Description
SOLD! For MORE than the offers over price. PRICE FOR RUFENACHT FURNITURE- no longer disclosed on the iNVISeDGE website. SORRY!
Offers over $2,600 for the 3-seater sofa. Offers over $2,000 per swivel chair. Offers over $7,100 for the full 4-PIECE suite in quality FULL-GRAIN HOWE leather from the late-1970’s- this is some of the best leather money can buy. Priority will be given to customers who would like to purchase the full suite. If you have interest in this suite (or any part of it), now is the time to call. We haven’t had a full Rufenacht lounge suite since 2022- that suite sold in the first 3 days it was listed. These suites are really hard to get and much coveted. Plus this particular suite is in incredible condition for it’s age. (circa late-1970’s).
This suite consists of a 3-seater sofa, pair of matching swivel chairs and the elusive footstool (all pieces are in brilliant condition).
LOCATION– being sold under consignment by a private seller in Werribee, MELBOURNE but this suite can be freighted Australia-wide for a reasonable additional cost. Approx $350 to get this full suite to Sydney.
Provenance and Background Info
(Written in 2022 by a regular iNVISeDGE seller in Adelaide in conjunction with Michael Grealy, for a suite we sold in the past)
This suite is from the late 1970’s and believe me- it is a rare thing! Rufenacht furniture was expensive in its day- the lounge suites in particular were made in very small numbers, there’s not much of it around.
Michael has spoken to many people who have had very strong interest in Rufenacht swivel lounge chairs (our last pair of chairs in this design sold before a listing was even done for it and another pair was sold to an interior designer in Canada and freighted internationally). All iNVISeDGE regular sellers (in Adelaide where this furniture was made and Australia-wide) have been keen to find more Rufenacht furniture- this is the forth Rufenacht lounge suite iNVISeDGE has got in almost 5 years! People keep asking for Rufenacht furniture- some people will not settle on a Tessa T21 swivel or Norwegian Falcon chair (as examples). Rufenacht furniture has it all. These single seaters swivel too- Norwegian Falcon chairs don’t. Above everything people want the comfort- the comfort of Rufenacht’s designs is just sublime! Even the comfort of these sofas is amazing because they hold you in perfect seating position plus they have a high back that supports your neck, shoulders and for most people some of their head too.
Some 20 years ago, Michael from iNVISeDGE ‘discovered’ Joe Rufenacht’s stunning furniture, and instantly fell in love with the minimalist curves and exceptional quality. Today, it’s safe to say that iNVISeDGE is the leading source for Rufenacht furniture worldwide. Rufenacht’s JR Furniture went out of business almost 20 years ago now (written, 2022). You have to buy it 2nd-hand; there’s no other way to get it these days.
Rufenacht started in the mid-1970’s and by 1980 he’d pocketed more design awards than any other furniture maker in Australia. The swivel chairs in this 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 lounge designs probably took the same but most likely more. His designs tick EVERY box- a resounding tick for comfort, design, quality and investment-appeal. 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 history.
This Rufenacht suite is an obvious furniture investment. The design looks very similar to the coveted Norwegian Falcon chair by Sigurd Resell. Falcon chairs in Australia have risen in value from about $1100 back in 2002 to around $3000 EACH in 2021- not a bad earner for something you also get to sit in and enjoy in the meantime! In recent years (since COVID lockdowns) Rufenacht pieces have become almost impossible to get and by late 2021 they became even more sought-after than the ever-popular T21 swivel chair by Tessa- no-one seems prepared to give their Rufenacht items up so prices keep rising (which hasn’t surprised any of us). This only adds to the investment appeal. Michael was supposed to get another pair of the swivel chairs in this design under consignment last year. After the owners searched high and wide for new furniture in the shops they cancelled their appointment with Michael and decided to keep them. In their words, “the new chairs in the shops don’t compare- even the ones triple in price. We’re going to keep our chairs and just live with the colour, even though it doesn’t really work in our new home.”
Providing you use these pieces with some sense, Rufenacht’s furniture will last a lifetime (but most likely several lifetimes). The quality of this furniture EXCEEDS the Falcon chair (easily) because of the steel sub-structure (see the photos of the undersides). Each timber piece is supported by steel for extra durability. With the base sections, the timber is clad onto steel. The AUSTRALIAN leather, which is quality vintage HOWE leather (made in the late-1970’s) is at least as good as any leather ever made in Australia and internationally. This is FULL-GRAIN leather, about 40 years old and in exceptional condition (because it’s some of the best quality leather you can buy). This suite is set to be passed onto yet another generation after this one- (if you look after it with any sense)- a symbol that when something is done well, it will live on.
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