Description

Sorry our next set of Rufenacht dining chairs SOLD to Nicky. FULL TRANSACTION has now reached completion! Keep following our NEWLY LISTED Category.

Sorry the suite we had in 2019 SOLD immediately for more than our OFFERS OVER price! We had another set of 6 Rufenacht dining chairs listed from a regular iNVISeDGE seller based in ADELAIDE but they actually sold before we had a chance to do the listing for them. The sets of 6 chairs pictured sold through iNVISeDGE in 2014 through to 2016. These were bid up to $2,400 for the set (in 2014 and 2016).

Provenance and Background Info

(This part of the description was written in 2014 when the photographed chairs sold.)

A stunning set of SIX leather dining chairs by highly acclaimed South Australian furniture designer and manufacturer Joe Rufenacht. In my opinion these are up in the top 5 best dining chairs I’ve sold in the 15 years I’ve been in this business. I sold two sets (from my top 5) for $4500 FOR SIX- I believe these Rufenacht chairs are way undervalued, worth HEAPS more and a strong furniture investment.

There was a time in the late 1970’s when Rufenacht had won more furniture design awards than anybody else in this country. Why? you may ask when virtually no-one has ever heard him. Because Rufenacht was a stickler for quality- he was fastidious about furniture. The chairs on offer here were put through 40 prototypes! … Let’s just ponder that for a moment. Rufenacht created a chair from scratch- tested it, had other people test it, mulled over it for a period of time, made adjustments, went back and made another chair from scratch, tested it … yadda yadda. He did this 40 times for this design! It is no wonder he kept winning design awards. His work must have had huge price tags on it in its day because these days there’s little of it around. If these sell for anything under $400 a chair in this listing the buyer has a great investment.

If we look at the Falcon chair by Vatne Mobler of Norway (a lounge chair done at the same time in the 1970’s with a very similar design) you’ll see they were selling in Australia for about $900-$1000 a chair around 2004. These days they get $2400 EACH in many mid-century shops. This design by Rufenacht could have been inspired by the Falcon chair but he’s adapted the Falcon to be used as a dining chair. So Falcon chairs are worth around $2000 each for a lounge chair- let’s say that if Vatne Mobler made dining chairs (which they NEVER did) they would have to be worth about $7000 for 6 AT LEAST. To me the investment appeal of these chairs is a no-brainer.

The investment appeal box is ticked, comfort is well and truly ticked (they would be some of the most comfortable dining chairs I’ve ever sat in) which leaves us with quality and value for money.

After many modern pieces end up as landfill these 30+ year old chairs (again this was written in 2015) will be passed onto another owner and then yet another 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 15 years I agree. JR furniture (Rufenacht’s company) closed its doors in 2006 unable to compete with cheap imports because JR items are of a quality that is barely ever seen. As an example of the quality, Rufenacht only used Howe Leather. (There is a vintage Howe Leather label under every one of these chairs.) I believe Howe Leather from the 1970’s and 1980’s is the best leather ever made. I have sold vintage Italian leather and the rest … in my eyes the leather of these chairs is as good as the absolute best (if not better). Look at this leather after about 35 years of use- incredible!

Chairs like this are the reason I do this job. They inspire me 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 are all modern-day slaves in my opinion). If these chairs were made today in Australia I would still promote them but the fact they’re vintage (and no longer made) makes them an even more special. When you INVEST in items such as this there’s no better way to reduce your carbon footprint. If these chairs are used with some sense there’s no reason why they won’t last another 30 years and then another 30 and then another…

2008 (half) 2009 (chocolate)