Description
LOCATION- Adelaide. (This is being sold through iNVISeDGE under consignment.)
I experienced this suite in the flesh and took all these photos to be 100% versed in what I was selling. This suite has barely been used and presents incredibly well (as the photos show). Archibald suites in these colours are extremely hard to come by. I love these tones in this furniture- the lighter tones pare back the look and this tone of brown adds a subtle pop of colour. Please note that the dining chairs on their own were photographed after I’d lost most of the light. I have tried to brighten up some of these photos using editing tools and also left some as they were so you can also see what they look like in low light. They are brighter in colour with decent lighting.
The listing price is for the 6 dining chairs only. The matching table (which is SOLID timber- I think it’s oak) is priced SEPARATELY. Price of the table depends on whether or not it is purchased with the matching chairs. If the table is purchased with the chairs, it would be an additional $1,250. We may consider selling the table on it’s own if you were to offer more than $1,250 for it. Get in contact with me for further details using the phone number in the CONTACT section on our Home Page.
Interstate delivery is also possible. It’d cost about $260 to freight these 6 chairs to Melbourne.
Provenance and Background Info
Written in 2020 but revised in 2024
A set of Norman Archibald dining chairs MADE IN AUSTRALIA around 1974. This is undoubtedly some of the best QUALITY furniture I’ve come across in the last 20 years of being this business (if not THE best). These chairs are solid and heavy- if used with any sense, the frames will last FOREVER. For most items being sold through iNVISeDGE I can confidently say the item will last generations but for these chairs I believe the frames will last forever. This is because Norman Archibald has used traditional, TENON and MORTICE joints to craft these exposed timber plug ends. This not only creates an interesting visual appearance but means the joint areas are as strong as chair-joints can possibly be. These joints extend ALL THE WAY through the supporting post which means it’s impossible for them to prise apart. Cracks in the joint area and other joint-damage is virtually impossible which means these frames will last forever (providing you use and transport these chairs with a little sense). The saddle-leather is also some of the most luxurious chair-upholstery I’ve seen. This upholstery is SUPER thick and just beautiful! You don’t see upholstery of this QUALITY in furniture anymore (except in some of the premium brands such as Cassina and B & B Italia). Six Cassina dining chairs will set you back about AU $15,000! Incredibly, we’ve priced our chairs at LESS than one-twelfth the price of a Cassina chair! Saddle-leather is also VERY-durable providing look after it! Leather is a low-maintenance product but NOT a no-maintenance product. You must regularly clean leather if you sweat in leather furniture and keep leather well-moisturised by using a quality leather conditioner (especially if your leather furniture will be exposed to a temperature-controlled environment (such as air-conditioning).
With the warm-grain orientation from this beautiful timber (I’m pretty sure it’s Tasmanian Oak) and FULL-GRAIN saddle leather, this Norman Archibald suite is in a category all of its own. These chairs are COMFORTABLE, DURABLE plus they have strong INVESTMENT appeal- (not even one of these chairs could be built in Australia today for what we’ve priced ALL 6 of these at). The craftsmanship, timber and leather are all a stunning combination so the LOOKS box also gets a resounding tick … This leaves us with conscious consumption. These chairs are about 50 YEARS OLD and look at them (!)- no guessing how long they will evade landfill for. Additionally, they were HAND-CRAFTED locally- so virtually no carbon emissions resulted from the manufacture and freight of these chairs. These chairs were crafted in Melbourne in the 1970’s and have been owned by ONE family all these years- they have not been shipped half-way around the globe from a developing country! Shipping furniture in from overseas is not smart- we could and should be making all our furniture in Australia again. This suite only just recently moved with the family- I photographed it in Melbourne, it’s now in ADELAIDE though.
This set would also undoubtedly be the best in this range I have come across condition-wise during my years in iNVISeDGE. The 100% full-grain leather and timber presents as if it were produced yesterday, not around 1974. It’s almost as if this suite has come out of a time capsule!
Norman Archibald’s furniture is triumph in Australian furniture design and craftsmanship- as a result it’s deservedly included in important gallery and museum collections Australia-wide such as the NGV collection. Founded in 1861, the NGV is the oldest and most visited gallery in Australia. The Gallery hosts a wide range of international and local artists, exhibitions and events; from contemporary art to major international historic exhibitions, fashion and design, architecture, sound and dance. http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/about/.
iNVISeDGE – a breath of fresh air in this modern world and also for our environment. There’s no better way to invest in your home and reduce landfill and your carbon footprint.
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