eBaywatch, 4th October 2026: Habitat
Category: Buy Secondhand
I’ve mentioned Habitat a few times in previous editions of eBaywatch but the volume of past hits merited a dedicated examination.
Launched in 1964, Habitat was a real innovator, championing not just great design but ideas like mail order, flat-pack furniture and, er, the chicken brick. More on that, later.
So what’s currently on offer on eBay UK?
I had thought that Crayonne was an own-label kind of affair but although designed by Conran Associates, the business was independent. Either way, Habitat sold a lot of Crayonne plastic products.
I really like these ice buckets with the bowling ball style finger holes. There are different sizes. This one looks to be a larger one.
This one is smaller.
If you have a few records or magazines you want tidying, this storage thing is nice and neat. You’ll find cheaper but, come on, this one’s yellow.
Here’s the equivalent for cassettes.
There’s all sorts you could do with this green receptacle.
And here’s an ashtray that’s also in the V&A’s permanent collection.
There’s lots more so have a browse. Also, look out for these house numbers. Unfortunately, this sold while I was writing.
Ok, crockery, cutlery and cookware. The Scraffito range was popular apparently. A kind of 80s version of Portmeirion Totem (Note to self: must do a Portmeirion edition of eBaywatch). These cups are cute.
I can’t find a reliable date for Greco range, but who cares when it looks this good. This teapot comes with the original wooden trivet/stand.
There’s a coffee pot here.
And some cups, each with their own coaster.
I’m not really a cutlery set kinda guy, I prefer to mix it all up. But this po-mo set is nearly enough to make me change my ways.
I can’t move on from all things food related without mentioning the chicken brick. Back in the 60s, Habitat introduced the UK to a number of home goods sourced from around the world, such as the duvet. I’ve no idea if chicken (and fish) bricks were from elsewhere but they were definitely a huge trend in middle-class homes in the 1960s and 70s, a trend that was fuelled by Habitat. Obviously, you’ll find used ones for sale on eBay.
Let’s get to the meat. Furniture. Since the 1960s, Habitat has produced some smart furniture and sometimes retailed other brand’s creations. In this latter camp, the most obvious example is Vico Magistretti’s Carimate chair manufactured by Cassina that Habitat marketed in the UK. This 1966 catalogue illustration includes said chair and it looks like they refer to it as Magistretti.
Here’s a reconditioned set of four.
And here’s a carver in the original red.
Faeroe chairs were apparently made in Denmark with traditional danish papercord seats. These appear to have gone up in price since I picked one up a few years back. Here’s a set of four. They’re priced reasonably because one's broken and all of them look like they could do with the seats being restrung.
And here’s another set of four in good nick.
If you like this style but balk at the prices, you could keep your eyes peeled for chairs by Dinette. I’ve no idea who designed them or whether they were sold by Habitat. They’re very much in the style of the Carimate. Some listings claim a connection to Magistretti or Habitat. I suspect listings just get copied and misattributions become compounded. It’s why source material, like the catalogues below, are important if you want to get nerdy about this stuff.
Anyway, here’s a clean set of four, although I suspect the fabric may polarise.
They appear to have been on sale for about a year so if you like them, try making an offer.
For comparison, here are six, tatty but solid-looking, for way less. You pays your money etc.
Radius was first introduced in 2000 and is still available, despite Habitat existing in name only today. There’s a write up of the range’s genesis by its designer, Simon Pengelly, here (click the plus sign for the text). With the curves and the round holes for drawer pulls, I see a nod back to Charlotte Perriand’s furniture for the Les Arcs resort.
Here’s a nicely patina-ed carver.
Another popular range is Forum by Robin Day. Here’s an armchair.
Here’s a reupholstered three-seater in bright orange.
Stepping away from Robin Day, another renowned designer, Sori Yanagi, created this Elephant stool.
Not sure if the presence of a Habitat sticker merits the price tag. This pair from, I’m assuming, a later Vitra edition are almost half the price for both of them.
Here’s what appears to be a Habitat take on Zeev Aram’s Altra coffee table. (Thank you @interluke for making me aware of these.)
This lounge chair is, I think, something you can see in one of the catalogues mentioned below. If you’re in the south west and don’t mind a little work (the cushions look like they need new covers), this could be a steal.
Regular readers will know that I’m a sucker for lighting, both electric and candle. Habitat has something for everyone.
The anglepoise is a classic, and you’ll find one in a number of colours in eBay. Here’s a yellow one.
Garland was launched in 2002. You could describe it as a flat-packed lampshade. Thin sheet metal laser cut with floral patterns, the idea was that you bend and sculpt it around a bare lightbulb. I bought one at the time. It worked really well. Less so if you want to move it to another location - the metal is like a razor - but there’s no denying its beauty. Here’s a current listing for an unused one.
Garland was designed by Tord Boontje and you can buy the latest incarnation on his website.
The Tangola lamp is a personal favourite. Here’s a desk version. The listing is actually for two, so hurry if you fancy a matching pair.
The listing does a terrible job of showing what they look like. There are better photos on this page, including an important clarification. You’ll see these most often referred to as designed by Paul Mayen but the 2004 Habitat catalogue apparently names Matt Hobbs as responsible. It’s an example of the internet perpetuating the kind of misattribution that I mentioned earlier. There’s also a floor version, also often misattributed etc. Anyway…
The listing refers to this lamp as the Screen T. I can’t find any information on them. All I know is that they’re the bomb, if you like that slightly industrial, post-modern thing. This one looks a little banged up. The shade is supposed to be vertical not drunkenly leaning as this one is. I’m sure a gentle twist with a pair of pliers would fix that.
There were also versions with a white perspex screen and one in orange.
Maclamp was, I think, a subrand covering a number of Habitat’s lighting products. I like this desk lamp a lot.
Here’s a good-looking floor lamp.
Prefer something with (off) white trim? Try this one.
All are very much in the style of Peter Nelson. Another potential subject for a future eBaywatch.
More recently, Ribbon has become a modern classic. They were originally released only in chrome, I think, and 50cm tall like this one.
Habitat later created a smaller 35cm version like this one, and other colours and finishes like this white one. There was even a floor-standing version that clocks in at 143cm high.
Meanwhile, outside the UK, where the brand continues under different ownership, Ribbon is still available in numerous groovy colours.
How about candlelight instead of electric? I love this little tea light holder.
This glass block candlestick reminds me of some designs from Lindshammar. It just strikes me that some might wonder what the attraction is, there’s practically nothing there. But it’s just that simplicity that appeals.
Klein was a range of tea-light-holder-as-candelabras. They came in different combinations of size and design: large and small, straight and curvy arms. Here’s a small/straight.
And this is a large/curvy.
Finally, I just love this inverted pyramid tea light holder. Makes me think of Ron Arad’s concrete loudspeakers.
Lastly, searching for furniture, lighting and other more obvious categories of product, I stumbled on this unexpected restaurant-guide-cum-recipe pamphlet that Habitat created in the 1960s.
It’s a folder with facsimiles of thirty London restaurant menus. On the back of each is a short overview of the food and ambiance of the restaurant along with a recipe from the chef for you to cook at home. It’s a smart tactic: if you’re introducing the wok to the UK, it helps if you show people what to cook with one.
It must have been seen as a success at the time as this was the second edition and there was also at least one edition of a Parisian version. There’s a very tatty one here.
As a postscript, here are a few old catalogues, useful if you want some decor inspiration or to check the names and credits of old designs. This is for the 1974 range and is reasonably priced.
There are some sellers listing similar catalogues for way more like this one from 1977.
That’s it. Happy hunting!
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