Money to burn? The humble matchbox gets a £235 makeover

Goodbye Swan Vesta, hello Cartier. Matchboxes are the latest home accessory to get a luxury makeover – and some of the price tags are striking.

At the upmarket department store chain Selfridges, sales of posh matchboxes are up 121% year-on-year and it said they were “the must-have home accessory for 2026”. The store has more than doubled its range to meet demand, selling over 100 styles at prices ranging from £5 to more than £230.

Panthère de Cartier set of three matchboxes, £235 Photograph: Cartier

At the most expensive end of its range is a set of three paper and card tubes, decorated with panthers and containing 80 matches each. Designed by Cartier, it retails at £235.

Jo Laing, who designs and sells ceramic-topped matchboxes, has seen sales rise 60% year on year and her work is now stocked in Harrods. She said they “sell out so quickly we struggle to keep them in stock”. Her reusable limited edition boxes retail for £70.

The matchbox took off in the late 1800s when manufacturers realised that every box could be an advert and it became an unexpected art form, with colourful labels featuring everything from political messages to product marketing.

Woman lighting a match, New York City, 1953. Photograph: Anthony Angel Collection/JT Vintage/Glasshouse/Zuma/Alamy

At the same time, more opulent matchboxes started to spring up in silver, gold and ceramics. But since the smoking ban they had fallen out of favour.

While some of the new generation of designer matchboxes seem to be aimed at those with money to burn, experts said the trend reflected tightening budgets, with shoppers turning to them as way to spark a little joy.

They might not have the budget for a posh candle, but can stretch to fancy matches instead.

Bia Bezamat, cultural insights director at Kantar, said: “There’s a sustained trend for ‘little treats’ … It’s a response to cost of living pressures: people want small, affordable pockets of joy to brighten their day.”

Claire Dickinson, senior strategist at consumer trend forecaster WGSN Interiors, said they were “the homeware equivalent of the lipstick effect”, a theory that during economic downturns, consumers swap expensive luxuries such as designer bags for smaller and more affordable indulgences.

She said they reflect the rise of “beautilities”: practical objects designed to be seen and enjoyed.

Henrietta Klug, head of home at Selfridges, said the once-functional object was now “re-emerging as an object of desire” that took pride of place in people’s homes, as well as on the tables of some of London’s most stylish bars and restaurants.