Description
SOLD! Full suite sold for $1300 in the first week it was listed. Feb 2024.
Priced to clear! This suite needs some renovation so is priced to sell. We’d normally sell a suite like this (in excellent condition) for about $2,700 for the chairs and about $1,100 for the table = TOTAL value in restored condition- $3,800.
PRICE- $780 for all 6 chairs- 4 normal chairs and 2 armchairs. The matching table is priced separately! Priority will be given to those who’d like to purchase the full suite.
LOCATION- for collection from Eagle Junction area, BRISBANE.
Beautiful Scandinavian look by Danish Quality Furniture, Brisbane in the 1960’s. Blackbean timber is all in excellent condition. Five of the 6 chairs are in brilliant structural condition with no issues to report. One of the normal chairs has a crack in the back leg (as pictured in this listing). Someone will need to break that leg further to allow a good wood glue to be applied to the broken area and then clamp the area whilst the glue dries. (If this is done, this leg will be as strong as it ever was.) Or get this chair repaired by a professional- based on past experience I’d say it’d cost about $250 for professional to attend to this. This would have been a result of misuse- someone swinging back on the 2 back legs. Also, all the cushioning under the upholstery has hardened with age. The WOOL upholstery should be removed and the cushioning replaced- I’d soak the upholstery in Woolmix to freshen it up before re-applying it to the seats (But it presents very well though.) It’s a great covering- amazing, vintage quality and in excellent condition- I’d never get rid of it. It’s a really good choice for dining chairs as well because wool is so durable and repels marks and spills.
The timber on the table is also in excellent condition- the top has a couple of small areas where the finish has worn very slightly- it looks excellent as it is though- a simple polish-up would make the top perfect. There is separation in some of the table joints so the legs need to be re-glued. This is done with a rachet which I don’t own anymore so I’ve left it up to the new owner (it’s an easy job and doesn’t take long). When the table is insitu and not moved, it does the job as is (as soon as it’s moved the legs become very loose). This is one of the best suites we’ve had and gives someone who wouldn’t normally be able to afford a suite of this calibre, an opportunity to get in.
Such a beautiful, stylish suite- sure to be loved for generations to come!
Information about DQF
A RARE set of mid-century dining chairs lovingly HANDCRAFTED by DQF (Danish Quality Furniture) in Brisbane back in the early 1960’s. In my opinion these chairs are the best Danish-style dining chairs ever made in Australia. With the likes of Parker and TH Brown & Sons being so celebrated, I understand this is a bold comment to make but anyone who has experienced DQF chairs in the flesh would agree. The only reason why DQF is not well-known and these sorts of comments are rarely read online is because virtually no-one has ever experienced DQF chairs.
The comfort of these chairs is sublime- I just melted into these. I couldn’t believe that chairs without a padded back could be so comfortable. DQF have just “nailed” this design. The back is so ergonomically perfect that these chairs not only compete with most authentic Danish designs but I’d say they’d often come up trumps. It’s hardly surprising though when you consider the history of these chairs. They were made in the early 1960’s by a Danish immigrants using DANISH tools and machines bought across to Australia when they settled in Brisbane. With a good dash of determination added, you’ve got all the hallmarks of a success story.
DQF is the achievement of Erik and Inga Petersen, a family who fled Europe after WWII. In a foreign country with little money, all they had was their skills and determination to carve out an existence. But they did so much more than that- they revolutionised the furniture-making market in Brisbane at the time. Word quickly got out that this business (building furniture in their backyard) was creating the most beautiful Danish-style furniture Queensland had ever seen. Orders flooded in during the early 1960’s and by 1963, the family had to build their first factory in Murrarie. To me, DQF furniture is more than just a piece of furniture- it’s a symbol that something can be created from supposedly nothing if we keep centred. Even though this furniture was created by an immigrant family battling to carve out an existence in a foreign country, there is no feel of desperation in their work- their craft portrays the sheer opposite- a feeling of centredness and one-pointed focus.
These DQF chairs are easily more comfortable than Parker Spadeback chairs and also more comfortable than similar TH Brown & Sons dining chairs made in Adelaide at the same time. The FLER 64 chair and Parker Railback chair sit in a dark shadow behind these (both are uncomfortable- the FLER 64 design in particular is horribly uncomfortable). This design also wins when compared to Moderntone, Summertone and Module chairs made at the same time. But it’s not just the comfort that triumphs, the durability of these chairs also does extremely well against similar offerings of the era.
Crafted from Blackbean, this timber is recognised for its beautiful figuring and grain but its beauty is a small part of the appeal- it’s also incredibly strong and resilient. This makes it harder for craftsmen to shape but allows fine, slender frames to be crafted that structurally fare better over the years compared to timbers more commonly used in Australian mid-century furniture. The best Parker dining chair design ever made (the Spadeback) has veneer on the back-rest which often shows signs of use over the years (this can be fixed but it’s fiddly and time-consuming to do properly). This DQF design obviously has NO veneer (100% SOLID-Blackbean)- the base also has cross-supports to assist in keeping the chairs solid and sturdy over the years.
This description is already long enough- I must wrap it up quick! If you’re not already sold, that’s not my problem. Similar Australian chairs (that are not as good) sell in mid-century shops for $5,200 for 8 (and more). Authentic Danish designs like this design, sell new today for AU $16,000 for 8 but I much prefer having Australian-made furniture in my own home. The durability is a no-brainer- look at them after 60 years of use! The comfort is great! They also look stunning- look at this figuring in the timber! Investing in quality vintage furniture is not only the smartest financial furniture investment you can make but the best investment for the future of our planet- valuing what we already have is our only way out of this mess. Plus, you’re supporting Australian industry- by valuing this dining suite you might prompt someone local to make furniture in Australia again but you’re also supporting iNVISeDGE, an Australian small business run completely by locals- we help keep various small family-run Australian businesses prospering. It’s a win-win for everyone.
2007 and 2402
