A Curated Auction of Iconic Design

Article

21 Aug

Design Edit is a special selection of curated, industrial design objects within our highly popular The Estate catalogue. It is devoted to collectable and exceptionally rare pieces of furniture, ceramics, and art from design's most recognisable eras and movements from New Zealand and beyond.

Here is a small sample of the many items on offer through August 2025’s The Estate | Design Edit and which marry functionality with aesthetics, and impeccable craft with artistic intent. Our experts have selected iconic, local and star powered pieces that reflect this auction’s ethos and scope.

*Objects from The Estate | Design Edit online auction scheduled from 22—26 August 2025.*

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Something Iconic: Eames Herman Miller Desk and cabinet

As far as Modernist dynamic duos go, there is no going past the Eames. The husband and wife team of Ray and Charles Eames helped define the American post-war interior aesthetic via the usage of off-the-shelf materials, a strong understanding of the mass manufacturing needs of the era, and an unstoppable flow of creativity.

Ray and Charles Eames , sitting in the chairs they have designed — *Ray and Charles Eames*

They applied their unique vision and processes to everything from homewares (i.e their ubiquitous Hang-It-All coat-hangers) through to architecture (their Eames Case Study House #8 remains one of the icons of California modernism). However, it was furniture, and more specifically the hugely prolific collections they created for Herman Miller, that made them a long-lasting sensation.

Sure, the golden eras of media and Hollywood played a role in their success, but the fact that many of their pieces remain highly-sought after, and in great condition, is a testament not just to an aesthetic nous but to exacting craft and material selection.

Among several Eames objects on offer at Webb’s The Estate | Design Edit there are a desk and storage unit that were suffused with many of the trademarks that helped define their oeuvre.

Although the word ‘modular’ had not yet infiltrated furniture design’s parlance, this desk and storage unit worked perfectly together and allowed for flexibility of movement. In 1950s, post World War II America, when materials were scarce and the boom of pre-fabricated homes led to more standarised, compact interior spaces; units like these were ahead of their time: easy to move and tuck into standard-sized quadrilaterals of the modern home. Easily manufactured with many off-the-shelf materials, small and easy to move around, plus they were full of personality.

Likewise, they contain another of the Eames’ recognisable traits: fun. These units were called ‘working art’ when they first appeared in the late 40s, early 50s and they are almost childlike in their use of primary colour blocks. They are honest and immediately understandable due to their structural inner workings being easily legible: open wire shelving, cross-supports, perforated panels, dimpled plywood: It’s as if Mondrian had let loose in a hardware store.

These desk and storage units complement each other, and each can stand alone. In the 50s they were used in offices and living rooms, as room dividers or even in garages. They provide ample storage, work, and display space. And at home or in the office, they look as striking now as they did when first introduced in 1950.

Currently on offer through Webb’s The Estate | Design Edit:

Lot 118. An Eames Esu 400-C Unit for Herman Miller
EST. $5,000—$6,000

Lot 117. An Eames Desk Unit for Herman Miller
EST. $2,000—$3,000

If you like this, you might want to explore:

An Eames Lounge Chair And Ottoman By Herman Miller EST. $8,000—$10,000 — Lot 93. An Eames Lounge Chair And Ottoman By Herman Miller
EST. $8,000—$10,000

A USM Haller Storage System in Navy EST. $3,000—$4,000 — Lot 119. A USM Haller Storage System in Navy
EST. $3,000—$4,000

*Joe Backhouse (left) in his teenage years*

Something Local: The elegance of Backhouse

In the world of furniture design, influences and homages are not uncommon and this was particularly true back in the 1950s when this chair by iconic New Zealand designer Joe Backhouse was first introduced. Like Backhouse, many global designers ‘licensed’ the right to create their own interpretations of pieces they admired but could not source locally due to prohibitive transport costs or lingering war time restrictions.

The object of Joe’s admiration when creating this item currently at Webb’s, was the 1933 Safari Chair by a man considered the father of Danish Design: Kaare Klint. He, in turn, quoted the Roorkhee Chair designed by British Army engineers for use in India back in the 1890s.

