Description
SEATS UP TO 10 (or 12 at a squeeze).
This extension dining table is located at our North BRISBANE depot in Morayfield. Chairs are priced SEPARATELY!
The Dining Table SOLD in 2020 in the first hour it was listed! The chairs have all sold. We always have Rufenacht chairs in long-term storage- contact us if you have interest in them. Our chairs in long-term storage will only be sold through a direct enquiry.
Regularly click into our NEWLY LISTED Category or follow us at- instagram.com/invisedge .
All iNVISeDGE items can be sent Australia-wide- to help gauge freight prices this table would cost ABOUT $280 to get to Sydney via a specialist furniture carrier.
Provenance and Background Info
(Written in 2021)
A QUALITY extension timber dining table by South Australian furniture maker Joe Rufenacht. This suite was made in the late 1970’s. This is not only a stunning piece of design but very SOLIDLY built. NO shitty Parker / FLER “Weetbix” chipboard in this piece- just QUALITY solid timber and honest workmanship to be passed onto future generations. The finish is not an oil finish but a resilient coating that can be wiped down with just a damp cloth. (This is still the original finish from the 1970’s and is in excellent condition.)
Apart from the exceptional durability, this table also gets a big tick for practicality. It’s quite compact in its unextended state but opens up to accommodate 10 to 12 chairs. (12 would be quite a squeeze but is certainly possible.) The sled-base also adds to its practicality as the table legs don’t dictate where you can put your chairs. You can’t get much better- it’s easily one of the best dining tables we’ve ever stocked.
Joe Rufenacht started in the mid-1970’s and by 1980 he’d pocketed more design awards than any other furniture maker in Australia. So why does everyone go gaga over Parker when furniture like this is better built and more highly regarded? Parker is everywhere- everyone knows it, everyone has seen it. Rufenacht’s designs are virtually impossible to find which means they slide under the radar somewhat but anyone with a honed eye knows what they’re seeing. His work ticks every box- a resounding tick for comfort, design, quality and investment-appeal. Rufenacht won the prestigious Australian design award back in 1978. Rufenacht told ABC in 2006 that it took him 40 different prototypes to get the dining chairs shown in these photos right- the table probably took almost as much because the base is sinewy and slight but the top is SOLID timber- this minimalist base has to support a heavy top.
Rufenacht ( Rufenarcht ) furniture is an obvious furniture investment. The design of the chairs that marries with this table is very similar to the coveted Norwegian Falcon chair. Falcon chairs in Australia have risen in value from about $1000 back in 2002 and are now getting more than $2000 EACH today- not a bad earner for something you get to sit in and enjoy in the meantime! Rufenacht’s furniture will also last while you get to use it- the quality of this dining table EXCEEDS any Parker dining table (and easily).
After many modern pieces have ended up as landfill this 40+ year old table will be passed onto another owner and then an entirely new generation. It was said on the ABC in 2006 that Rufenacht’s furniture will be the antiques of tomorrow and I agree. JR furniture (Rufenacht’s company) closed its doors in 2006 unable to compete with cheap overseas imports any longer. The 30+ year history of this Australian business has etched a permanent place in Australian furniture production history and if his work is not already in Australian museums and galleries, it will be. There’s no better way to invest in your home and our environment.
2002 and 2003