Description

SOLD for more than the offers over price!

Price is OFFERS OVER $430 PER CHAIR. The matching extension dining table is priced SEPARATELY. OFFERS OVER- $1800 for the extension dining table.

LOCATION- being sold by a regular iNVISeDGE seller in ADELAIDE. Call us (or SMS) on the phone number on our CONTACT page if you have interest in purchasing these chairs.

There are about 4 photos of chairs with a darker frame and leather that are DISPLAY photos (to help show the design more thoroughly.

Provenance and Background Info

Written in 2018 but updated in 2022

A stunning set of 8 (EIGHT) leather dining chairs in the ‘Plaisir’ design by highly-acclaimed South Australian furniture designer and manufacturer Joe Rufenacht. These are some of the best dining chairs we’ve had on offer in over 20 years of trading. I think Rufenacht’s work is way undervalued- this is premium LEATHER and a premium build. These chairs sold for $5,000 back in the early-1990’s. (With inflation $5,000 is worth about $10,300 in 2022). This is one of Rufenacht’s later designs- most of his earlier work was based on the Norwegian Falcon chair- this design is distinctly his own- I’ve never seen anything like it. I think it’s at least as good as his earlier designs- look at those sweeping curves! These have a feminine flow but other design elements are masculine and bold which gives them an intriguing look- they have a mid-century look but would also look amazing in a modernist space. The timber would add an earthy slant to a modern space and the curves would prevent your space from becoming too clinical and sterile looking. And to get a set of 8 vintage chairs, that is truly an exceptional thing- I’d say I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve had a set of 8 or more dining chairs come through our store over the last 22 years.

To top it all off, these are some of the most comfortable dining chairs you could ever own- easy to spend leisurely dinners in FOR HOURS! And this leather- so soft and supple- pure luxury to use and touch.

There was a time in the late 1970’s when Rufenacht had won more furniture design awards than anybody in Australia- an interesting fact when you consider that 10 years ago most furniture connoisseurs had never even heard of his work. This is because Rufenacht’s work is hard to find- it wasn’t cheap back in its day so there’s little of it around… But still people are going gaga over Parker. Rufenacht furniture is much better built- the quality outshines Parker and the investment appeal so much stronger. Rufenacht’s work has room to move upwards- it has sky-rocketed in value in the last few years and I see no reason why this trend won’t continue in the future.

Unfortunately, after 30 years in business Rufenacht could no longer compete with cheap Chinese imports and in 2006 this iconic Australian furniture brand ceased to exist. Rufenacht’s furniture is getting VERY hard to get these days- it has finally been “discovered”. People are now seeing it as the best you can get (finally!). The quality, stunning styling, timeless appeal and COMFORT of Joe Rufenacht designs is exceptional. Rufenacht was fussy and yes, the comfort was never compromised- this is one of the most comfortable dining chairs you’ll ever sit in! Just pure luxury. I now own a set of Rufenacht dining chairs myself and LOVE them! Every time I see them, they give me pleasure- every time I use them, I fall more and more in love with them. For me, everything in my home comes and goes but I can’t imagine myself ever parting with my suite.

After many modern pieces end up as landfill these 30-year-old chairs 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 after being in this business for 21 years I agree- look at the condition of these chairs after all these years!

Chairs like this are the reason I do this job. They are an inspiration and should show us all the way forward. Most modern furniture is made with little respect for the earth’s resources and even less for the workers who make them (they’re basically slaves). Many chairs these days are built to end up as landfill (as tragic as that sounds). If these chairs were made today in Australia I would still promote them but the fact they’re no longer made makes them an even stronger investment. There’s no better way to invest in your home and reduce your carbon footprint.

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