Description

The photographed chairs SOLD in 2020 for $5,500. UPDATE- in August 2021 we sold a set of 6 BLACK Cassina Cab chairs for $7,000 without the need for a listing (directly from a vendor’s photos). We have another set of these chairs available to iNVISeDGE- contact us for more details!

We sold a set of 6 black Cassina Cab chairs recently for $7000 (August 2021)- let us know if you have Cassina cab chairs in any colour you’d like to SELL!

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UPDATE- I have now bought these chairs outright from my vendor. They are now at our Morayfield depot, Brisbane Northside. For the 20 or so people in Melbourne who have enquired about these, the cost of freight will now be LESS!

This set is priced at AU $5500- not negotiable. I’ve consistently seen second-hand Cab chairs sell in Australia for AU $7000 to AU $10,000 for a good set of 6. (This is an EXCELLENT set of 6.) Our prices are in AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS which is significantly less in American dollars. (AU $5500 is about $3950 AMERICAN).

International freight is a possibility- I don’t know the best options at this point but it would be viable to get them overseas. I’d prefer an Australian buyer but if someone overseas is going to do at least as much as much work as me to get them overseas I will work with you. I’m not sure of the cost and would ONLY make enquiries on your behalf AFTER you’ve committed and made a deposit on the chairs.

These chairs are being sold UNDER CONSIGNMENT from a private seller in Sunrise Beach, SUNSHINE COAST (Australia). UPDATE- THESE CHAIRS ARE NOW IN BRISBANE! Freight can easily be arranged Australia-wide. It’d be ABOUT $200 to get these 6 chairs to Sydney (this estimate will help you gauge cost to other locations). I travelled to the SUNSHINE COAST and personally worked with these chairs- I’ve carefully inspected them and photographed them myself. (Delivery will be AT COST PRICE (paid for by the BUYER)- we don’t add anything on for organising your freight.)

Provenance and Background Info

Description written in 2020. Some aspects of the description will be time-sensitive.

A set of 6 Cassina Cab chairs designed by architect, Mario Bellini in 1977. The Italian Cab chair remains one of Cassina’s best-sellers and is part of the collection at the MoMA (museum) in New York. In Australia the Cab chair is stocked by SPACE Furniture and retails in excess of AU $13,000 for a SET OF 6.

I have to admit it has taken me some time to comprehend the value of the Cab chair. I remember being in a Sydney auction centre back in 2005 (when I’d still only really experienced life in the outer suburbs of Brisbane) watching in amazement as a well-known dealer kept bidding until a set of 6 of Cab chairs in black went to $6000 (back in 2005). I couldn’t fathom how he could be on-selling them for more. These days I don’t doubt he had a client lined up for them but it was an eye-opener for me at the time.

I now completely understand the appeal these days and confidently know the chairs on offer here are significantly under-priced. I’ve seen second-hand Cab chairs CONSISTENTLY sell for around AU $7000 – AU $10,000 for a second-hand set of six (NOTE- this is in AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS.) After experiencing the Cab design close-up I now understand why it is so valued. The skeleton of the chair is steel (virtually indestructible)- the covering is stitched SADDLE leather- beautiful QUALITY and EXTREMELY resilient. I cleaned the last set of Cab chairs we sold and am happy to admit here that it was a pleasure. I know that sounds ridiculous but it allowed me to become very intimate with the chairs and yes I know that sounds even more ridiculous! I was astounded by how easy Cab chairs polished up. The previous set we sold had a decent number of scuffs, marks, bumps and signs of use but nearly all polished out with no effort. There were some where I was in disbelief when the chairs had come into contact with other things and it was the other item that came off second best. The saddle leather is FULL-GRAIN and the highest quality- super thick but soft- the leather itself would retail for about AU$300 a square metre (most likely more in this quality though). I estimate each chair would need about 2 sqm so that’s AU$600 just for the leather (and NO workmanship … it’s the workmanship where the real value lies here). It becomes plainly obviously why second-hand Cab chairs constantly sell for around AU$1100 each in Australia- that’s about how much it would cost Cassina to make them. And this is where the recent replicas come unstuck- they use cheap leathers that crack on the backs after several years and end up in landfill (you have to ask yourself what the point of spending $400 each on these chairs is). Others use vinyl / plastic covering but really if you want plastic chairs buy the injected moulded ones. They’ll not only look more eye-catching but MUCH cheaper than replica Cabs. What is the point of all this expert workmanship if you’re wasting it on cheap materials?

