Description

This listing price is for the 6 dining chairs only- NOW SOLD! The full suite TABLE & 6 CHAIRS SOLD in 2020 for $2000.

There are some display photos in this listing and also photos supplied by our client of the actual chairs on offer. The chairs our client has on offer are basically the same as the 6 we sold back in 2013 for $1350 in 5 days after being listed. (His chairs are slightly lighter in fabric colour compared to the ones I sold in 2013- I like his set more than the previous set I sold. Most of his photos are in front of a garage door.) I rate this design even higher today but these chairs are located an hour or so outside Sydney so I’ve priced them the same as I sold my last set for. They’re a very RARE design and one of the best dining chairs ever made in Australia- I think they’re much better than Featherston contour dining chairs. (They consistently fetch about $3000-$3600 FOR 6 from experienced dealers.) This design is about as rare as Featherston contour dining chairs … this is an exceptional investment.

This suite SOLD under consignment from our client’s home in Avoca Beach – 90km NORTH of Sydney. 

The description written below was written in 2013 when I sold my last set of vintage Catt chairs in this design. I’d like to add that the set on offer today in 2020 is in better condition than the suite I sold in 2013. This suite was used in a FORMAL dining room (and only occasionally when the full family came together- Christmases etc). The vendor told me they have a photo of a family Christmas 37 years ago where the family is seated around this dining suite. The family member who owned this suite has recently gone into residential care and the family has given me the privilege of finding a new home for it (who will hopefully cherish this suite for another 37 years or more!) But if there comes a time for the new custodians to sell, I can’t see any reason why these chairs won’t be worth more in the future than today (they honestly don’t make them like this anymore). Similar “special” chairs by the likes of B & B Italia sell for $12,000 for six chairs but I actually like this design more!

One other thing I’d like to add is that this set came with a business card from the Interior Designer they were purchased from ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO (the vendor’s family purchased them new). Prices are written on the back of this business card- $256 by 8= $2048 BACK IN 1978! With inflation that’s $6475 today! When I get the chance I’ll do a little more digging into Amanda Robson who suggested these to her client 40 years ago.

Provenance and Background Info

A set of SIX 6 Catt swivel chairs made in Canningvale, Western Australia. Most or all these chairs have the original Catt label from the 1970’s under the star-base. These chairs were part of the President suite designed in the mid-1970’s. This would be the most comfortable dining chair I’ve sat on in years. I could easily use one as a desk chair for the rest of my life. The curves and angles are spot-on but to top it off the cushioning is spongy and the chair also swivels. These chairs are also extremely durable. They’re about 35 years old and I can’t see any reason why they won’t look like this after another 35 years (at least!). The bases are solid Jarrah with an internal steel support and the internal construction under the upholstery is also amazing (and basically indestructible). The seat-shape has been created from metal and fibreglass. If these chairs were upholstered in beige leather and put on the floor of Space Furniture today they would fetch $1200 each ($7000+ for the set)- I believe in leather they’d be better than virtually ALL of what Space Furniture has on offer in this price bracket.

Catt Furniture has many entries in the State Library of Western Australia. Catt attracted much success in their day and deservedly so. This chair design helped Catt Furniture win the coveted Good Design Award in 1976 (beating out competition from Sydney and Melbourne). State Library photos show carpenters making a table that went with this chair design. There are many archived photos that showcase their designs but it’s the photos of their workshop that captivate me. Every photo shows PEOPLE making Catt Furniture BY HAND with pride (yes, actual people making something, believe it or not!). While sitting on one of these chairs today its humbling to think about the talent, pleasure and determination that went into making this furniture all those years ago. These chairs were high-end in their day- they were stocked by Grace Brothers in the 1970’s. I did a little digging- they were priced at over $1500 for the set of 6 back in 1977. With inflation this means this set is valued at $6475 in today’s values (but you can’t buy anything like this anymore so they’d actually be worth more and this is not taking into account the effect of compound interest either).

After many other modern chairs have ended up as landfill this vintage suite will be passed onto yet another owner. These chairs are not a purchase but an astute investment. In the current fabric they should retain their value over the years (at least)- in leather of a timeless earthy-tone the value would skyrocket. If you decide to invest in these chairs and then need to sell them in the future approach me- I’d love to see them again.

Above all these chairs are an investment in the future of our environment- furniture made predominantly by hand that has stood the test of time is one of the best ways we can reduce landfill and our carbon footprint.

This description was written back in 2013. Some information and values are subject to change. I said back in 2013 that if these were reupholstered in an earthy, neutral-toned leather they’d fetch $1200 EACH in a retail store. Now that I’ve been doing this another 5 years I actually think it would be more than $1200 each retail- SPACE furniture would sell chairs of this callibre for at least $2000 each- these are exceptional chairs. 

1811 and 1910 and 2004