What do Ray Eames’ lounge chair and ottoman, a steel Rolex, and a Hermès Birkin have in common? They’re all investment pieces. While splurging on furniture can seem daunting — particularly for young people and renters who often view their living spaces as transitory — the right furniture can not only last a lifetime but also hold its value as the years go by.
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However, it can be difficult to tell which pieces are designed to stand the test of time. While quality construction and luxurious, durable materials can guarantee longevity in a functional sense, there are certain styles and silhouettes that will look just as good in your home a century later as they do today.
Mid-century pieces, in particular, have proven to have enduring appeal, with the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, Flos lamp, and Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chair sitting comfortably beside contemporary favourites like curvy mirrors, abstract line drawings, and bulbous boucle armchairs.
The pursuit of timeless or iconic furniture designs needn’t mean you need to forego your own personal style or opt for solely neutral pieces. Look to select furniture — whether vintage or new — that caters to your tastes and serves as an expression of your individual style and is something you want to live with. The ideal designer or vintage furniture is not only something that looks good right now, but pieces you want to build a relationship with and can take into any space.
Moreover, it’s important to remember that timeless doesn’t mean homogenous, with the best furniture unafraid to make a bold statement. Ready to invest in quality? These iconic vintage and designer pieces are set to last beyond a lifetime.
1. CH24 Wishbone Chair by Hans Wegner
Whether as a standalone piece or part of a dining set, the Wishbone Chair is a timeless essential. Equal parts minimalist and warm, the soft seating, Y-shaped backrest, and curvilinear lines of the Wishbone Chair prevent it from being too harsh or angular. Invented in 1949, the Wishbone chair looks just as at home in contemporary households as it did over half a century ago.
2. Eames Chair by Charles & Ray Eames
Designed for manufacturer Herman Miller in 1956 by American industrial designers and husband-and-wife duo Charles Ormond Eames Jr. and Bernice Alexandra ‘Ray’ Kaiser Eames, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman remains one of the most recognisable and influential pieces of furniture to this day. A mid-century modern staple, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is said to be inspired by a lived-in baseman’s glove, defined by its plush leather and rosewood construction. A classic piece, it’s arguably the real star of the American sitcom Frasier, visible in both the background and foreground of many shots.
3. Ultrafragola Mirror by Ettore Sottsass Jr.
Not all iconic furniture has to be mid-century modern. Designed by Italian architect Ettore Sottsass Jr. in 1970, the Ultrafragola Mirror has reentered the zeitgeist of late, with its wavy lines and neon hue tapping into the retrofuturistic design trend. Crafted from vacuum-formed online plastic and fibreglass, the wavy lines are designed to represent the female form; the curves of a woman’s body, her hair, and other elements of the female anatomy. An icon before its time, today the Ultrafragola Mirror acts as the ultimate selfie mirror.
4. Taccia Table Lamp by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Designed in 1962 for Flos, the Taccia Table Lamp showcases the Castiglioni brothers’ signature Italian style. Old and new collide in the Taccia, with a contemporary asymmetrical glass shade juxtaposed against a neoclassical ribbed pillar in matte black or anodised silver or bronze.
5. Mirror Ball Pendant Light by Tom Dixon
A relatively new piece, the Mirror Ball Pendant Light was created by Tom Dixon in 2016. According to Dixon, the light was the result of an initial failure. “The aim was to produce a completely spherical, highly mirrored object that would disappear into its surroundings,” reads the product description on Dixon’s site. “Instead it does the opposite and is an ultravisible, highly reflective object that mirrors its environment.” Drawing inspiration from space helmets and disco balls, the Mirror Ball Pendant Light is created through a process of blow moulding and vacuum metallisation to achieve luminous spheres.
6. Soriana Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa
An unconventional look for the time, the Soriana Sofa represented a new take on leisure. Created in 1969, the Soriana Sofa is surprisingly of the moment, tapping into the neotenic design trend which places chubby, puffy furniture at its forefront. The Italian design is defined by soft edges, plush seating, and loose upholstery, held together by a giant metal clamp. It makes for a statement piece in contemporary and traditional settings alike, pairing well with pared-back elements that allow the Soriana Sofa to take centre stage.
7. Arco Floor Lamp by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Another iconic creation by the Castiglioni brothers, the Arco Floor Lamp unites form with function. Designed in 1962, the Arco Floor Lamp features an aluminium pendant attached to a telescopic stainless steel stem that arches up from an upright slab of carrara marble; answering the call for suspended lighting without the need for obtrusive electrical cables. The delicate arc of the metal perfectly frames spaces, providing ambient lighting in living rooms or above dining tables. Despite its definitively contemporary materials and form, there is something quaint about the Arco Floor Lamp; almost like a very tall thin man subserviently peering over you (in a good way).
8. Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen
An icon of Danish design, the Egg Chair was designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955 for Fritz Hansen. Jacobsen experimented with wire and plaster to design the perfect egg, with the resultant curved form creating an aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture that provides an element of respite in both public and private environments. Its versatile nature makes it an apt fit in both classic and contemporary spaces.
9. Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia
“The urge for good design is the same as the urge to go on living,” American furniture designer Harry Bertoia once said. Bertoia designed the Diamond Chair in 1952, with the mid-century modern piece combining elegance with ergonomics. Crafted from welded steel rods dipped in polished or satin chromo, the Diamond Chair turns industrial materials into a work of art.
10. Little Petra by Viggo Boesen
Danish architect Viggo Beosen played an instrumental role in the development of the ‘funkis’ design aesthetic that defined Scandinavian style during the 1930s. Funkis comes from the word funktionalism (functionalism in English) and refers to design that keeps its original function or purpose in mind. Boesen’s creations deviated from the often stark minimalism of the Bauhaus philosophy, with designs imbued with a soft, warm, and organic feel. Introduced in 1938, Little Petra is, well… little. Sitting close to the ground, it’s clad in cosy fabric that combined with its curved shape works to embrace the sitter in a comforting hug.
Words by T. Angel
