What is collectible design?

Collectible design is furniture, lighting and objects made in small numbers, where the idea and the making matter as much as the function. A collectible chair can still be sat on and a collectible lamp still gives light, but each piece is also a statement from its designer. That places collectible design between industrial design and art, and it is why such works are bought by private collectors and held by museums.

Limited editions

Many collectible works are made as limited editions: a fixed number of pieces is produced, each one numbered, and when the edition is complete no more are made. The scarcity is part of the value, and so is the documentation that follows each piece. Alexander Lervik's Red Chair from 2005 was made in an edition of 10 and is held by Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo and Röhsska in Gothenburg. The MYBrain lamp from 2007 is another numbered edition, made in 8 pieces.

Unique pieces

A unique piece exists only once. Art glass is a clear example: when glass is blown by hand, form, colour and the movement inside the material can never be repeated exactly. Alexander Lervik's art glass is hand-blown at Kosta Boda, so every work, from Cactus to Saxum, is one of a kind. You can see the whole series on the art glass page.

Design that asks a question

What separates collectible design from a well-made product is often a question the object poses. The Hemvist armchair explores the idea of home and belonging, and the red version shows how colour changes the character of the same form. Alexander Lervik's work starts with such questions, which is why his studio describes it as the art of the unexpected.

How to collect

Collecting design means choosing a piece you want to live with, and asking about its edition number, provenance and condition. Every work in the collection can be requested directly, and we reply with availability and arrange shipping worldwide. Five works are in Brooklyn and can be seen by private appointment through A4A, which represents Alexander Lervik in New York; read more on the New York page.