Description
This chair sold through iNVISeDGE for $2290 back in 2017. Today in 2019 I’d price it at slightly more, maybe $2400.
Background Info and Provenance
Written in 2017
A stunning “Grand Danois” lounge chair designed by Finn Juhl in the 1960’s for esteemed Danish furniture maker, Poul Cadovius (Cado). The chair retains the original Cado plaque under the seat cushion. About 8 years ago I had a set of dining chairs and some had France & Sons plaques on them and others had Cado plaques- I think one chair even had both plaques on it! All the chairs had the same distinctive upholstery from the 60’s. This led me to discover that the France & Son business was sold to Poul Cadovius (Cado) in 1967 along with all the designs that France & Son were licensed to produce. This is an authentic Finn Juhl design (Danish)- the earlier versions have a France & Son plaque, the later ones, Cado. Poul Cadovius traded for 10 years which means this chair was certainly produced before 1977- the fact it has already been reupholstered suggests it’s more likely to be early 70’s.
There is some discussion online as to whether the designer of this chair is Finn Juhl or Grete Jalk. Most say Juhl. Who really knows? Only those who signed the contracts 50 years ago I suppose. It makes little difference to the actual value / investment appeal of this chair. BOTH Juhl and Jalk designed for France & Sons / Cado and the average value of a single-seater lounge for both these designers is about AU$4400 to AU$5800.
This leads me to the value of this chair- this chair is way under-priced in my store (I price to sell quickly and stock the next thing). This identical design (definitively identified as Juhl by a New York dealer) was priced at about AU$4500 just weeks (probably days) ago on 1stdibs. It has since sold. I didn’t take a photo of that listing while it was still for sale but the ad still can be seen (without the price- Google, “1st Dibs Finn Juhl Grand Danois”). I can’t find any in this identical design for sale in the world right now but similar designs by Juhl and Jalk sell for around AU$4400 to AU$5800 per chair. Peruse 1st dibs for further research. I think the confusion surrounding the designer is because Grete Jalk did a similar design without the sweeping upholstered arms- I’m more inclined to think this is by Finn Juhl.
I bought this chair because I love wave-shaped upholstered armrest. It brings a subtle “designer” edge to the classic Danish aesthetic. Nothing like this has ever been done by any Australian designer. This is a distinctive and an important piece of design and one of the only ones in circulation in Australia. These are RARE even on a worldwide platform.
The final reason I bought this chair is because it’s an exceptional chair- the construction quality is stunning (it’s completely solid and sturdy after about 40-50 years of use), the comfort is brilliant (perfect angles, great support, plush comfort) and it’s great value for my customers. When an identical vintage chair priced at about double this has sold it’s a no-brainer really. Items of this calibre rarely come up.
After the majority of modern chairs (and modern takes on vintage classics) have ended up as landfill this vintage original (approx. 40-50 years old- with the original CADO maker’s plaque) will be passed onto yet another owner and then an entirely new generation. When furniture looks like this after over 40 years of use you’re assured of the quality you’re buying. There’s no better way to invest in your home and reduce your carbon footprint.
