Description

Background Info and Provenance

(This sofa sold for $1279 in 2017. Today in 2019 I’d price it at $1350-$1500.) 

(Written in 2017).

A stunning TOP-GRADE LEATHER chaise lounge that’s extremely RARE. I’ve not seen another in 15 years of trading and even though I research vintage furniture constantly I haven’t even stumbled across this design on international or any international sites either. I believe this is Italian. It has no makers label but the very elite makers often did this. The makers geared for commercialism such as B & B Italia will always label their items but many elite pieces that show extraordinary workmanship are purposely unbranded so their workmanship speaks for itself. Because the work in this is so complex, someone trying to replicate it would never hit the nail on the head. Look at the handiwork in the leather upholstery. It almost looks like a thin sheet of water sliding over the rocks of a waterfall. My upholsterer has told me that re-upholstery of items like this are virtually impossible to do. She said that working with leather is hard enough but when you combine this with the puckering detail this is a job nearly any upholsterer in Australia would shy away from.

The seller I bought this from was Italian and said it was made from Italian leather. He had this and a leather lounge suite imported in from Italy in the late 1970’s. Based on my experience in this field, his identification is correct. I also asked a friend of mine who’s a prominent Australian collector and he said Dedece, an Australian family business established in 1978 that provides exclusive, quality interior design products (MAINLY ITALIAN) to the Australian Architecture & Design Community.

This sofa shows METICULOUS and painstaking attention to detail. The sofa is comfortable- brilliant to lie out on with a good book- it’s padded and has perfect amount of “give” under the seating. It’s durable- the feet underneath show aging of around 30 years to me and the seller told me it was “at least 30-year old mate”. Look at it after this much use! The durability and QUALITY is irrefutable. The leather is beautifully soft and supple.

This leaves us with investment appeal. Pieces of this vintage and appeal where the design is both TIMELESS AND DURABLE, could achieve virtually any price. In the right gallery, it would command about $5000.

This piece would be a feature piece for many spaces but it’s not “over the top” so would also be very adaptable. In the library or study, the living room or reading nook, this vintage piece is one to be passed from one generation to the next, telling more stories as it goes along. There are very few better ways to invest in your home and to reduce landfill.