Description
Background Info and Provenance
This FULL SUITE sold quickly for $3500 (for the sofa AND pair of chairs) in 2018. Regularly visit- invisedge.com.au and click into the NEWLY LISTED Category so you don’t miss any of our new finds!
A VINTAGE PAIR of 5-strand cane pretzel chairs. (Listing price is for TWO ARMCHAIRS.) This type of design in the classic Paul Frankl style and with more than 3 strands is very hard to get. This is the first suite like this I’ve had to sell (in 17 years of trading- the listing price is for the PAIR of ARMCHAIRS only). I love the curves, the geometric styling and that this suite has a distinct designer edge but is still warm and earthy in looks. A lot of designer furniture these days can look clinical and sterile looking- these are the complete opposite.
To me these are the epitome of intelligent design. They have TIMELESS good looks- Frankl came out with chairs (in this “Speed” style) back in the 1940’s. Derivatives of the design have been done ever since. They even started making them again a couple of years back. This pair is from the 1960’s. I did an extensive search before listing these- I could find none for sale on ebay in Australia at the moment (early Nov 2018) and in fact worldwide (in this classic Frankl style- there are other cane chairs around but none like this.) The only others remotely similar were on 1stdibs in America. Most were about AU $8500 (for a pair of chairs)- there were certainly pairs for much more than that too. (I’ve included a screen-shot from 1stdibs but do your own research.)
Looks aside these chairs get a tick for every other box- they’re so intelligent in design. Bamboo can’t dent noticeably or anything like that- I’ve never seen bamboo chairs broken- these frames should look like this forever. The finish may look tired after awhile but that’s easy to fix. To top it off, these are loose cushions sitting on the frame. The cushions can be flipped over if one side gets dirty or unzipped and machine-washed (use the gentle cycle) at any time (just put the covers back on whilst still damp to prevent shrinkage). Re-upholstery of these is the cheapest possible upholstery job- just take your fabric with the old covers to anyone with a sewing machine. It’s not a difficult job and certainly not costly. You’ll have a whole new lounge (or look) with minimal cost. They’re perfect in an Airbnb place or if you have young children.
I really like the comfort of these chairs too. The angles are great allowing full relaxation of your back- the body is well-supported in these. These cushions are firm and hold your body in a comfortable sitting position- if you want more plushness simply put a square cushion behind your back.
This is the epitome of a solid investment in furniture. The design has lost no value over 60+ years and the quality of the workmanship is irrefutable- just look at these chairs after about 50 years of use! (This is 2nd or 3rd-generation upholstery.) There’s no better financial investment for your home and no better way to reduce landfill- this suite will continue to tell stories long after you and I have gone!
(NOTE- We also have a matching 3-seater sofa in this design that came out of the same house. That listing is in the lounge sofas category on the iNVISeDGE website.)