The 10 Most Expensive Pieces of Furniture in the World

While a table may not be the most glamorous item, they have historically been used by wealthy families not just as practical furniture but also as beautiful decorative pieces. Wealthier families often owned furniture that served both functional and aesthetic purposes within their homes. The Harrington Commode is an 18th-century English furniture piece crafted by the renowned artisan Thomas Chippendale.

His creations have always been highly sought after at auctions, and when this particular piece was put up for bidding at Sotheby's in 2010, it fetched £3,793,250, which is over $5 million at the current exchange rate. Made of gilded brass, rosewood, tulipwood, and adorned with marble detailing, the Harrington Commode also set a world record for the most expensive piece of English furniture sold at auction, a title previously held by another Chippendale creation, the George II Parcel-Gilt Padouk Cabinet-on-Stand.

The world's most expensive table was sold at an auction for $4.6 million on January 20, 1990, during a Christie's auction held in Philadelphia. As of 2012, its value would likely be close to $7.5 million if it were to be sold again. The Tufft Pier Table is named after its original creator, Thomas Tufft. Hand-carved meticulously in the late 1700s, this table features a stunning and unique design. This historical piece of furniture was custom-made for Richard Edwards, a shop owner in Lumberton, New Jersey.

With gracefully curved feet and detailed cross-stretchers, the table’s long legs end in narrow ankles. This exquisite antique was sold by Edwards' descendant, a Philadelphia architect named Samuel Harrison Gardiner. The table’s impressive sale price can be attributed to its remarkable originality and perfect condition, having remained unchanged for many years. Its exceptional design and unique provenance make it all the more special. Despite being created over 200 years ago, this masterpiece remains in pristine condition and continues to hold the title of the world's most expensive table as of November 2012.

This cabinet is adorned with a broken pedestal featuring carved and gilded bullet-shaped accents, along with fruit and floral motifs. The gilded moldings are decorated with intricate patterns of Vitruvian scrolls, beads, and egg-and-dart detailing. The central mirrored door is framed by floral moldings and ribbons, with an egg-and-dart motif and hidden cross-cut detailing that surrounds adjustable shelves.

The secretaire drawer beneath, with gilded guilloche molding, reveals a series of small drawers and pigeonholes. The lower section features double doors made from fine flame mahogany, intricately carved on a stepped pedestal with gilded details and egg-and-dart framing. This exceptional cabinet is clearly influenced by the famous designer William Kent (c.1685-1748) and shares similarities with a series of bookcases, differing slightly in carved details and including elements like mirrors, enamel, or categorized parts.

Here, the Palladian style with motifs of Vitruvian scrolls, egg-and-dart patterns, beaded reedwork, and floral ribbons draws inspiration from designs used in fireplace surrounds by Isaac Ware and Inigo Jones (1731). Its bold architectural design, overall Palladian form, use of premium mahogany, and sharp carving suggest it was crafted by the renowned London cabinetmaker William Hallett (1707-81).

Not too long ago, a floating bed seemed like a concept straight out of a science fiction movie, but the world's most expensive floating bed isn't suspended in mid-air. Instead, it is anchored firmly to the ground to prevent it from simply floating away. Seven years of research went into developing the permanent, non-degrading magnetic support system that holds this seven-figure sleeping platform in place. The bed frame itself is a simple, black-painted panel that appears to float above invisible legs.

This floating bed is designed as a pointer towards gravity, a force that governs our lives here on Earth. It achieves this by creating an exception where the bed appears to defy gravity, rising rather than falling. The extensive testing, engineering, and design behind this piece of furniture created an item that is visually unaffected by gravity. Four thin cables, attached to the floor, interact with each other in an inverted suspension. The surrounding environment and the custom-made shell form an essential part of the product, which can be used as either a sofa or a piece of art.

Famed for designing luxury cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati GranTurismo, the Italian design company Pininfarina has recently expanded its expertise into the world of high-end office furniture, creating the Aresline Xten executive chair. This groundbreaking ergonomic chair, which may well be the most expensive office chair in the world, was designed specifically for the affluent executives of the Middle East. Countless hours went into its design to ensure ultimate comfort and cutting-edge technology for the world's wealthiest CEOs.

The Aresline Xten is priced at $1.5 million. For that price, users receive a chair made with Technogel, which conforms to the body's contours to relieve pressure and reduce fatigue. The chair is wrapped in durable, high-performance fabric that is used in Olympic athletes' gear. It also features Dynamic Synchro Tilt, allowing the backrest and seat to adjust independently. The sky-high price is attributed to the premium materials used in the padding, specifically the Technogel, which helps to reduce pressure by 60% and alleviate fatigue. In addition, the chair is covered in Dynatec fabric, a material favored by Olympians for its sweat-wicking properties.

