Description

Provenance and Background Info

(This set of 6 chairs SOLD in 2014 for $1200 the set.)

A set of SIX 1950’s designer dining chairs. These are RARE- I am uncertain of the maker and designer but they are way-cool. They’re 1950’s and may have been done by a small furniture-maker of the era. The construction and design is brilliant- a cut above Douglas Snelling’s work and pretty much every vintage dining chair I’ve come across. The legs are all set at an angle. This is not easy to accomplish but it’s what makes the angular lines so striking. These chairs are intriguing- they draw you in immediately. Setting the legs at an angle also means the maker had to completely change the construction of a dining chair. As a result each leg is well supported from every side and after 60 years of use they are all still sturdy, solid chairs. The back section and each back leg are two separate entities. This is virtually never seen. Normally the joint at the back between the back legs and back has a decent amount of stress put on it but this doesn’t happen with this chair. With normal use these chairs should last several lifetimes. The inner foam is latex- latex cushioning was only used in the highest quality furniture. These were high-end chairs in their day and they would still compete with the high-end offerings of today.

I mainly specialise in vintage dining chairs and I’ve never seen this design before. I’ve had Douglas Snelling chairs from the 1950’s upholstered in vinyl and sold a set late in 2008 for $1800 during the GFC. These are better chairs- they’re more durable, striking and unique. And I almost forgot. They are comfortable as well- so they tick every box.

After most dining chairs have ended up as landfill these 60 year-old chairs are still doing exactly what they were designed to do. They have also been constructed mainly by hand. There are very few better ways to invest in your home and reduce your carbon footprint.