Description

SOLD TO ALESSIA WITHIN 2 DAYS OF BEING LISTED ON THE iNVISeDGE WEBSITE (this sofa sold before it was shared on Instagram). PLEASE NOTE- the green cushions came off a similar lounge from the 1950’s and are not the right size- THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS SALE. They were used for display and to get your creative juices flowing for re-upholstery. This frame works best with a soft-colour fabric so the frame takes focus. I don’t think the maroon colour (which this sofa came with) is right- it’s too bold and brings the frame down, taking attention away from it. I’ve also gone to the effort of including photos of the cushions being sold with this sofa without any covers on to show that even the colour of the plain-yellow cushioning works better than maroon.

This sofa SOLD under consignment from our client’s home in NORTH LAKES, Brisbane. We organised the full sale on behalf of our client.

Background Info and Provenance

(Written in 2019)

A vintage Sofa / Day Bed made in the 1950’s. This is one of the best sofas / day-beds in this style I’ve seen. Its curvilinear form combined with the boxy minimalist shape captivates but is still refined and elegant. The wavy armrest and curvaceous profile attract attention but also please the eye and create a feeling of calmness. There are more-than-enough jagged lines and harsh edges in urban environments these days, something curvaceous in your home offers a tranquil contrast and “peace” amongst the busyness. I like 1960’s teak / blackwood pieces such as FLER, Parker and Danish day-beds but much prefer items from the 1950’s like this. Vintage furniture with lighter-coloured timber frames are harder to come by and much more versatile because they can be used in virtually any interior. In a small space they’re less imposing so they won’t crowd your room and in a more-minimalist interior with a light-coloured palette, this sofa won’t scream for attention but will still be noticed. (For reference, I’ve included a photo of a similar piece I recently used to style a beachside apartment with a light-coloured palette.)

I’m not sure of the maker of this piece- Carlisle comes to mind but it’s very rare so I’m not certain. It’s similar in style to some Rosando Brothers sofas but obviously not a Rosando. It’s 1950’s though and I’m virtually certain it’s Australian. To my eye, this is Queensland Maple which was extensively used in furniture production in Australia in the 1950’s. By the end of the 1950’s, supplies of this timber became harder to come by and dark timbers such as Tasmanian Blackwood and Teak came into vogue. I’d put money on it being 1950’s but can’t be certain- I can’t find any others online and have never had another in the last 18 years I’ve been in this business.

Combining stunning looks with versatility, this is a great sitting sofa- good angles and nice plushness … flick off the back cushions and you also have a bed that’s big enough for the average adult to lie out on. Perfect for those lazy Sunday afternoons (not that I get many of those- Sunday can be a busy day for enquiries.) On top of this, the loose cushions sitting on the timber frame are also practical- so easy to keep looking good. The sofa in the interior shot was used for several years when the apartment was rented out to holiday-makers with kids. I removed the covers a couple of times for cleaning (a couple of spot-washes and one gentle-cycle machine wash)- both processes are easy if you return the covers to the cushions whilst still damp. Re-upholstery is also a breeze. Simply take the existing covers with a quality fabric to an upholsterer and you’ll have a “new” sofa in days. The green covers cost $300 for the upholsterer to sew up (but that sofa had 6 cushions (this sofa comes with a long cushion on the seat which is cheaper to sew up compared to 3 individual seat cushions- 3 smaller covers however, are much easier to look after). NOTE AGAIN- this sofa comes with the 4 maroon cushions ONLY. The green cushions were taken from another sofa. The sofa is also photographed with NO covers- the yellow cushions are what’s included in this sale (AND the maroon covers which can be used as a pattern if you want a different look).

The comfort of this sofa is very good- it’s perfect as a sitting lounge- the angles are great plus there’s plushness and the right level of support. And if you lie out a bit on it from one end, it can also be used for watching movies on. It’s not a “sloth-all-over” sofa. If this will be the only sofa in your home and you watch hours of TV- it may not be right for you but I lived with the sofa shown in the interior shots for several years and had no problems at all. I also had some ergonomic sitting chairs used for TV (as shown in the photos) and was very happy with my furniture. Young people of today (and I’m not that old!) seem to want sloth-furniture but it doesn’t tend to offer any support so in my opinion it’s no better than something like this (but you’ll need some carefully chosen lounge chairs as well).

The final subject we all need to consider when buying furniture is durability and investment appeal. As far as durability is concerned you can’t expect much better. This piece is about 65 years old and look at it! Solid and sturdy with no structural issues at all. The quality of the build is exceptional. One tell-tale sign of the quality is the use of metal springs in the seating area and the steel bars underneath to stabilise the piece (many makers skip this to save money). Metal springs are a lot more durable and comfortable- webbing (such as what was used on the much-celebrated Parker lounges in the 60’s) needs to be replaced over the years- metal springs are the more costly option. This leaves us with investment appeal- if someone was to create a piece like this in Australia again, they’d have to ask at least $3300 to stay in business. But no-one is making them anymore. If you dally-around deciding whether or not you should go for it, I doubt this will wait for you.

This 65-ish-YEAR OLD sofa is solid proof that when something has been done well it will live on and will only become more valued as the years roll on. The durability of its construction has proven itself over the last 65 years. This piece has evaded landfill and is set to passed onto the next generation. There’s no better way to invest in your home, from both a financial standpoint and to reduce your carbon footprint.

Ref- 2001