Description
BOTH Rufenacht Leather Swivel Chairs & the matching footstool SOLD TO DENISE for $2,990 within 5 days of being listed on the iNVISeDGE website in 2018- keep following our NEWLY LISTED Category.
The $1,295 listing price is for ONE SWIVEL chair only. The matching footstool & second chair are available SEPARATELY. This suite SOLD from our North Brisbane depot (in Morayfield) in 2018 within a few days of being listed.
Provenance and Background Info
(Written in 2018)
ONE single swivel chair in PREMIUM FULL-GRAIN leather by South Australian furniture maker Joe Rufenacht. (THE 2ND CHAIR AND MATCHING FOOTSTOOL ARE PRICED SEPARATELY). This suite is from the late 1970’s- the condition of these chairs after 40+ years is testament to the QUALITY on offer. Rufenacht started in the mid-1970’s and by 1980 he’d pocketed more design awards than any other furniture maker in Australia. So why does everyone go gaga over Parker when furniture like this is better built and more highly regarded? Parker is everywhere- everyone knows it, everyone has seen it. Rufenacht’s designs are virtually impossible to find (they were very expensive in their day) which means they slide under the radar somewhat but anyone with a honed eye knows what they’re seeing. His designs tick EVERY box- a resounding tick for comfort, design, quality and investment-appeal. This swivel chair design won the prestigious Australian design award back in 1978. Joe Rufenacht told ABC in 2006 that it took him 40 different prototypes to get his dining chair right- the design here probably took the same or more.
This furniture is an obvious furniture investment. The design looks very similar to the coveted Norwegian Falcon chair. Falcon chairs in Australia have risen in value from about $1100 back in 2002 to $2000 EACH in 2016- not a bad earner for something you also get to sit in and enjoy in the meantime! (I wrote that sentence in 2016- in 2017 I saw ONE Falcon chair on ebay for $2350- people are still going crazy for Falcons after over 50 years when the design was first released.)
Providing you use this chair with some sense Rufenacht’s furniture will last a lifetime (but most likely more). The quality of this chair EXCEEDS the Falcon chair (easily). The proper FULL-GRAIN leather on this suite is over 40 years old and the best quality you can buy. (It’s prestigious Australian Howe leather- a few of the dining chairs I bought along with these chairs had a vintage Howe leather tag on it.) With normal use (and minor maintenance) this furniture will look virtually the same as it does today in another 30 or 40 years. This is an obvious investment not just financially but from an environmental standpoint- all elements and the actual design has been very carefully considered to last the long-haul.
I rate Rufenacht’s swivel chair much higher than a Falcon chair. There’s no comparison as far as quality goes really- this Australian design wins hands-down. Rufenacht’s swivel chairs have a steel sub-structure for extra durability. Falcon chairs don’t and can suffer as a result. The other thing I like about this design is that it swivels. The Falcon doesn’t. And the biggest thing I love most about this particular set is the TIMELESS colour. Usually these are found in “1980’s colours”. The very-dark chocolate (which is almost black) is TIMELESS (and hard to get in Rufenacht furniture) and the contrast provided by the the oak frame is stunning. Rufenacht’s swivel chairs are much better chairs (compared with the Falcon) and they’re currently being sold at about HALF the price. This is only because Rufenacht’s designs are so rare and relatively unknown. I can only see the value of this design increase in the future.
After many modern pieces end up as landfill this 43-year-old chair will be passed onto another owner and then an entirely new generation. It was said on the ABC in 2006 that Rufenacht’s furniture will be the antiques of tomorrow and after being in this business for 19 years I agree. JR furniture (Rufenacht’s company) closed its doors in 2006 unable to compete with cheap overseas imports any longer. The 30+ year history of this Australian business has etched a permanent place in Australian furniture production history and if his work is not already in Australian museums and galleries, it will be.
And there’s one last thing to add. The headrests of this suite all screw off- easily and quickly. If you have a smaller space and need less-imposing furniture a more minimalist look can be achieved in minutes. I have a photo of Rufenacht furniture I’ve sold in the past WITHOUT the head-rest on- let me know if you want to see this photo. (THIS LISTING PRICE IS FOR ONE SINGLE SWIVEL CHAIR ONLY. THE MATCHING CHAIR AND FOOTSTOOL ARE PRICED SEPARATELY.)
2001 and 2004
