Are You Habitat, IKEA… or Laura Ashley Generation?
Are You Habitat, IKEA… or Laura Ashley Generation?
From Gen X to Gen Z — why time has proved antiques have value
If you grew up with Habitat, furnished your first flat with IKEA, or aspired to Laura Ashley, you’re not alone. From Gen X right through to the current generation (whatever number we’re up to now), mass-produced furniture has been sold as modern, practical and good value.
Time, however, has been a brutal judge.
Most Habitat and IKEA pieces have one inevitable destination: the tip. Chipboard, veneers, glued joints and fashion-led design simply don’t age well. When tastes change or a screw pulls out, they are landfill, not heirlooms.
Laura Ashley is a particularly interesting case. It felt expensive, solid, and timeless. Yet recently I bought a Laura Ashley dining table that originally cost £1,800 for £100… and sold it for £200. A profit, yes — but hardly a triumph over inflation, storage, or time.
Now compare that with antiques.
Most proper antique furniture:
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Was made to last generations
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Uses solid timber and skilled joinery
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Can be repaired, restored, and reused
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Holds its value — and often quietly increases
Certain categories have done far more than “hold value”. Over the last 40 years, some antiques — especially vintage pieces once overlooked — have risen hugely in price. What was once unfashionable is now rare, desirable, and impossible to remake properly.
This isn’t about snobbery or living in the past. It’s about value.
Modern flat-pack furniture is consumption.
Antiques are ownership.
One depreciates the moment you assemble it.
The other has already stood the test of time.
So ask yourself:
Are you buying something to use…
or something that will still matter when tastes change again?
Time has already answered that question.
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