But Does It Spark Joy?
Elle Decor US|March 2023
Taking a cue from the art market, more new design is being described as collectible. Some say that's not right for makers or the industry.
By Rima Suqi
But Does It Spark Joy?

One can't get away from the phrase collectible design these days. These two deceptively simple words joined forces nearly 20 years ago and have since gained steam, spawning a contemporary design market with an increasing number of galleries offering pieces touted as collectible and the rise of a collector class wanting to be affiliated with this much-hyped movement.

Historically, collectible implied scarcity or provenance, and with vintage or antique pieces, scarcity was often a given, even if said works were originally mass-produced. But when it comes to contemporary furniture and accessories by living designers, it's become a loaded word, implying that these pieces are worthy investments that will increase in value. But often the appreciation doesn't occur for decades, if at all, and the secondary market for contemporary design is virtually nonexistent. Cordelia Lembo, head of the New York design department at Phillips auction house, confirmed that "many successful active contemporary designers have yet to establish a secondary market and therefore appear less frequently at auction."

Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av Elle Decor US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av Elle Decor US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ELLE DECOR USSe alt
MORE, PLEASE
Elle Decor US

MORE, PLEASE

Eric Hughes joins forces with Standard Architecture to transform two neighboring homes into a sprawling family compound.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
SIZED TO FIT
Elle Decor US

SIZED TO FIT

Designer Nannette Brown reimagines a new-build apartment with unexpected depth, character, and texture.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Play It Cool
Elle Decor US

Play It Cool

In balmy Texas, Ashe Leandro brings urbane style and a chill vibe to a home in a historic district.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Mic Drop
Elle Decor US

Mic Drop

For former talk radio star Tom Joyner, Studio Roda creates an oceanfront pleasure pad with out-of-sight views and disco-era glamour.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
EYE IN THE SKY
Elle Decor US

EYE IN THE SKY

How do you cozy up a Manhattan high-rise? Call designers Hendricks Churchill.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
THE JOY OF KØKKEN
Elle Decor US

THE JOY OF KØKKEN

In Brooklyn, a writer transforms her kitchen into a space of warmth and connection, blending personal memories with Scandinavian design.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
CURTAIN RAISER
Elle Decor US

CURTAIN RAISER

ELLE DECOR partners with designers Christine and John Gachot to refresh an iconic lounge at a New York institution, the Metropolitan Opera House.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.
Elle Decor US

The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.

Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
Elle Decor US

Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?

It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
Elle Decor US

And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.

If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024