SOLD !

LOCATION– BRISBANE Northside (6km North of Brisbane City).

Background Info and Provenance

(This description was written in 2024)

This job is starting to get pretty hard- I want to keep these chairs too! They’re just so cool. I especially love the tulip bases. Tulip bases are much tidier than the more common star base- they accentuate the sleek, refined feel of the design but also give these chairs a nice dash of “space-age” retro too. But again it’s the quality of these chairs I give the biggest tick of approval for. The craftsmanship here is EXCEPTIONAL- the seat-shells are ALL as solid as a rock, with NO structural issues at all despite 60 or more years of use! The bases are aluminium- there’s NO corrosion at all despite the age. I also love this “tough-as-nails” vinyl- it’s distinctly retro AND a smart, DURABLE upholstery option for something like this. The two-tone effect is very cool- I also love this mix of colours. As a set, they have a fun retro look but the suite is not completely over the top. I like that there’s a grey one too- if the fourth one was yellow or green, I think it would have been a bit all too much. The grey pares back the overall look a notch or two and also complements the turquoise one. The orange and red are similar colours so whilst these colours add a contrast to the other pair, as a set there’s not too much going on. The overall design is refined and minimalist- the mix of colours gives this suite a point of interest.

I can picture this suite in various rooms. In a rumpus room or play-room, they’d be so ideal. They’re so solid and strong the kids could do their thing on them and they should always be fine. If you look at the underside of the chairs, you’ll notice the solid star attachment that has been BOLTED onto the seat shell. The bases are not simply screwed into the base- screws in this instance would probably become loose over the years. These bolts are solid and big, these connections are the smartest possible way to connect the two parts and will help ensure your chairs hold up to very solid use.

And the best part of buying these? The very solid investment appeal. If you look after them, I can’t see them losing a cent of value in the future. (They’ll very likely increase in value after 10 years I’d say.) There’s little furniture out there this can be said for- similar mass-produced chairs coming in from China will lose their value by about half the second you walk them out of the shop- after about 10 years of use, the majority will end up as landfill. (Some of the modern chairs in this style are actually made out of Polystyrene foam- there’s virtually no chance they’re going to last the long-haul. The total disregard for longevity in many modern chairs just angers me!)

To top it all off, the comfort is brilliant too. I could sit and watch a full movie in one of these and be very content. The curved back cradles you nicely and you can rest over the top of the padded back and put your arms out over the curved armrest section. You can find your own comfort in these (because they’re quite wide) but they also support your back well. You can even curl up in these with your legs up because they’re generous in size. The back is not very high- that could be the only possible criticism of this design but this is actually a plus in my opinion. This creates a less imposing piece- these chairs won’t block off your space- BUT more importantly because of the lower back I find them more comfortable than many other chairs. I have a bad back- this design allows you to settle back over the top slightly to find the angle you want for your upper back- this design supports your lower and middle back at the right angle so they are also great as a normal sitting chair.

I’m pretty sure these chairs were produced by Overman of Sweden (but not certain of this) in the early 1960’s. They’re definitely VINTAGE (about 60 years old). In Australia these chairs are very rare. A similar design was done by FLER at the same time (called the Fleroto) so there was no need to import chairs like this into Australia back in the day. I like this design more than the Fleroto because of the non-corrosive tulip base- this type of base is rare in a chair like this- these are the only vintage chairs like this I’ve come across here in Australia (in 20 years of trading).

There’s no better way I can think of to reduce landfill and make a wise furniture purchase- but it’s not a purchase at all. It’s an investment in the future of our planet and for your family- an investment to be passed onto future generations (if you use them with a little sense). Bravo to quality vintage furniture!

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