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As we near 2024, it’s clear that Statista’s predictions about the furniture resale market have come true. The report expected a big 70% increase in consumers buying vintage furniture from 2018 to 2025, and it’s happening. This year, resale platforms like 1stDibs are struggling to keep popular vintage sofas like the Michel Ducaroy’s Togo and the Camaleonda by Mario Bellini in stock. Meanwhile, at Chairish, savvy users are selling Togo sofas (as seen in the home of It girl Marjon Carlos) and making a nice profit ranging from $3,000 to $15,000. So now design enthusiasts are on the edge of their seats, brimming with anticipation for the next trending vintage sofas to grace our living sanctuaries.
As much as we love immersing ourselves in the iconic sofas from the past, we couldn’t be more curious about what the future holds for furniture and design trends. So we spoke to six design experts to find out their predictions for the next vintage It-girl sofa. From midcentury-modern classics to quirky designs from the ’80s and ’90s, here are some of the most exciting and sought-after new (old) sofas that they think will define interior spaces in the year to come.
Series 10 Sofa by Brian Kane for Metropolitan, attributed to the 1980s.
Amy Auscherman, director of archives and brand heritage at MillerKnoll, highlights the resurgence of Wilkes Modular Seating, affectionately known as the Chiclet, which was reintroduced by Herman Miller in 2021 and has garnered significant attention in the vintage furniture market. Since then, Amy has had another sofa in mind, poised to be the next statement sofa to captivate design aficionados. “I’ve been waiting for the Chadwick Modular Seating resurgence,” she admits. “Not only does this system allow for endless curvy and colorful configurations, but the individual seats themselves are cool enough as a singular longue statement.” Amy also praises George Nelson’s Cube Group. “I gravitate towards this one the most when I’m in the office. It’s a sofa that’s comfy enough for a Selling Sunset binge at home but also provides enough sacral support to work comfortably and ergonomically from the couch.”
A seating arrangement at Galerie Was in New York City.
When Jonathan Sanchez-Obias, owner of Primaried Studio, reflects on the evolving landscape of vintage furniture, he echoes many of Amy’s valid points. “Modular furniture definitely appears to be a trend that we’ll continue to see more of in 2024,” he says. “It’s cool to see how these pieces, which were initially designed for commercial use, are being adapted into people’s homes.” Pop Up Home’s Tricia Benitez Beanum suggests that these styles are becoming increasingly popular because “people like options.” As she continues, “If they have a dinner party, they can change up the seating. When this type of furniture was made in the ’70s, house parties were huge. During the pandemic, people got away from boxy sofas and really wanted to feel supercomfortable yet elevated, and now post-pandemic people are still opting to stay home more and want their houses to give a certain feeling—these kinds of sofas do that.”
Wilkes Modular Sofa Group Sofa
Gold Plated Platner Arm Chairs, Set of 4
Turning our attention to timeless designs, Tobia and Afra Scarpa’s Bastiano Sofa for Knoll, introduced in 1962, stands out as a beloved piece for Amy. “I love to sink into it when I’m at the office. It’s one of those ‘if you know, you know’ vintage sofa designs, and I believe its supercomfy profile only gets better with age,” she says. Amy also highlights Knoll’s reissue of Florence Knoll’s Series 33 sofa, originally released in 1954, as a breakout star in the vintage sofa design universe this year. “It looks as cool today as it did when it first came out,” she adds. “The tubular steel frame and immaculate upholstery showcase Florence Knoll’s architectural genius playing out at human scale.” Given her personal obsession with Knoll’s back catalog, Amy hopes that the reintroduction of Kazuhide Takahama’s Suzanne Sofa, Gae Aulenti’s Aulenti Collection, and Cini Boeri’s Brigadier Sofa will be next on the reproduction roster in 2024.
Cini Boeri Three Seater Sofa
Gae Aulenti Three Seater Sofa
According to a 2022 report from Chairish, 31% of millennial and Gen Z consumers attribute the pandemic for increasing their interest in buying used, vintage, or antique furniture online. Jessica Yang, the zillennial founder behind Tresi, offers a fresh perspective on what younger consumers are leaning toward when designing their homes. “I don’t believe in following vintage furniture trends because it’s so cyclical and everything comes back in style,” she says. “In seating, it’s apparent with the persistent popularity of Togo sets, Serpentine sofas, and midcentury modernism as a whole.” Jessica believes that 2024 will be an “exploration era” when it comes to experimenting with design concepts from all over the world—think sculptural pieces that are unique in shape, texture, or color. “My favorite iconic pieces are the Wittmann ‘Chairman’ sofa by Bruno Egger and the Archizoom ‘Safari’ sofa. I’m also currently obsessed with rattan settees, pumpkin leather, and conversation pits,” she adds.
Karl Wittmann Chairman Sofa Cognac Brown Leather
Archizoom Associati Modular Safari Imperial Sofa
For Jessica, the key to finding designs that stand the test of time comes from examining the quality and comfort of a piece. “A living space is meant to be lived in, and nobody is going to use an uncomfortable or poorly made sofa, as beautiful as it might be,” she insists. “I often find vintage sofas to be higher quality than modern remakes and comparable in price. Shannon Maldonado, founder and creative director of YOWIE, agrees with this take, noting that the latest sofa trends are entering what she describes as a “soft era.” Shannon emphasizes the appeal of vintage sofas, noting that “vintage sofas often offer a lived-in, soft feeling that adds so much character to your space and comfort to your everyday.” She adds, “Who wants to watch a movie on a stiff couch when you can melt into something softer? We recently sourced two vintage unassuming sofas by Levitz from Kaiyo for a project and added a bold striped fabric to one and a citron velvet to the other, elevating them to one of a kind status.”
The Pop Up Home flagship location in Los Angeles.
Allie Fitzpatrick, Andy McCune, and Lauren Piscione, cofounders of Galerie Was in New York City, tend to gravitate toward “sinuous silhouettes” from Italian, French, and Danish designs of the 1940s and 1950s. “While Vladamir Kagan is a classic, we also admire the work of Fritz Henningsen, Alfred Christensen, and Carl Mamsten,” they explain in an email. To find a truly standout vintage piece, Galerie Was looks to the anatomy of a sofa: “We seek out dynamic forms, organic curves, and natural wood detailing when hunting for standout vintage pieces.” Similar to Shannon, the collective uses reupholstery to “bring these timeless works into the present,” adding that “earth tones and natural materials maintain the approachability of the pieces while still offering something delightfully unexpected.”
The common thread that weaves through these predictions for 2024’s next It-girl vintage sofa is the enduring value of quality and comfort. Vintage sofas, cherished for their lived-in soft feel, have become the embodiment of timeless design. Prioritizing sinuous forms and natural materials takes precedence when choosing a sofa for 2024, seamlessly blending the past with the present. As we step into 2024, vintage sofas will continue to hold a revered position in our households, offering not only enduring style but also unparalleled comfort, making them a symbol of both nostalgia and timeless sophistication in our ever-evolving interior spaces.
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