Description
SOLD for $7500 in November 2020! NOTE- all our prices are in Australian dollars!
Background Info and Provenance
RRP NEW from SPACE FURNITURE- $32 000
(The last photo showing all the construction parts is courtesy of Edra. All the other photos (and all photos on the iNVISeDGE website) were taken by Michael Grealy and remain the property of iNVISeDGE. Our photos or descriptions can NOT be used without prior consent- thank you.)
An Edra Flap Sofa in a stunning textured designer vinyl created by Francesco Binfaré in Italy. This is one of the first Flap sofas ever to be bought into Australia. It was purchased about 10 years ago and used in a high-end commercial studio (they told me it was the 2nd Flap Sofa ever bought into Australia). After this studio had enjoyed using this sofa and the tax benefits of depreciation, a staff member inherited it for a couple of years before I bought it from her. (She’s just moved house and it doesn’t work in her new apartment.) These Edra sofas rarely come up for sale on the secondary market. They retail new from SPACE Furniture for AU $32 000 (and upwards) so obviously not many people can seriously consider buying one (no matter how long they lust after the idea!)
One look of the photos is enough to tell you’re looking at an iconic piece of design history- the design is held in high esteem, well beyond that of world heavyweights such as Poliform, B & B Italia and even Cassina. The Edra Flap Sofa is in a league of its own. (The only Australian piece I’ve ever seen with a design close to this calibre and style was by Module Furniture in the early-1980’s.) If you’ve been lusting after one of these and would never pay $32-grand, this piece presents a very rare opportunity. I’m thrilled to have been able to handle it and yes thrilling is the right word to describe being able lie on it, clean up the upholstery and photograph it. This is certainly something I’d have in my own home but I can’t hang onto everything!
Do some research on the Edra Flap Sofa- it’s such an iconic piece of design you’ll come across a heap of interior photos where these has been used with jaw-dropping effect- I said “wow” out-loud a few times whilst researching for this listing.
In 1992 Edra began their ongoing collaboration with Italian, Francesco Binfaré which lead them to create various sofa designs which will continue to be iconic furniture pieces in future centuries. Of these, the Flap Sofa is the most-heralded and sought-after. I tried researching the release date for the Edra Flap but haven’t been able to pinpoint anything definitive. I wanted to find this out because I spotted an Edra Flap sofa in Freddie Mercury’s lounge room in the recent “Bohemian Rhapsody” movie. The set-designers made a blunder because Edra’s Flap Sofa was designed AFTER Freddie Mercury died. I’d say they were well-aware of this but needed a sofa with creativity, prestige and wow-factor- this sofa design has exactly that. To choose something that was obviously “wrong” and still use it anyway says lot about the esteem of this design.
So why does the design have such high esteem? The space-age shape is just a small part of the appeal. The upholstered seating section has nine parts that each can recline at SIX DIFFERENT ANGLES. To top it off the frame consists of 128 steel parts and 16 special hinges. The whole structure needs to be ASSEMBLED BY HAND. The sofa is padded in polyurethane with 184 parts with different cushioning densities to respond homogeneously to the functioning of the sofa. This is an INCREDIBLE sofa to use- you can adjust the 9 parts to suit your own personal comfort. Each part can be used at will as a backrest, armrest, headrest, seat or footrest. With various front and back parts utilized concurrently, you feel so supported it almost feels like you’re being hugged. The pieces can be adjusted to comfort one or two people lying out on it and all 9 pieces can lie fully flat to allow 2 adults to sleep on this sofa but with the shape I also picture it being handy for kids slumber parties. I can imagine 4 or 5 kids sleeping comfortably on this!
This brings me to the upholstery. At first I was unsure of it (because it’s vinyl) but this is a popular covering Edra used over the years for the Flap Sofa. With the stunning texture, it’s obvious this is a designer covering. Being white, vinyl is the smartest choice. Vinyl is easier to clean and less susceptible than leather to scratches, scuffs and cracking in the creases etc. With all the moving parts this is a very important to consider. After 10 years of solid use it presents extremely well. (Not perfect but overall it looks great- study the photos- use the magnifying glass.)
The frame is tubular steel which tops off the QUALITY and practicality of this suite- this sofa is basically indestructible! The feet are covered with tips in scratch-proof rubber. (Two of these rubber feet were missing but if I can remember rightly I did put on replacements.) Finally, the sofa dismantles in 2 parts which makes it pretty easy to move. Two people of normal strength can handle it and because it can become fully flat it’s not hard to manoeuvre in or out of a home or apartment.
This lounge has been used for 10 years (but still looks very good). This gives irrefutable evidence of the quality on offer. White lounges don’t look like this after this much use unless the quality is top-notch. There are very few better ways to invest in your home and reduce landfill.
1902 and 2005
