Description
Provenance and Background Info
(Written in 2011. This set sold in iNVISeDGE in 2011 for $1895. These days in 2018 I’d price this exact same set for $1995 but they’re worth a lot more. I’ve never come across this design before 2011 and have not come across it after either.)
A set of SIX designer chairs by Andreu World of Spain. The design name for these chairs is Onda. From what I’ve been able to determine the Onda chair was retailed about 8-12 years ago and is no longer available in Australia. This particular set was purchased in 1999 from Ke-zu a retail design house in Australia that stocks the design heavy-weights such as Artifort and Eames. These chairs were also retailed at Living Edge who stocks designs from Eames, Cassina, Poliform, Marc Newson and Herman Miller. There are a lot of things to love about these chairs. They are ridiculously durable- the previous owner bought 40 of these chairs for a café in Sydney city. They’re constructed from solid Mahogany with metal internals in the back and seat. The joints are incredible- after years of use every chair is solid and strong. The metal is coated with polyurethane that has a soft springiness like rubber (but infinitely more durable than rubber). These are extremely comfortable chairs that have been moulded to fit the contours of the body. They also stack. Additionally they have a sculptural organic shape not readily seen in cafes and very similar to Danish furniture. I love the curves in these chairs particularly in the timber. To top it off Andreu World manufactures products that are Forest Stewardship Council certified (FSC) which means the timber used in their products is extracted from socially and environmentally responsible forestry. These chairs have timeless design appeal and whether they are to be used at home or in a commercial space they will offer a lifetime (several lifetimes?) of use and live up to what they’ve been designed to do. Andreu World is a design heavyweight that has built a 50 year-old reputation around quality design and workmanship.
These chairs are part of a set of 40 that was purchased from a café in Sydney. (I only have 6- I couldn’t afford any more!) The 40 were purchased for $19 000 (I have a copy of the receipt for anyone interested)- this equates to $475 a chair but this was back in 1999. With inflation these chairs would now sell for over $600 each (but in a small quantity such as 6 they’d be worth even more) IF they were still retailed (but they’re not). The set of 6 chairs on offer were the best of the set. These sat in a back room and were very rarely bought out- only when extra seating in the café was needed. This must have been very rare because they are all in amazing condition. They basically look new.
If you’re looking for quality and class you’d be very hard-pressed to find a better chair. When other modern chairs have fallen apart and been turfed out these 12 year old chairs will still be doing exactly what they were designed to do with class and style. There is no better way to invest in your home or business and to reduce landfill.
