Description
Provenance and Background Info
THIS TABLE SOLD IMMEDIATELY THROUGH iNVISeDGE FOR $2500 back in 2011. These days in 2019 I’d price the exact same table at about $4000.
A fantastic designer extension dining table by B & B Italia / Maxalto imported from Italy probably in the early 1980’s or late 1970’s. I very rarely get inspired by a dining table but this one captivated me the second I saw it- the extension concept is innovative, unique and has a fascinating designer edge to it. (Both ends of the box support roll-out and the top opens out like a book to double the length of the table.) I love the warm earthy tone and the slight industrial edge of this piece. Usually dining chairs are what take the limelight but this table would complement many chairs while still making a statement all of its own. I bought this table interstate and the owner said it belonged to his Grandma who said she purchased it around the same time as the chairs. The chairs are by highly acclaimed Australian designer, Joe Rufenarcht and were released in the late 1970’s. I’d say the table is early 1980’s but despite several hours of research on the internet I can’t find another table like this for sale in the world. The owner said his Grandma “loved designer things” and this is obvious. Instead of doing the conventional thing she had a table bought in from Milan to complement her recently acquired Australian designer chairs. She has a real eye for design as I think this suite works really well together. (THIS LISTING IS FOR THE TABLE ONLY- CHAIRS SEPARATE! WHITE CHAIRS ALSO AVAILABLE SEPARATELY.)
The Maxalto company has been operating from the 1970’s possibly earlier- Maxalto is still in operation to this day and their designs are sold by SPACE Furniture in Australia that house some of the best design offerings in the world. Maxalto is now marketed within the B&B Italia stable and is highly regarded worldwide with high-end retailers marketing Maxalto from Paris to London and across to New York.
The only pre-owned B&B Italia/ Maxalto table I could find in Australia was one that sold for $3800 in “Home Furnishing on Consignment” in Sydney some months ago. I think this table is a lot more inspiring and appealing than that one. The only other pre-owned Maxalto dining tables I could find were on the 1st Dibs website but not any in this design- most for around the AU $10 000-mark. My start price represents a smart investment and I would be open to buying this piece back after some years if it no longer suited the needs of the customer (if they moved house for example). This piece has done what it was designed to do for 30-odd years and has a myriad of stories to tell (but this description is already way too long!). The weighted section inside is cast with the Maxalto logo and there is a consignment note stuck on it when it was sent from Milan to Melbourne when it was first sold (this is mainly in Italian and some is typewritten- this consignment note also has the Maxalto logo). This table ticks all the boxes in what I’m looking to stock. When other dining tables have ended up as landfill, disposing of the earth’s resources in the process, this table will be passed onto a new generation to tell new stories about how ingenious design and careful workmanship can live forever.