These chairs are top of the range and a joy to experience (and even get intimate with! lol). The comfort is incredible! Obviously great proportions- nice high back and the back in particular flexes to the shape of your body which is unusual in a dining chair (this helps create a dining suite that’s wonderful to enjoy long dinners in).

The thing I love most about this suite is that one of the chairs still retains the original SPACE Furniture label and price tag from the 1990’s. It reads Cab Chairs $1195 (over a SPACE Furniture label). This label further substantiates how special Cassina Cab chairs are. This set of chairs was purchased by our a vendor (an interior designer) back in the early 1990’s- this SPACE Furniture label verifies that. I know for a fact that SPACE Furniture now sells Cab chairs for at least AU $2200 EACH! This is irrefutable evidence of the longevity of the design- both from a quality AND design standpoint. This chair has only become MORE ICONIC (and valued) over the years. Flashy, cheap designer furniture wears very thin, very quickly. Once the sizzle goes, the item carries little value. The design here is stunning, TIMELESS AND the VERY BEST QUALITY money “Cab” buy!

This price-tag underneath substantiates the INVESTMENT APPEAL of Cassina Cab chairs- it proves without a shadow of a doubt that Cab chairs HAVE increased in value over time. My vendor purchased these chairs for about $6600 back in the 1990’s (she got a small discount for buying six). She’s used them for 30 years and now they will sell for around the same price she bought them for! Invest in QUALITY design and you’re not throwing money into landfill … you’re not throwing your money away… PERIOD! Quality design INCREASES in value along with inflation and even beyond if the market stays there for it (which is exactly what’s happened with Cab chairs). SECOND-HAND Cassina Cab chairs sell all over the world for AU $1200 to AU $2400 PER chair- and they have for many years. If the buyer looks after these (which is NOT hard because the quality is so exceptional) these chairs WILL continue to increase in value in the future (or at least hold their value). You just can’t (and never will) get that from buying mass-produced furniture. (Most of it is built to quickly end up as landfill for a start). Go to the dump for irrefutable evidence of that! (Going to the dump is such a upsetting experience for me.)

These chairs in black are ICONIC. We’ve all seen them in amazing apartments, board-rooms and houses- they give an interior an architectural slant PLUS an air of sophistication. The quality just oozes out of these chairs. QUALITY is sophistication (not flashy over-the-top designs) that lose there lustre very quickly. (And if you need more than 6 of these chairs in black let me know- I have a friend in the business who has 6 black second-hand Cab chairs in storage and will split up his set as a set of 4 if needed. His other 2 chairs are Cab ARMCHAIRS- also in black.)

Cab chairs consist of high-quality Italian saddle-leather stretched over a minimal tubular steel frame. The only additional reinforcement is provided by a rubber membrane plate that supports the seat. (Cheap copies DON’T have this membrane.) Bellini’s innovation lays in using zips to fasten the leather cover to its frame- a zip runs up the inside of each leg, sealing the upholstery in place. The CAB (released in the 1970’s) was the first-ever chair to feature a free-standing leather structure- inspired by how our skin fits over our skeleton.

When chairs look like this after about 30 years of use you’ve got full assurance of the quality you’ll be getting before shelling out a cent. Plus when a 40+-year-old design stills still packs a punch (and is still in production today) there’s no better assurance of it’s timelessness. There are very few better ways to invest in your home financially (good vintage design OFTEN increases in value over time)- AND you’re also reducing your carbon footprint. (If you use these with some sense they will never end up as landfill). PLUS by buying here you’re supporting iNVISeDGE- a SMALL BUSINESS that’s been slogging their guts out building a “brand” for almost 20 years! It’s win for you, a win for small local business and a win for the future of our earth!

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