Sotheby’s will host an auction of contemporary design in collaboration with Wallpaper* magazine.

Titled Living in a Material World, it will explore the way modern makers transform materials into new and intriguing creations. 

Joris Laarman is an innovative young designer 

Among the highlights will be Dutch designer Joris Laarman’s Rocker armchair (2007).

The lot is 3-D printed using powdered black marble.

Much of Laarman’s work is inspired by patterns seen in nature. In this case the chair is based on the bone structure. It’s valued at £170,000-200,000 ($218,059-256,540).

Industrial designer Marc Newson’s Extruded Table 3 (2008) is estimated to make £70,000-100,000 ($89,789-128,270).

The table is constructed from a single block of marble, which is twisted into a seemingly impossible abstract form. It’s one of a series of pieces Newson created in this style.

Newson is among the most celebrated designers of his generation. His iconic Lockheed chair sold for £2.4m ($3.7m) at Phillips London in 2015, a record for a piece by a living designer.

Tony Chambers, editor-in-chief of Wallpaper* magazine, comments: “As our lives become increasingly governed by the digital world, we have subsequently become more appreciative and sensitive to the analogue.

“We now crave the touch, the feel, even the smell of the material world.

“This is the perfect time to explore how post-war and contemporary designers have employed and manipulated all manner of materials in elegant and innovative ways.”

The sale will take place in London on October 17.

The auction market for design has grown significantly in Europe and the US over the past decade and is proving increasingly popular with investors.  

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