What will be the classics / collectables of the future?  

You have a beautiful home...simple, warm and inviting.

If you follow your heart, your instincts and the objects you acquire have a purpose and enriches your everyday life, go for it regardless of trends or pedigree or even styles. Let your space/environment evolve adding layers overtime. Keep the ones that has endured the test of time, that appealed to you the longest or the most and let go of the ones that don't.

It is hard to say or predict what will become the next collectible...I never thought the junk that people were discarding decades ago will become so desirable and even so valuable.

I kind of like the work of designer Ilse Crawford when it comes to creating (vs. recreating) spaces, the mix of old, vintage and new.

http://www.studioilse.com/ikea-0

There are exceptions, of course, but, when it comes to utilitarian items, there are consistent qualities that can reliably predict longevity. Perhaps chief among them are functionality, expert craftsmanship, appropriate and top-quality materials, classic proportions, and honest design. By "honest", I mean lacking pretense or unnecessary ornamentation.

If I were collecting American furniture as investment pieces for my kids, I'd look for pre-1990 pieces by Thos. Moser and anything I could get by Christian Becksvoort. I've always been partial to the Shaker aesthetic and I have a thing for Maine.

I think that brands like Knoll, Artemide, Flos are producing pieces that will remain in the future.

In Switzerland there is a company that pruduces great pieces, as the AT-AT desk from Tomoko Azuki. I would love to collect that piece.

I guess to answer your question in a concrete manner one should know the recipe for the great design object...

Not much. It's been a race to the bottom since early 80's. There is stuff that was sold in the early 80's that was Italian and nice. It was expensive then and never gained mass appeal. As it was made in such small quantities, there aren't going to be a lot of people around nostalgic for it.

Beginning in the 80's, everything was a knock off of a prior period and mostly made in China. Design went into mass market items like electronics, but not anything I'd want piling up in my home. I don't want 30 old television sets, computers and radios around.

We've hit rock bottom. Furniture today is about the image stores create around it and the setting they put it in. "This couch says you're hip!" "Won't you look cool drinking martini's here?" Furniture anymore has nothing to do with design or quality. The garbage they sell in stores now is SAD. And I know people with big money and important positions that think buying this sofa that looks like whatever on Wayfair is no different than the 100,000 rub fabric, kiln dried sofa that costs just $1500 more. Even at high end, expensive furniture stores they're just knocking off trends. I think we went through a lot of color trends or designer looks in the 80's and 90's. Early 80's was Ralph Lauren country. Then we'd go through color palettes in the stores, like chocolate and baby blue. But none of it was collectible. Maybe the Lauren all American country look and florals will come back, but it will be all new stuff. No one is going to be out looking for the originals.

Imho, mid century and all it encompasses-hollywood regency, atomic, danish, pop and memphis-was the last of it. Earlier trends like art deco...sure. We might go back to that look. But the homes that had that stuff have been cleaned out decades ago. The good stuff is in museums or on the secondary market at high prices. It's not undiscovered. Yeah, there are cheap antiques around. But more of us are moving to urban areas and apartments and don't have room for big armoires. Mid Century is going to die back a little as the punters who are buying newly produced pieces in Crate and Barrel and what not move on to whatever other look the stores start selling. But for people who know why we bought real wood furniture with simple designs begin with-there isn't going to be anything else to move on to. Best case, we'll move up in mid century and get better pieces. But believe me, there isn't anything to move on to. Update your home with a new color palette, tile or accessories, but hold on the quality furniture you have or move into whatever new new trend the magazines make hot and buy the new horrible furniture you'll tire of in a few years if it lasts that long.

There was an article in Bloomberg and another in the Economist about how the paris antique blocks are down to just two stores. The SF art show which hopes to lure tech people with big money into investing in new art was flat as. Sachs, a third generation antique dealer whose founder built the collections of Robber Baron moguls who then donated to places like the Whitney, has closed. The people with money aren't interested in design, antiques or art. Some groups of antiques are selling at a 10th of what they were just ten years ago. Especially items for the middle market which is broke, stressed by high housing costs and all else. There is still some very top end stuff that people with money buy and pay for when it is found for them. But past MCM, there is no "new old" collectible to start looking for.

What about the AT-AT desk from Tomoko Azumi?