Decorative Art Sales Hit $3.9 Billion in 2025, Trophy Buying Surges

Sales in the decorative-art category—including design objects, furniture, jewelry, and watches—reached approximately $3.9 billion in 2025, a 7.1% increase from 2024, according to the Artnet Intelligence Report: Year Ahead 2026. However, this total remains below the category's peak of $5.7 billion in 2023. The number of lots sold fell 11.9% year-over-year, while the average auction price rose 21.6% to $15,247, indicating a shift toward trophy buying. A standout sale was François-Xavier Lalanne's 1976 Hippopotamus bar, which sold for $31.4 million at a Sotheby's design sale in December after a 26-minute bidding war, setting an auction record for the artist. Sotheby's led the category with $1.1 billion in sales (up 26.3%), followed by Christie's with $1 billion (up 5%), and Phillips with $369.7 million (up 25.8%). Europe remained the largest market with $1.4 billion in sales (down 4.9%), while North America displaced Asia for second place with $1.2 billion (up 31.4%), compared to Asia's $1.1 billion.