Description
These chairs sold to Pip in 2019 for $1295 for all 4 chairs (NO table).
None of the tables pictured are still available- they SOLD back when the previous set of Breotex chairs we had sold (2017).
This recent set in Melbourne are in much better condition than the previous set we sold- this set has seen little use out in full weather so they present very well overall. I’ve seen a set of 4 of these chairs sell immediately for $350 each in an auction centre and also seen them priced at a LOT more than $350 each in mid-century shops in Melbourne- Breotex chairs from the 1950’s are very hard to get and much-loved.
Background Info and Provenance
An AUTHENTIC 1950’s set of 4 Matrix outdoor chairs by Breotex of South Australia (listing price is for 4 chairs only- the tables shown in the display photos have sold). I have photos in my research folders of this exact design- those chairs sold in an auction centre a few years back- the Breotex labels were still present. (Plus, I have a scan of a Breotex ad from a House & Garden magazine from the 1950’s- see the images above.) The sticky labels of virtually all Breotex furniture these days has come off which is not surprising considering it’s outdoor furniture and over 60 years old. (My chairs have NO labels but I’m certain they’re 1950’s Breotex furniture.)
The previous set I sold in this design were actually the first furniture items I ever kept for myself after starting iNVISeDGE- I had them from 2004 to 2018. They were much-loved and constantly used over 14 years mainly in full weather. (I was sad to part with them but all 4 didn’t fit on my new balcony- 2 constantly sat in my garage- so I finally decided to sell all 4. That set sold within 5 days of being listed. This is another set recently found in Melbourne.)
Breotex outdoor furniture has a very light and “airy” look- the chairs don’t block off your space or scream for attention so they’re very adaptable. I loved using them for home-staging a house I recently renovated and sold out in the Brisbane suburbs (see the photos). The bush-land setting at the back of the house was the main attraction and these chairs added a cool designer slant without detracting from the view. These vintage chairs look modernist but are adaptable to any place.
The chairs may not look comfortable, but make no mistake, they are. Look at the angles and curves- the back is just right- and at a height for good upper-body support. Also the wire strands are closer to together compared to cheap modern productions- these have lots of strands going horizontally and even more that go vertically. This gives you better support and more comfort. (And is a lot expensive to produce. This is why the strands are further apart in most of today’s offerings.) This furniture does very well in full weather with little or no attention. (In full weather they may need to be re-sprayed after about 8 years- undercover they should look like this for the next generation.) This furniture doesn’t collect rain so it won’t go black and mouldy and also dries quickly.
Finally, this 1950’s outdoor suite ticks the investment appeal box. These chairs are RARE! I’ve seen very few around over the years- unfortunately none at a price I would pay with being a vintage-furniture-dealer. (I always wanted to extend my suite when I had my 4 chairs.) The last time I saw 4 of these chairs they sold immediately for about $350 each and that was just a private seller getting rid of them (at a clearance auction centre). Bertoia chairs are worth about $2000 each and I think these are better- AND they’re MUCH harder find (this is an Australian production though so if you’re willing to pay and be patient you will be able to extend your suite if you want). These chairs have stood the test of time and proudly so, showing us all the way forward. Investing in vintage items that have been built to last is the best possible way to reduce your carbon footprint. (Look at these outdoor chairs after about 65 years!)
These VINTAGE Breotex chairs came with a patio table that was too low for dining at so I swapped the table over for something else I found a few years ago (see the display photos- that table SOLD and is NOT included in the price). That table was normal dining table height and larger than what the chairs originally came with. The table shown in some photos may have also been done by Breotex but it would have been earlier than the chairs. The table is wrought iron- it looks late 1940’s to me and despite little upkeep and about 70 years in the weather it still looked great. (But it has since sold- only included in the photos to give you an idea of table-teaming possibilities. There is also another table shown in the real estate photo. These chairs also look great with glass-topped tables.)
