$1,995.00

SOLD for $1895 in 2018. Let us know if you have a similar item you’d like to sell. Our commission fee is 5% to 18.5%.

 

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Description

This sofa SOLD for $1895 in 2018.

Background and Provenance

(Description was written in 2017.)

A Warren McArthur 3-seater sofa (with seat cushions only) designed for the Biltmore Hotel, Arizona USA in 1933. There is a body of McArthur’s work in Australia made under license by Namco (mainly made in the 1940’s). Australia was the only country outside of the USA to be granted a license to produce his designs. Most of the McArthur pieces made in Australia are not highly sought-after but the Biltmore sofa is the exception and is the most sought-after McArthur design to come out of Oz. These are bloody rare here! This is the only Biltmore sofa I’ve come across in Australia after being in this business for 17 years.

Warren McArthur’s work is respected the world over. His designs were way ahead of their time and embraced by design buffs, celebrities and movie stars alike. You could put this sofa on the floor of Space Furniture today (upholstered in the right fabric) and it wouldn’t look out of place- this is an astonishing feat for something designed over 80 years ago.

I must admit when I first came across McArthur’s work I was a little confused by the hype and why people were paying $10 000+ for a single chair. I dug deeper on the internet and was floored by the repertoire of his work. (And his talent.) A website in America, Wright20 Auctions, has sold McArthur designs for about 15 years. Nearly all of the McArthur pieces I saw on their site were just awe-inspiring- I now understand why McArthur pieces fetch big $ and feel it is only going to keep increasing. He is easily one of the most creative designers the world has seen … and to imagine this design was done in the 1930’s! Google “Wright20 Warren McArthur”- their items also come with auction estimates.

It would be great if this sofa finds an Australian buyer but I am opening this up to American buyers. (An American buyer would need to book SEA FREIGHT at their end. In the USA you are going to have more options and cheaper prices than I will get in Australia. I’d say delivery to America would be about AU $1300 (about US $980. This is just an estimate. International buyers MUST organize their own shipping- do NOT ask me to do it because my answer will be no. I’d much prefer if this piece stays here in Australia.)

McArthur 3-seater sofas tend to be worth AU $10 000 to $15 000 in America so even with freight it’s still very cheap for something that’s basically impossible to find. It’s a bargain for Australian buyers and a brilliant investment. I’ve sold a pair of the single seaters twice for a LOT more than this. (And they are slightly easier to find but still bloody rare!)

Biltmore designs have stood the test of time in all ways possible. The construction is incredible- this is lightweight, strong and the frame (because its aluminum) will NEVER corrode- the curves and angles are sensational and still “pack a punch” 80 years later. After the majority of modern designer furniture has ended up as landfill this sofa from the 1940’s will only become more valued and prized. There are few better ways to invest in your home and reduce your carbon footprint.

This sofa is in excellent condition. Structurally it’s great- the structural brilliance of McArthur’s work has been longed praised and resulted from his engineering background. McArthur patented the “beehive” joins and these became the trademark of all his furniture. The frame is tubular aluminum (lightweight and strong) and it has a brushed silver anodized finish. This anodized finish has various small marks and scratches over the years (eg. where the cushions have rubbed over the years). Overall though the frame looks extremely good as shown in the close-up pics. As far as McArthur’s work goes the finish on this sofa is better than most I’ve seen. The seat cushions are original and have a layer of sheep’s fleece on the top- this is how they were done in the 40’s. Underneath I could see some straw and what looked like horse’s hair (and springs). I have included photos of these cushions mainly to show the age of cushions which substantiates the age of the armrests- the same horse-hair (?) is used in the armrest cushions. THERE ARE NO BACK CUSHIONS INCLUDED IN THIS SALE. (IN AMERICA MOST OF THESE SOFAS HAVE UPDATED CUSHIONS. THE ORIGINAL WOULD HAVE HAD 6 INDIVIDUAL CUSHIONS. THESE DAYS MOST PEOPLE ARE PUTTING A SINGLE CUSHION ALONG THE SEAT AND ONE ALONG THE BACK SO THE FOCUS STAYS ON THE GENIUS OF THE FRAME DESIGN AND IS NOT DISTRACTED BY THE CUSHIONS. I ALSO HAVE A PAIR OF BILTMORE ARMCHAIRS THAT CAME WITH THIS LOT. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN THOSE AS WELL LET ME KNOW. THIS SOFA WILL NEED TO BE SENT TO AMERICA BY SHIP. (I ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF SOFA TABLES AND A STAND THAT I’VE USED AS A COFFEE TABLE IN THE PAST. THIS REPRESENTS 11 YEARS OF COLLECTING McARTHUR’S WORK.) ANY ADDITIONAL FURNITURE GOING IN WITH THE SOFA WILL PROBABLY BE FREIGHTED FOR NO ADDITIONAL COST- MAYBE A LITTLE EXTRA FOR EXTRA INSURANCE. This sofa measure about 165cm across by about 88cm back with a height of 68cm without back cushions. (Seat height is 47cm with the cushion shown and armrest height is cm.). I will plastic-wrap the armrest before sending this away. And if you want the seat cushions I will plastic wrap down the sheep-fleece. Read my 980+ feedback comments (ALL for vintage furniture SALES- over 100 are from repeat customers) to be assured that I will not stock items unless they are in excellent condition and that I strive to describe my items as accurately as possible.
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