The Midas touch seems to have worked its magic on every piece of furniture. After the stunning gold table and gold chair, we present the ultimate luxury piece: a solid gold stool. Crafted from pure gold, this extravagant stool is a true statement piece that blurs the line between furniture and fine jewelry. The Solid Gold Stool is designed and manufactured in China, with its entire surface crafted from solid gold. The stool contains nearly 110 pounds of gold.

With gold prices soaring, this ultra-luxurious piece of furniture comes with a hefty price tag of $1.3 million. Created in a jewelry workshop in Jiangsu Province, China, the stool is made from nearly 50kg of pure gold. A true work of art, this radiant gold stool is sure to attract attention from anyone who admires a life of opulence. It's a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, elevating any space to a whole new level of luxury.

Parnian is making headlines with the creation of the world’s most expensive table, priced at $200,000. If you ever thought a table couldn’t cost that much, think again—this stunning piece proves you wrong. Made from six rare types of wood and a custom-cast piece of glass, this table took five months to craft and was custom-made for Parnian’s North Scottsdale, Arizona showroom. For the combination of wood, including ebony and Carpathian ash, along with a special glass panel, the price reaches an astounding $200,000.

The table is finished with Parnian’s signature craftsmanship, giving the exotic wood a polished, refined edge that will bring sophistication and taste to any dining room. Parnian prides itself on a very exclusive clientele, including some of the world’s most famous CEOs, royalty, and celebrities. With a starting price of $6,000, this table can quickly escalate depending on the level of customization and the rarity of the materials used.

The Badminton Chest, which was auctioned in London this week for an astounding $36.7 million, is now the most expensive piece of furniture ever sold. This 18th-century Florentine ebony chest, inlaid with precious stones and hardstones, has never been used. It was created during an era when decorative objects symbolized wealth and power, much like paintings and sculptures of that time. But this rare masterpiece—one of only three known to exist—entered an arena typically reserved for fine art, especially Impressionism, when it was sold at Christie's on Thursday.

Ranked as the 17th most expensive item ever auctioned, it trails behind nine Picassos and four van Goghs, but just ahead of Pontormo’s “Portrait of Duke Cosimo I de Medici” (the chest was made in the Medici workshop). The chest is adorned with breathtaking scenes meticulously rendered in colored stone, a technique known as pietra dura. Standing at 12 feet 8 inches tall and 7 feet 8 inches wide, it also features a clock with numbered faces. The new record-holder is Prince Hans-Adam II, the head of the small principality of Liechtenstein, nestled between Switzerland and Austria. His acquisition was made for the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna, which will reopen in March in a grandly restored Baroque palace.

In February 2009, the estate of Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé was auctioned in Paris, bringing in an astounding 373 million euros for artworks, furniture, decorative items, and more. The three highest-selling items were a Matisse still life painting, a Brancusi sculpture, and Eileen Grey's iconic armchair. While the first two items were created by internationally renowned artists, Eileen Grey, an Irish-born designer, was far less well-known outside the art world. Let's take a closer look at her extraordinary career and the legendary chair that represents her legacy.

The Dragons Chair stands as the world’s most expensive chair, a testament to Grey's lacquer craftsmanship and a prime example of Art Deco design. The price it fetched at auction also highlights the growing interest in decorative arts. Other pieces by Grey have also fetched millions, including a sideboard owned by YSL that sold for million pounds in 2009 and a satellite chandelier that sold for 3.1 million pounds.

The Goddard and Townsend Secretary Desk dates back to the 1760s. Buyers of such an item are not only looking for functionality but also for a statement piece for their home. Only nine of these desks were ever made, making it a rare and expensive item to acquire. In 1989, one of these desks sold at Christie's for a staggering $11,480,675, which at the time was the highest amount ever paid for American-made furniture.

Handcrafted antiques designed for the influential elite of their time tend to perform exceptionally well at auctions when the timing is right! A perfect example of this is the remarkable secretary desk! This antique masterpiece is a six-shell bookcase desk made of mahogany. It was created for Nicholas Brown in 1760 and stands 112 inches tall. The real question is, how much value can one place on such an item? Incredibly beautiful with a design that reflects its era, but you really have to be passionate about history to pay over $11 million for a desk!