppers.
Whether you are after colorful bubble vases or the Instagram-famous IKEA Skojig Cloud Mushroom Lamp, it’s worth taking a look at Portland-based Things PDX, where weekly Friday refreshes usually hold fun IKEA surprises. Items are mostly small and are shippable nationwide.
Powerhouse vintage design shop Home Union, led by husband-and-wife team Daniel King and Meghan Lavery, has forecasted many trends in the vintage space since opening in 2016— vintage IKEA being one of them. Can’t stop by in person? You can keep tabs on their highly active Instagram too.
1983 Niels Gammelgaard Moment Table

$865.00, Home Union
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Chairish is a one-stop shop for all things vintage, but you’ll find plenty of vintage IKEA circulating on the site, such as this Laurids Lonborg Figural Valet. And, the eight-year-old site is so ahead of the shopping game, there’s an augmented reality feature on their app to reveal how a piece could look in your space.
Circa 1980s Laurids Lønborg for Ikea Male + Female Mannequin Set

$768.00, Chairish
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Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Source: Yahoo Entertainment

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