Law, Design, and Market Value: Lessons from the Cantilever Chair, 1929–1936

Abstract

The cantilever chair is both a modern classic and a tradable commodity. Iconic designs, such as those by Marcel Breuer, are part of museum collections and are being produced for the contemporary furniture market. Moreover, there are countless other variations of the cantilever principle on the market. This article explains the emergence of the upmarket segment for iconic designs through historical sources. The focus is on the role of intellectual property rights and their interaction with management, branding, and pricing activities in the early 1930s. The article establishes that legal and perceived authenticity of cantilever designs were necessary but not sufficient to establish the upmarket segment. A substantial premium could only be charged once customers revealed that they had a high willingness to pay for authentic furniture that was chrome-plated.