IKEA is selling a £35 coat stand that could be worth £100s in the future

Vintage IKEA is the perfect example of how investing in an affordable but classic design can reap huge financial benefits in the future. Even though the brand is most associated with flatpack furniture and IKEA hacks vintage IKEA designs can go for £100s. Even models from as recent times as the 90s are in high demand. 

This month, IKEA’s anniversary collection Nytillverkad marks the Swedish brand’s 80th birthday by re-releasing a curated selection of some of its most iconic past designs. Some of which sell for hundreds of pounds on reselling sites and apps. This includes the playful IKEA BONDSKÄRET coat and hat stand, first designed in 1978 under the name SMED.

IKEA’s new re-release puts a colourful spin on the classic, making for the perfect hallway decor. The coat stand is now available in two new cheerful shades - lilac and yellow - as well as the traditional black.

However, the original SMED is a rare piece, hard to get your hands on. But a quick search reveals it goes for $300 and more on some US-based reselling sites and a similar metal coat stand style from IKEA like the PLAGG is sold for £150 and more on the likes of Etsy and Narchie, a homeware marketplace app.

‘We've seen an increase in demand for quirky vintage IKEA pieces on Narchie that don't hang around long,’ says Narchie founder Harriet Pringle. ‘I think people are reaching for nostalgic homeware and furniture items that they grew up with.’

The SMED coat stand, or now called BONDSKÄRET (so confusing!), was designed by Rutger Andersson in the shape of a tree that looks a bit like a cactus at the same time. 

‘Only time can tell if something is timeless. If you put something away and then bring it back decades later and it still works, then it’s timeless,’ says Rutger.

‘One of IKEA’s most iconic vintage pieces, the SMED coat rack, now picks up to £200 online and in vintage stores,’ Antony Charman, Founder and Vintage Expert at Vintage Cash Cow, confirms. ‘It was completely different to the plain, wooden coat racks of its time, hence its popularity amongst vintage furniture enthusiasts today.’

The material choice was an intentional decision according to Rutger as he wanted to ‘show that it could be done differently’.

So while you can never know for certain how much this coat stand could be worth in the future, those are all pretty good odds that you're picking up a classic design piece for just £35!

Plus the rising popularity of vintage furniture and homewares shows no signs of slowing with market reports suggesting the global sustainable home decor market will increase by 5% over the next 10 years.

Will you be snapping one up?