IKEA: 10 Pieces Inspired by Design Icons

IKEA doesn't copy, IKEA descends: part of the catalogue comes in a direct line from 20th-century classics, sometimes by the designers themselves. Ten lineages worth knowing — and the price of both worlds.

The openly stated lineages

The Poäng (1976) is a declared cousin of Alvar Aalto's 406 chair: the same laminated-wood cantilever, £89 against roughly £2,400 at Artek. The Strandmon revisits the wingback of the 1950s — £349 against £3,000 and more for a Danish wing chair of the period. The Sinnerlig, by designer Ilse Crawford, embraces the spirit of an editor's bamboo pendants.

The family resemblances

The Fanbyn chair evokes the shell of the 1960s tulips; the Fado range descends from opaline globes; the Fröset crosses the Danish Safari chair; the Frosta stool is a direct reading of Aalto's Stool 60 (£15 against £250); the Millberget mimics the leather executive chair; the Kallax answers the modular cubbies of the 1970s; and the Regolit lamp, a paper arc at £34, speaks openly with the Arco — minus the marble.

How to read all this

None of these pieces fools anyone: it's catalogue inspiration, not counterfeiting. The useful question lies elsewhere: to every IKEA crush there corresponds an original — sometimes available in vintage for twice the Swedish price, with the extra decade of staying power.

A sense of déjà-vu in front of a piece? Scan it on Beyit: the original, its story, its market value.