This 3-piece suite SOLD in 2020 for $1,795!

This suite SOLD by a regular iNVISeDGE seller UNDER consignment from North Lakes, BRISBANE Northside. Delivery within about 200km North and about 300km South can be easily arranged for a reasonable additional fee or interstate transport Australia-wide through one of our regular carriers (or a carrier of your choice) can also be arranged for you by one of our friendly team.

This listing is for the 3-SEATER SOFA. We have a matching pair of armchairs priced SEPARATELY.  Preference will be given to people interested in the full suite. If you have interest in the full suite express your interest as we will break up the suite after people have had a fair chance to come forward.

This suite is a predominantly deep-green colour! I had a vision in my head the second this suite was presented to me by a regular iNVISeDGE seller. I’ve used Photoshop to manipulate the colours (the cognac colour has been created using Photoshop- the suite is GREEN not cognac). The vision I have in my head is NOT this- it’s much better- but I “played” for hours with Photoshop but couldn’t create my vision (I don’t think it’s possible using Photoshop either). I have lightened the armrests in the Cognac-coloured photos ONLY. This could be achieved by sanding them back and applying CLEAR shellac to them if you need the timber arms lighter). The armrest needs to contrast slightly with the rest of the suite. You want the armrests to take the attention here and to do this they need to be a different tone to the rest of the piece. I wanted it the other way around though! (But couldn’t achieve this with Photoshop). I wanted the armrests to stay as they are- they are a deeper tone as shown in all the photos of the suite in green. I wanted the upholstery on the inner-side (what you sit in) to be a sandy “wheaty” tone- a textured fabric like it currently is but lighter than the armrests and the outside to be a similar colour.

This would soften the design substantially. This is a bold design. I think the boldness needs to be pared back and to do that the seat and front of the back needs to a soft fabric with TEXTURE and a lighter colour (not vinyl or leather). Vinyl or leather exacerbates the boldness- the contrast in tones, the reflection, the darkness in areas where light doesn’t reach- these things all act as highlights and contributes to the boldness. Obviously, I couldn’t change the actual fabric using Photoshop and Photoshop wouldn’t allow me to create the tone I wanted either. Anyhow, to finish this up, a vision is there to overhaul this piece and give it a new lease of life (for the next century) but this could NOT be achieved using Photoshop. We cleaned the suite up only. The current condition of the suite is shown in our array of photos (of the suite IN GREEN!)

Background Info and Provenance

(Written in 2020)

This is easily one of the most stunning art deco lounge suites I’ve ever stocked (the listing price here is for the 3-seater sofa only- we have a matching pair of armchairs that are priced separately). Love those “wave” armrests! I’ve never seen anything like this before. Virtually all armrests are flat across the top- these have a notable dip which creates an amazing sinewy look. The workmanship (considering the suite is about 80 years old) is nothing short of incredible. This Genoa suite is SOLID and heavy and if used (and freighted) with any sense will last forever. What’s most incredible about this suite is that this is second-generation upholstery. The suite is so old the upholstery looks original but is actually 1960’s upholstery (the suite is certainly older than 1960’s though). This is tough as nails fabric and vinyl- the covering is in incredible condition. If this upholstery will work in your space this is an absolute bargain. If you don’t like the upholstery there’s a lot of money left to take this suite to the next level and get something worth around $5000-$6000 in iNVISeDGE. This suite looks amazing already but could be jaw-dropping with new upholstery (re-upholstery is not going to cost a crazy amount either). Yes, you would need someone with experience but an expert (who over-charges) is NOT required for a job like this (it’s not that hard- I’d say it might be about 4-5 days work for someone who knows what they’re doing).

This suite is also extremely comfortable. It’s NOT a sloth-all-over sofa. It’s vintage and was designed to hold you in perfect seating position for full relaxation of your back- the angles are perfect for sitting (not slothing). The cushioning is real- done at the time they actually crafted it using timber sides, metal springs and cotton wadding. If used with some sense this “cushioning” will last forever. The cushioning they’re using in modern sofas is just cut from synthetic foam (chemicals)- it will degrade and sag in time and the whole lounge will usually end up as landfill within 10 years or so (what a waste of resources!). This cushioning will never sag- it will always spring back to how it looks right now. This is part of the reason why the upholstery job won’t cost a lot. The cushioning does NOT need replacing (and should never need replacing). This saves you cost over the long-term and means your lounge will always be comfortable.

This 70 – 90-year-old suite is most likely Italian- needless to say it’s very rare in Australia (if you’ve ever seen another like this in Australia, I’d be surprised to hear it- I never have after 19 years in this business). There’s an off-chance it may have been Australian-made back in the day but I don’t think so. We made virtually all of our own furniture back then (how times have changed! … About 40 to 80 years ago Australia was very highly regarded on an international platform for its furniture design and craftsmanship- we used to exported a decent amount of our furniture overseas- this certainly doesn’t happen anymore! I doubt this particular suite is Australian though- if it was, I should have seen others around in my time in this business- I never have.

After modern furniture sags, falls apart, breaks and ends up as landfill; this 80 year-old suite will be passed onto yet another generation- a symbol of times gone by and a beacon of how things should be. There’s no reason why Australia can’t produce its own furniture again.

When you invest in quality vintage furniture such as this, I can’t see any better way of investing in your home and the future of our environment.

2006