Ref- 1807 and 1909
NOTE again- the chairs on offer are shown in the first 9 photos- the other photos of the previous set we sold are included as additional display photos. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This set of authentic vintage chairs are in excellent condition overall. They've all just been re-sprayed with a outdoor enamel in vivid white that has spruced up the look. When I got these in the white plastic coating was in excellent condition for outdoor chairs of this age but the white colour was looking quite dull. THESE WILL BE THE LAST BREOTEX CHAIRS I'LL EVER STOCK OUT OF MELBOURNE. The re-spraying was not fun- I had rush out into the carpark to do them after everyone in the area had left to go home. I had about 20 minutes of daylight left so the job spanned over at least a week. I ran out of days in the end before I had to fly back home to Brisbane- I wanted to do one more spray-can over the full set of 4 (so quarter of a can on each chair) just to get them perfect. They are excellent as they are- if you want perfection I'd suggest you buy one more can of outdoor enamel from Bunnings to tidy them up and finish the leg area on a couple. Put an old sheet down outside and the job will take you about 20 minutes and cost you $15 (but as I said they're great overall as they are- as shown in the photos). Use the Zoom-In tool to see what I'm talking about- some leg sections are a little dull- other areas may have fingerprints in the paint. I'll be back in Melbourne at the end of Nov 2019 so will finish them off if they haven't been picked up before then. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few stoppers are very old but most are new (use the Zoom-In tool to look at all of the chairs closely). The foot stoppers are readily available from hardware stores anyway. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Two chairs have a very minor crack in the wire (in one small spot) which does not affect the function of the chairs. It's very minor and not noticeable- I photographed this closely- shown in 2 photos (for each of the 2 chairs) but it's so minor it didn't show up readily in the photos. You may be able to see what I'm talking about if you use the extreme zoom-in feature for the photos above- particularly the 2 close-up photos. I've seen this with every set of Breotex chairs I've ever come across- it doesn't affect the function of these chairs. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
These are the dimensions for the last set of these chairs I sold. I can't see any reason why this set wouldn't have the exact same dimensions. Measurements. CHAIRS Height- 78cm. Across- 60cm. Back- 60cm. TOTAL for freight- 0.28X4= 1.1 cbm.
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Email written for a recent enquiry which gives even more information about Breotex chairs ...
Hi XXXXXXX,
None of the chairs have any rust. The chairs do very well in full weather because of the plastic coating from the 1950's- I owned a set of 4 of these chairs in the exact same design for 14 years. The plastic coating starts to become brittle after many years (decades) in full weather and also becomes dull. This set has been used outside over the years but not over decades. I sprayed my set in white exterior enamel when I first got them to freshen them up- this also FULLY PROTECTS THE PLASTIC COATING (so the wire gets double-protection). Mine were used in full weather for about 6 years and then undercover for 7 years. They needed to be scrubbed down and re-sprayed in exterior enamel again after using them for 13 years in this way. (I only had space for 2 chairs on the balcony of my new apartment- the other 2 were sitting permanently in the garage which was a waste. This was the only reason I sold mine- I loved them- mine had the minor crack in a piece of wire on all four of them- this set has this with only 2 of the chairs. This is the 2nd set of these I've had in 18 years of trading vintage furniture.) An alternative would be getting the chairs powder-coated after you've used them 6 years in full weather (if you never want to re-spray them again- tell the powder-coater to spray over the plastic-coating). They may try to tell you that you have to sand-blast the plastic coating off. DO NOT DO THIS- IT'S TOTAL STUPIDITY. The plastic coating is a quality coating as well. Powder-coating costs a bit but will last a lot longer. With these chairs as they are now, the paint (from Bunnings) will start peeling off after about 6 years in FULL WEATHER (but probably never undercover) BUT the original thick plastic coating is still underneath- there's double protection so even after the paint starts coming off the wire is still protected.
Another thing to consider is that I sprayed my Breotex chairs in 2004- I'd think that exterior spray enamels are better these days so the final finish might last even longer- I used a quality product to spray this set a few weeks ago OVER the original plastic which was in excellent condition overall- it was just looking dull so needed a freshen up.
The last time I saw this design was in an auction centre where they sold for $350 per chair (but they only had 2 chairs). Auction centres get deceased estate items etc and they must clear the floor within days so items generally sell for next to nothing in this type of environment. This proves that these are a very popular vintage design. Because they're 50 years old, you've got assurance these are a quality build- who knows how long similar modern ones will last for and I've tested sitting in the new ones- they are not as comfortable as these because the distance between the wire strands for Breotex chairs is small- meaning many more strands (more expensive to build)- you're supported much better. The angles for these are great too. In short, they're great chairs WITH VERY STRONG INVESTMENT APPEAL- I would have not owned mine for 14 years if they weren't!
Kind Regards,
Michael Grealy (iNVISeDGE)
www.invisedge.com.au - NEWLY LISTED Category
