Description
Provenance and Background Info
(Written in 2011. This set of 6 chairs sold through iNVISeDGE for $1400 in 2011. They were way under-priced. I’ve not come across this design ever since so I’d stock the exact same chairs for $1800 at least these days.)
A set of six clear PERSPEX dining chairs made in the 1970’s by highly-regarded Melbourne firm, Module. These are incredibly rare chairs. In the 10 years I’ve been in this business I’ve sold one single chair like this. I found that single one when I was in Sydney- I reupholstered the seat in red and it sold in the first listing for $329 back in 2004. I’ve never seen a set of six of these before not even in a photo. I love clear Perspex furniture- it helps to create other focal points in a space and avoid clutter. Since photographing these chairs I’m kicking myself I didn’t change my existing dining chairs at home and replace them with these. I would get the cushions re-sprayed in white for a cool minimalist look. I recently came across some cool clear Perspex chairs in a trendy café and decided to find out more about them. They were being retailed for $600 each and they weren’t even Perspex. Most Perspex furniture you’ll find is vintage because Perspex is very expensive- especially to mould into cool shapes like this. To be honest I’m astounded they were produced in Australia back in the 70’s and I have the upmost respect for Module for producing them. These chairs would have been ridiculously expensive to make and quite a gamble to release at the time.
These are a brilliant design and Perspex is as durable as it gets- which is why it’s so expensive and rarely seen. Most clear plastic furniture you’ll see around these days is a different type of plastic. It can break quite easily and I’d be surprised to see the modern offerings last 30 years. This set has paper tags. After more than 30 years most of the tags are worn- there is one tag however that’s readable (shown in a photo). These chairs are a great investment- they’re almost impossible to find, they’re Australian, they’re really comfortable, the design is stunning and they’re incredibly durable. If they look like this after more than 30 years you’re assured of their quality. When the rest have ended up as landfill these will still be going strong. And when the others have gone out of style, these will keep enduring because good design is timeless- it supersedes trends and stands proudly on its own.
The red colour may be a little dated- but they do look incredibly striking like this. Vinyl is easy and cheap to have re-sprayed with vinyl-dye or these would be inexpensive to re-upholster in white leather for a fresh stylish look. Or if you’re a little adventurous have them covered in an edgy fabric with gun-metal tones- black, white and grey. THESE CHAIRS ARE CURRENTLY RED. I HAVE USED PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE TO CHANGE THE COLOUR OF THE SEATS IN THE PHOTOS WITH THE TABLE (without having to pay money to actually reupholster/re-spray them). THE WHITE AND GREY COLOUR IN THE PHOTOS WITH THE TABLE HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED WITH PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE. THE CHAIRS YOU’RE BUYING ARE RED- SHOWN IN ALL THE OTHER PHOTOS.
