Description
Provenance and Background Info
This Douglas Snelling cabinet sold through iNVISeDGE in 2006 for $785. I had no idea it was done by Snelling back then as my description below shows. I was familiar with his chairs in 2006 but not his cabinets because they are VERY rare. I have not come across another Snelling cabinet to stock since 2006 therefore I would price the exact same cabinet in iNVISeDGE at around $1400 today (2019).
NOTE – This description was written 2006. It’s pretty bad but I decided to just paste it in as it was written back then. It’s a DOUGLAS SNELLING cabinet (c. 1954 to 1955). This Snelling design is included in various museum collections including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and the Powerhouse Museum.
A great vintage storage cabinet with a classic 1950’s design. This piece exhibits a range of design features from the 1950’s including the splayed legs, the graduated drawer design and light blonde timber. Constructed in the 1950’s, this one is solid timber with a Maple timber veneer finish- it’s very heavy for its size- I’d say it’d have to be solid timber just because of its weight. This one has led a very “colourful” life- in more ways than one! It had been painted 5 times! There was everything underneath and with the final coat of paint they’d actually tried (and failed miserably) to get it looking like timber again! Talk about coming full circle! The cabinet started as blue, went to grey, white and yellow and then a lovely varnish stain was streaked across the yellow to simulate timber (as you do!). This one has taken many hours to get back to its original state but I think it was worth it- you just don’t see many cabinets in this practical size with this classic 1950’s Feathertson-era style. Pieces from the 1950’s have solid investment appeal- with their fun character, solid construction and golden hue they are always sought after. Good examples of the well-designed vintage classics are timeless and will be sought-after long after you and I are gone. This one has stood up extremely well over the last 50 years despite it’s colourful history and I see no reason why it won’t continue to do so.
Again it’s a Douglas Snellindg design- that description was written back in 2006.
