Description
Provenance and Background Info
(This description was written in 2013. Time-sensitive information may change slightly over the years. This chair sold for $1100 through iNVISeDGE in 2013. Today in 2018 I’d price the same chair at around $1250. Values of these chairs are obviously dependent on condition.)
An A310 Contour chair designed by Grant Featherston in 1953. Grant Featherston is the most famous furniture designer this country has seen (and probably ever will see). His prolific career started in the 1940’s and he was still designing as late as 1979 when he released The Garden Lounge. His most productive and successful period was the early 1950’s when the Contour series was released. By 1955 his design output and success had already surpassed virtually every Australian designer who had come before him. His Contour chairs were shown in almost every issue of “Architecture and Arts” and “Home Beautiful” magazine through the 1950’s into the early 60’s. Grant and his wife Mary, tried to put themselves in the situation of the potential user asking themselves, ‘what is the proposed design really for?’ and ‘what techniques and materials are going to be employed by the maker?’ They believed that if both the function and manufacturer were painstakingly considered the resulting design would automatically be aesthetically pleasing. (The above was adapted from a conversation with Mary and Grant Featherston in 1975- contained in Terence Lane’s, Featherston Chairs by the National Gallery of Victoria.)
The above words epitomize why Featherston was so successful. Form and function meld together in this chair on offer so it not only looks great but is comfortable and has stood the test of time. Featherston pieces were well-built- the contour series consisted of interlocking plywood pieces that allowed individual pieces to move slightly to accommodate bodyweight. I have never seen the seat section of a Featherston chair broken- this is despite the fact they are now around 60 years old. Featherston chairs have obvious investment appeal and are currently the best known and most popular furniture investment piece in this country. They have steadily increased in value since the early 1990’s. Contour chairs could be purchased for as little as $600 in the mid-1990’s- those same chairs are now valued at $6000 and are still rising in value.
The chair on offer in this listing is a great investment as it can be used and enjoyed as it is while it becomes more valued. The chair is FULLY ORIGINAL including the vinyl- the vinyl is very durable so it will be easy to keep looking good. The production of most modern furniture has little or no regard to our environment and the people employed to produce it. This 1950’s vintage piece has not only survived 60 years, it has thrived and I can’t see any reason why it won’t last another 60. There are very few better ways to invest in your home and reduce landfill.