Whereas Klint’s Safari was linear and pared back — fittingly so for early modernism combined with the flatpack needs of army campaign furniture — Backhouse’s version sought luscious comfort. This Safari combines an armchair’s embrace with the tapered elegance of a Scandinavian chair: Teak, leather, exposed stitching and that low-to-the-ground lounging non-chalance.

This Safari exemplifies Backhouse’s well-known ability to pick long-lasting design ideas before they even left their Scandinavian context. By betting on the Safari he foresaw the global influence this chair eventually had.

The Roorkhee and the Safari are said to have inspired a huge number of instantly recognisable designs: Marcel Breuer’s ‘Wassily’ Chair with its relaxed, slouching leather straps over a rigid skeleton; Le Corb’s ‘Basculant’, Vico Magistretti’s 905 Chair for Cassina and, more recently, Space Copenhagen’s Journey series.

2025 marks the 10th anniversary since Joe Backhouse’s passing and this is a timely piece of history from his remarkable and enduring career.

Currently on offer through Webb’s The Estate | Design Edit:

Lot 115. A Highback Leather Easy Safari Chair by Backhouse EST. $600—$800 — Lot 115. A Highback Leather Easy Safari Chair by Backhouse
EST. $600—$800

If you like this, you might want to explore:

Lot 57. A David Trubridge South Pacific Ruth Rocking Chair EST. $2,000—$3,000 — Lot 57. A David Trubridge South Pacific Ruth Rocking Chair
EST. $2,000—$3,000

Lot 138. A David Trubridge Soft Ruth Rocker in Purple Wool Felt EST. $2,000—$3,000 — Lot 138. A David Trubridge Soft Ruth Rocker in Purple Wool Felt
EST. $2,000—$3,000

Lot 55. A Garth Chester Curvesse Chair AF EST. $2,000—$3,000 — Lot 55. A Garth Chester Curvesse Chair AF
EST. $2,000—$3,000

Something Contemporary by a global star: A Sofa by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Less than two years ago French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec — whose design for the likes of Ligne Roset, Flos, Magis, Vitra and Capellini have been turning heads for nearly two decades — decided to go their separate ways. Rather than being an end to their stellar careers, the announcement signalled two forking paths as bold and refreshing as their combined brands had been to date. The respected publisher Phaidon has put out a book on one of the brothers (Ronan), while the other (Erwan) has made headlines for his sculptural lighting pieces for Flos at a recent Euroluce lighting fair at the Salone del Mobile in Venice.

Currently on offer through Webb’s The Estate | Design Edit:

Lot 122. A Ploum Sofa by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Ligne Roset
EST. $7,000—$10,000

Their separation has put their earlier pieces back in the spotlight, as critics scramble to understand where one sibling ended and the other started in the collaborative processes and how this is likely to play out now that they are individually exploring those particular strengths. Reportedly Erwan is the technology-driven experimentalist of the pair while Ronan is the more introspective artist with poetic flair.

One of the pieces that remains clearly an icon of their work together is the Ploum Sofa which they created for Ligne Roset in 2011. Described both as “a love seat with the adorable presence of a baby hippo,” (New York Times) and a “ripe delicious fruit” (by the designers), this piece is plump and embracing, sensuous and cocooning.

Like many of their designs, it includes roundness as its core geometry, a friendly personality that is exploited further with asymmetry to create something entirely organic and borderline huggable.

The idea came from intense research into the ergonomics of relaxation, and resulted in a sofa of stretchable covering and hyperflexible foam. The latter is not entirely even, rather higher in some parts to allow a variety of seating, lounging and laying down configurations all while the body is being embraced by the sofa.

The right-hand backrest is a tad higher than the one on the left; the right-hand seat is deeper than its pair on the left and even the zip on the rear of the backrest is off-centre. According to promotional material from Ligne Roset: “The great flexibility of contact associated with a freely-formed shape turns Ploum into a veritable nest: in fact, all positions are possible here, with both back and head enjoying the same soft contact, no matter which part of the seat is concerned.”

In true Bouroullec fashion, the Ploum is a piece that combines technology (ergonomics and a stretched fabric) with aesthetics, and one that will continue to define the siblings' collaborative and even independent trajectories for years to come.