Sale of the century: the contents of the Sitwells’ mansion are going under the hammer

In my bedroom there is a small lidded laundry basket. It was designed by Geoffrey Lusty for Lloyd Loom, a company that has, since 1917, been producing surprisingly durable furniture made from lacquered woven paper fabric for the middle classes. The basket is globular and stands on three spindly legs. It is weatherbeaten, and slightly worn, because it was produced in 1957, at the dawn of the Space Era. Indeed, it is a Sputnik wicker linen basket, designed in the style of the famous satellite. Only 100 were ever produced. Why is this double design classic not in a museum? It may be that one is. As far as this one is concerned, however, I bought it at an auction in Bedfordshire last month for just over two hundred quid.

I suspect I am not alone in having gained a galloping auction habit during lockdown. All those empty hours at home with a laptop for company. Moreover, for me the pandemic coincided with setting up a new home. As Habitat had gone bust and Ikea was firmly closed, I dived into the auction world, in particular the mid-20th century sales at Sworders auctioneers in Cambridgeshire, home of brutalist lampstands and postwar Scandi treasure troves, and Peacock in Bedford, wherein my Sputnik basket and a quartet of lovely smoky, knobbly Whitefriars glass vases were sourced. I warrant that the vintage dealers were at the same auctions, buying stuff, marking it up and eventually putting it front and centre in their reopened shops.

I am sorely tempted by the single house sale, where everything under a particular roof goes under the gavel. Surveying an entire collection is a strange experience. No longer will all these pieces be in conversation with each other.