Description

Provenance and Background Info

(The top part of this description was written in 2018. The bottom part was written when these chairs sold in 2007. I sold the full set of 6 through iNVISeDGE back in 2007 for $2200- ALL 6.)

I’ve had to include this listing to highlight how much this market has changed since 2007. Back then the replica market was just forming in Australia and the likes of Matt Blatt were selling only on ebay. Matt Blatt hadn’t cottoned on to the fibreglass / plastic designs at that stage so this type of thing was a really good seller for me in 2003 – 2007. The second Matt Blatt started selling them I noticed it (because I too was selling on ebay) so stopped buying it immediately. I was going to a car-wrecker place before then to get items like this professionally re-sprayed / two-packed. They look amazing professionally re-finished and were a sensation at the time because there weren’t many around- the Matt Blatt replicas hit the market sometime after 2007 and the market for vintage items in the Sarrinen-style (even the authentic Saarinen pieces) pretty-much died overnight. The problem with the replica tulip chairs is that many break quite easily and end up in landfill. All the vintage ones that look like this are sturdy- some better than others. The authentic Saarinen pieces are sensational in quality. There is still a market for authentic LABELLED Saarinen designs (though values decreased substantially when Matt Blatt started doing replicas). The market for vintage pieces done in the same style is tepid these days. Something like this set of 6 would still fetch about $2200 (maybe even a bit more) in 2019 IF you could convince the buyer they are authentic vintage pieces and that’s hard because most don’t have labels.

NOTE- The description written below this was written back in 2007 BEFORE the replica market in this style took off.

An amazing and VERY rare set of SIX VINTAGE dining swivel chairs in the tulip-style. (They were rare in 2007 but these days not so.) I am led to believe these chairs were designed by Arkana of the UK in the 1960’s (but haven’t had that substantiated). Definitely inspired by Eero Saarinen’s work of the 1950’s, this particular chair is an improvement on Saarinen’s Tulip chair design. With the original Tulip chair, a cushion is essential in the seat section because the base is screwed into the seat and this attachment is highly visible (and quite ugly)- this design addressed that issue and as is shown in these photos, a cushion is not required creating a sleek minimalist look.

I find it incredible that the Tulip chair is now over 50 years old- the style is cutting-edge even by today’s standards- a trademark of quality timeless design. This VINTAGE set will never go out of vogue and will constantly hold or increase in value- fibreglass chairs of this callibre are rarely made anymore (if at all). (Original Tulip chairs are valued at around $2000 EACH- but in my opinion these are even better than the tulip chair). This set of six is a culmination of four years collecting- I got the first pair of these four years ago and then collected another pair (one of which hasn’t made it into this set) and then a set of four (again, another of that set didn’t make it into this final suite). Therefore, I actually have another two of this exact design but they don’t swivel- I haven’t looked into having a professional fix this but will investigate this if someone is keen for a set of eight. I also opted to have these chairs professionally TWO-PACKED (the process used to paint cars) so that the tone of white was identical for all 6 chairs. This also gives every chair a hard, glossy finish that is also very durable (exactly like the finish on cars). These chairs will now look like this forever if used with some care. The two-packing wasn’t necessary because the original finish was in excellent condition- it was just to get matching colour (as already mentioned). The considerable outlay to get this done by a professional was money well-invested for such a great design. And yes, this is a great investment suite- they have very solid resale value but are so durable that if you ever moved you’d be wanting to take them with you, even if it was overseas! (I know I would- I love them- I’ve had this suite as the focal point of the iNVISeDGE showroom for about 4 months now … I think I can finally bear to see them leave the space …maybe!) THE TABLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS PRICE.

I WOULD stock any authentic labelled Saarinen design in iNVISeDGE these days (or vintage chairs in this style where the age of the chairs can be proven) and I’d do everything I can to get the prices these important historical designs deserve.