Auctionet Special: IKEA Through the Years

Auctionet Special: IKEA Through the Years

"He was almost obsessed with the idea that good things shouldn't have to be expensive."
So says Lena Simonsson-Berge in IKEA’s own documentary “Hej Ingvar! The Playful Entrepreneur.”
And in that one sentence, she captures perhaps the single most important ingredient behind Ingvar Kamprad’s and IKEA’s incredible success. Combined with bold vision and a rare entrepreneurial spirit, this belief laid the foundation for a global empire that has in many ways served as an unofficial ambassador for Sweden around the world.

But it all began on a small scale on July 15, 1943, when Ingvar Kamprad launched a humble mail-order business. Things moved quickly. Just four years later, furniture was added to the product line, and in 1951, the very first IKEA catalogue was released. That led to the first store in Älmhult, collaborations with Danish and Polish manufacturers, expansion across the Nordic region and then the rest of Europe—eventually reaching every corner of the globe.

With Auctionet Special: IKEA Through the Years, we invite you on a chronological journey through IKEA’s history—from its earliest days right up to the present. This themed auction features over 220 lots, including iconic pieces from each decade, as well as some of the brand’s rarest and most elusive creations.

You'll discover bestsellers from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, designed by talents like Karin Mobring, Gillis Lundgren and Erik Wørts, alongside more recent models by Ehlén Johansson, Niels Gammelgaard, Ingegerd Råman and Thomas Sandell.

And then there are the nearly mythical pieces—some so rare they were never even included in catalogues. Like the “Holken” hanging chair, meant to be suspended from a tree during the wild, nature-loving 1970s. Or Rutger Andersson’s striking black-and-white furniture for postmodern interiors—heavily featured at launch but soon almost entirely forgotten.

Welcome to a theme that offers a bit of everything—just as it should, when it comes to IKEA.
Welcome to Auctionet Special: IKEA Through the Years!